By Stephen S. Strauss
It is sad that in the 250ᵗʰ anniversary of the presumed greatest nation on earth, the American people are allowing a convicted felon to run the United States with such a monarchy-oriented attitude.
Political parties have become too nationalistic in modern times. When each person is voting for a political party, the nuances of a variety of social issues are left behind. In addition, modern-day yellow journalists have influenced the political climate with the addition of social media. There no longer seems to be separate powers within the three branches of government. This country is once again repeating the past instead of becoming a progressive-melting pot: this is the American social experiment.
Like President Andrew Johnson, Trump in his second term is undoing any progressive reform from the Biden-Harris administration. As MAGA founder Trump has pardoned the January 6 rioters for their anti-democratic insurrection in 2021, Johnson pardoned the South and its pro-slavery advocation.
Lincoln – although an advocate for the American Colonization Society – and his administration were able to get the 13th Amendment passed. But prior to the Civil War the Dred Scott decision directly clarified the Constitution’s stance on African ancestry and citizenship: Black people are not citizens, under the legal structure created by the framers. This same topic – citizenship – is still being questioned and evaluated by radical Republicans.
I would argue that the White people known as “the founders” created American citizenship. The British colonists that argued over the Constitution worried more about African representation than any other topic; thus, in 2026 President Trump has cut public funding for museums seeking to tell the story of the enslaved—the worry over African representation continues.
Due to our country’s history with nativism, so many still have it ingrained in their culture that everything must be White European Christian. For specificity, if it is not in “American English” or true to America’s Christian roots, it is anti-patriotic. The Curse of Ham’s legacy in this country’s culture is still evident.
Even in today’s America, Indigenous people’s history is not fairly told or written for American classrooms. This land was stolen centuries ago for the purpose of White European Christian nationalism. There was forced assimilation for anyone who didn’t believe in the Christian God. For this reason, the first college was proposed in the records of the 1619 first general assembly; ergo, the same system of White-washed education prevails today.
Perhaps on July fourth, there should be a declaration of independence from King Trump. No king should be allowed to rule this country as his kingdom. Democracy does not belong to Trump– it belongs to the people in this melting pot.
In the words of artist Bad Bunny, “Together, We Are American.”
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the AFRO.
