The American Divide

It has become something of a cliché to talk about how the country is more divided than it has ever been—politically, economically, and socially. People live in their own constructed realities: their tribes, news feeds, belief systems—religious, political, and otherwise.
Yet there is surprising agreement in one area. People of all stripes tend to agree that the country is more divided than ever and everyone is asking how we got to this point. How did things get so far off track that the country now faces an existential crisis, and every election is framed as the most important in our history? How did we reach a point where we often can't even talk to each other—sometimes not even within our own families?
Interestingly, both the left and the right cite the words and warnings of George Orwell—particularly from his book 1984—to support their positions. For the right, nothing invokes Orwellian doublespeak more than the proliferation of gender categories, the framing of aborting a fetus as a "choice," and the idea that free speech excludes white supremacists, and bullies.
People on the left see an equally Orwellian dynamic in claims that "freedom of religion" means teaching Christian doctrine in public schools, that "freedom of speech" includes banning books or even words like gay or diversity, and in the broader embrace of “alternative facts.”
Times of great division in our nation have often led to gridlock. From the writing of the Constitution to the Civil War, a divided country could not find a way to address slavery short of war. But division also brings the opportunity for change, even if it's not the change we expect. The Civil War restructured the political and economic framework of the country—even if it failed to deliver true freedom to Black citizens.
When the Great Depression hit, there was also initial gridlock, as President Hoover and Congress failed to act, deepening the divide between the economically oppressed and the staunch free-market capitalists.
Such crises create the opportunity not just for change, but for purposeful change. The Civil War briefly opened the door for the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments—amendments that promised, though never fully delivered, real change.
Similarly, FDR used the Great Depression to fundamentally redefine the relationship between the government and its citizens. Despite the Founders’ promise of the "pursuit of happiness," they created a federal government largely focused on national defense and commerce, with a particular emphasis on protecting property rights. They had so little concern for many of their citizens that they initially resisted granting voting rights or guaranteeing basic freedoms—only agreeing to the Bill of Rights as the price of ratification. FDR revived the Enlightenment concept of the social contract, declaring that the government must ensure the welfare and prosperity of the American people—a capitalist interpretation of the pursuit of happiness.
It is possible to view the current political divide and upheaval as another moment of major change. Love him or hate him, Trump is redefining America—and the role of government. How did we move from gridlock to disruption?
The key lies in redefining what is possible. The left did not see it as possible to roll back the Bush and later the Trump tax cuts; did not see it as possible to enact single-payer health care; did not see a way to protect labor or the environment through free trade agreements; and too often did not envision how to lead—only how to regulate.
The genius of Trump, in his demented way, is his ability to redefine not just truth, but possibility—who has voice and agency, the limits of power, and the function of the American government. It’s not that what he’s doing is new; it’s just new in America. It’s new in that he was serious when he said outrageous things—and is now doing them. The left, it seems, truly believed, “It can’t happen here.” And now that it has, they have no idea what to do about it.
Perhaps we can learn something from our history. We've been here before—Jim Crow and white supremacist terrorism, the Chinese Exclusion Act, the internment of Japanese Americans, the Palmer Raids, McCarthy-era blacklists and harassment, and many more injustices. Their legacy lingers, but in those moments, we found ways to make progress. I hope we can again.