I think there is a deeper reason to this. In Sapiens, Yuval Harari makes the point that one of the most powerful things human society does is make myths. One

I think there is a deeper reason to this. In Sapiens, Yuval Harari makes the point that one of the most powerful things human society does is make myths. One of the most powerful myths in American society has been the idea that the United States was based on a belief in human freedom and equality from the beginning. While, definitely not completely true, it was powerful enough that it actually catalyzed the fight against a lot of the injustices. See for example Abraham Lincoln's speeches or Martin Luther King, Jr's speeches where they are always appealing to people to live up to the ideals of America's founding[0]. Zinn directly attacked that myth in his work. And he attacked it at the point where he could do the most damage, in the early education of American youth. The loss of this myth has had profound consequences. Before, we had a shared myth that everyone American, across all faiths could appeal to. Now there really isn't one. A significant portion believes that America was never great because it was hopelessly oppressive and all of American success is based on oppression. I am worried we are starting to see the emergence of another faction. One that is proud to be American, but justifies American greatness through "might makes right", and not through any appeal to principles of freedom. Thus this second group would say American became great, because it was oppressive. Both of these views are in contrast to the previous view that America was great, because of the founding principles of freedoms, despite the history of oppression which is to America's shame. With no appeal to either religion or a founding myth that unites people, I feel American divisions will get even more nasty in the future. 0. "In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."