The United States was founded by wealthy white slave-holding militarists from Europe whose only beef with British imperialism was that they had to pay for it. The fact that the "revolutionaries" had benefited enormously from that imperialism (and you get what you pay for) quickly exits the narrative. That's why Howard Zinn's look at American history--from the side of those who had to take to the streets and struggle against the status quo in order to squeeze a little fairness out of the ruling elite--is so monumental.
The marvel and miracle to me is that, in the midst of a toxic mercantilist-militarist-Christian-manifest-destiny culture, the holy trinity of Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman emerged--among so many others who were capable of thinking outside the cultural box, before and since.
As citizens of the Invisible Whitmanian Republic, then, we have a duty to keep the embers of free thought glowing for those few who will poke down through the ashes to find them. But it's truly difficult to keep one's head up and hopes high under the weight of jingoism and white supremacy styled as "patriotism" in these dark days. There are moments when I absolutely loathe my countrymen. But you get that sense from Twain every now and again as he immerses you in the acid bath of his satire--and you love him for it. There is redemption to be found, but it comes in sparks and flashes. Beggars can't be choosers. Take it where you can find it and endure the rest.
We shall not overcome, but we shall endure to the end. This is the American sumud (صمود).
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