As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Princeton professor and historian Eddie Glaude Jr. has expressed his frustrations concerning the nation’s historical challenges and current issues. His book, America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries, begins with a powerful statement: “I do not love America, and never have, especially now.” This sets the tone for his exploration of the nation’s racial history and challenges.
Glaude highlights significant events like the Supreme Court’s decision to dismantle the Voting Rights Act and aggressive redistricting efforts that threaten Black congressional representation. These actions fuel his sense of anger and sadness. “What I was trying to do with this book was kind of write some security underneath my feet. So that I could actually get this rage under control, to get my sadness, my melancholy under control,” he explains.
Examining the nation’s past anniversaries, Glaude sees the “divided soul of the nation” as evident today as it was in the past. Ahead of the 250th anniversary, he argues for confronting the nation’s failure to uphold its founding ideals. He states, “America has to grow up. It can no longer hide in its adolescence.” The country, he argues, must reconcile its vision of freedom with the reality of racial inequities.
[America] imagines itself at once as a beacon of freedom and as a white republic. And to hold those two things together … deposits the kind of madness at the heart of the country.”
Interview Highlights
On starting his book with the sentence: “I do not love America”
Glaude recalls struggling with the introduction, realizing he held back. Upon revisiting his draft, the contentious sentence surfaced, and after contemplative pacing around his study, he decided to keep it. “But this is what you have to say. You have to begin here and then you can explain,” he decided.
On the significance of the country’s anniversaries
Glaude observes that each anniversary compels America to script its own story. “The country has to tell a story about itself. It has to tell a story about its founding.” As the 250th anniversary nears, he urges scrutiny beyond celebratory events like sports arenas and fairs, pointing to narratives of founder saintliness.
On what patriotism means to him
Glaude equates patriotism with caution. “Sometimes patriotism, to my ear, sounds like a rebel yell.” He voices skepticism towards those who loudly display their nationalism, often questioning their motives, particularly concerning voting rights and historical acknowledgment.
On a storybook version of America’s founding he was told during a 2024 tour of Philadelphia’s Congress Hall
During a tour, Glaude experienced a sanitized version of history. When a guide attributed congressional conflict to handshake styles rather than slavery divisions, Glaude saw this as a prime example of oversimplifying history.
This interview was originally produced and edited for broadcast by Anna Bauman and Susan Nyakundi, with Bridget Bentz and Meghan Sullivan adapting it for the web.