A13. “Our boasted civilization is but a thin veneer”: How White Supremacy Erodes the American Ideals It Claims to Love

In recent years, we have seen a renewed presence of white supremacist definitions of American identity and ideals, of the United States as a fundamentally white nation. Yet, in reality, white supremacist voices and forces consistently undermine and erode our national ideals. In this course we will use histories, figures, communities, and texts to trace both that process and how we can challenge it for a handful of such ideals from liberty, religious freedom, and the right to vote, to workers’ rights and family values.

Ben Railton is Professor of English and American Studies at Fitchburg State University. He is the author of 7 books, most recently Two Sandlots: Baseball, Bigotry, and the Battle for America. He also writes the daily American Studies blog and contributes to the bimonthly “Considering History” column in the Saturday Evening Post.