While this Country is named “The United States of America,” the people are not. Division has been part of the United States ever since its founding. Our founding fathers had divisions amongst themselves, but they set aside those divisions. They agreed to disagree. All they wanted was to have independence from Britain, be a free country, get rid of the monarchy and become a democracy.
Division in the United States caused the creation of the two-party system and the Civil War. Division causes conflict, which splits people up. But why does the U.S. have divisions? People have different views and opinions. That’s alright, but when division causes us not to be united and to start wars because of this division, it only makes it worse. America should be United, not divided. Unity is what helps a nation become better and greater.
Division is getting far worse in the U.S., especially political division. There is a political civil war between Republicans and Democrats. That’s one part of the story. Over the decades, there have been several eras when division was clear and in front of us, yet we, the people, were too blind to see it. Most importantly, political polarization has been the root of the eras where America experienced mass divisions instead of unity.
“The current political polarization in the United States is making it difficult to find common ground or empathize,” World history honors and current events teacher Jordan Rhodes said. “It’s also making political parties more tribal and policy-making more centered on disadvantaging your opponent rather than advantaging everyone in the nation.”
Political division is at its peak during the months leading up to and on the day of the presidential election. Why? Because each presidential candidate wants to be right, and in the process of proving their point, they speak lies and hatred against their opponent. This applies to both parties. Each party wants to be right, and they will do anything to be right. In the process, they use propaganda, and while doing so, they spread hatred and division.
We can have our beliefs and opinions, yet we should also strive to seek unity. Without unity, we can do nothing. Unity is so important within a nation because it enables a nation to get through anything. If the people aren’t united and keep on dividing, the nation will suffer greatly.
The United States of America was once a great nation because of its unity. However, division caused the U.S. to become worse year after year. Although presidents have made an effort to unite the country, we, the people, ignore that and keep dividing.
Media and technology have also played a role in the divisions in the U.S. because oftentimes, the media spreads a one-sided story that villainizes the other side and contains bias, which also spreads hatred and causes division more easily. Technology also plays a major part in the spread. Things can spread in an instant with the use of technology, which also increases division.
“A general lack of media literacy has made people vulnerable to misinformation and manipulation by political entities and people or organizations in power,” Rhodes said.
Division is never going to go away, but we should set aside that division and instead seek unity with one another. Because if we aren’t united, we, the people, will cause the collapse and fall of the United States of America.
