{"id":2653,"date":"2026-06-15T16:08:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T16:08:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653"},"modified":"2026-06-15T16:08:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T16:08:56","slug":"as-the-u-s-turns-250-this-historian-has-blunt-advice-america-has-to-grow-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653","title":{"rendered":"As the U.S. turns 250, this historian has blunt advice: ‘America has to grow up’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, historian and Princeton professor Eddie Glaude Jr. says he’s feeling rageful. He opens his new book, bluntly, with the declaration: “I do not love America, and never have, especially now.”<\/p>

Read more Inside the lab taste-testing the world\u2019s chocolate<\/a><\/p>

Glaude points to the Supreme Court’s dismantling of the Voting Rights Act, and to redistricting efforts that threaten to limit Black representation in Congress. <\/p>

“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,” Glaude says.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\n
\n
\"This<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n
\n

History <\/h3>\n

America has a major birthday coming up \u2014 here’s what to expect for the big 2-5-0<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

looks at the country through the lens of its previous anniversaries and centennials. Today, as in the past, Glaude says, “the divided soul of the nation is in full view.” As the 250th anniversary approaches, he says it’s past time for the country to acknowledge the ways it has failed to deliver on its founding principles: <\/p>

“America has to grow up. It can no longer hide in its adolescence,” he says. “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.”<\/p>

Read more Trump celebrates 80th birthday with Iran deal and UFC fights at the White House<\/a><\/p>

<\/div>

Interview highlights<\/h3>
\n
\n\n
\n
\"9780593239803.tiff\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n\n \n Penguin Random House\n \n <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

I had written some version of the introduction and it didn’t land. I thought I was holding something back. \u2026 And so I returned to that first paragraph, and suddenly this sentence just came on the page. And I got up and I started walking around my study and I was afraid of what this would mean if I left it there. And then something inside of my head just simply said, “But this is what you have to say. You have to begin here and then you can explain.” So I left it. <\/p>\n

\n
\n\n
\n
\"U.S.<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n
\n

Education <\/h3>\n

U.S. Education Dept. unites conservative groups to create ‘patriotic’ civics content <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Each of these moments, the country has to tell a story about itself. It has to tell a story about its founding. And so here we are in the 250th and look at the kinds of the contours of the story \u2014 just don’t look at the UFC arena or the Great American Fair or the garden of statues of heroes. But they’re going to tell a story [about] the saintliness of the founders, a story about the sacredness of this grand experiment.<\/p>\n\n

Sometimes patriotism, to my ear, sounds like a rebel yell. Those people who embrace the flag, who wrap themselves up in the piety of the country, are often, more than not, folk who think I should be in my place, folk who are behind the assault on voting rights, folk who want to deny the specificity of the experiences that shape how I see this place. So usually when I hear a robust, visceral embrace of love of country, you know, my head goes on a swivel. Who sang it, and for what ends and for what purposes?<\/p>

\n
\n\n
\n
\"Slavery<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n
\n

Race <\/h3>\n

Slavery Wasn’t ‘Long Ago’: A Writer Exposes The Disconnect In How We Tell History<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

[The guide was] walking us through the House and then the Senate, and he’s telling us these stories and finally talks about the conflict. [He says] that they weren’t divided according to party but, you know, region and whatnot. And [he] said the biggest conflict is that they came from the South and the North. And I was like, OK, here we go. We’re going to start talking about slavery. And then he says they didn’t know how to shake hands. That was the example of the conflict between the Congresspersons, that one would bow [and the other would shake]. And I was like, that’s it? And then I just saw ghosts. I saw ghosts all around Congress Hall. But it was an example for me of a startling example of the storybook version of the country.<\/p>

Read more Former American businessman detained in Myanmar after alleged financial misconduct<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In America, U.S.A., <\/em>Princeton historian Eddie Glaude Jr. looks at the country through the lens of its previous anniversaries and centennials. “The divided soul of the nation is in full view,” he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[727],"tags":[322,378],"class_list":["post-2653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-author-interviews","tag-america-250","tag-civil-rights"],"yoast_head":"\nAs the U.S. turns 250, this historian has blunt advice: 'America has to grow up' - Best USA Movers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"As the U.S. turns 250, this historian has blunt advice: 'America has to grow up' - Best USA Movers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In America, U.S.A., Princeton historian Eddie Glaude Jr. looks at the country through the lens of its previous anniversaries and centennials. "The divided soul of the nation is in full view," he says.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Best USA Movers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-15T16:08:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/01e903d3a7454d4f6309dcada459447e.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=2653#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=2653\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3f4fef4452a41b72c331a70422221f40\"},\"headline\":\"As the U.S. turns 250, this historian has blunt advice: ‘America has to grow up’\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-15T16:08:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=2653\"},\"wordCount\":732,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=2653#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/1c0c3aa1ccd1585ac6c15a8415e371e1-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"America 250\",\"civil rights\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Author Interviews\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=2653#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=2653\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=2653\",\"name\":\"As the U.S. turns 250, this historian has blunt advice: 'America has to grow up' - Best USA Movers\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=2653#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=2653#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/1c0c3aa1ccd1585ac6c15a8415e371e1-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-15T16:08:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3f4fef4452a41b72c331a70422221f40\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=2653#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=2653\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=2653#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/1c0c3aa1ccd1585ac6c15a8415e371e1-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/1c0c3aa1ccd1585ac6c15a8415e371e1-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 01: Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr. speaks onstage during the PHRC Black History Month Social Justice Lecture Series featuring Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. on March 01, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Lisa Lake\\\/Getty Images for Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission )\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=2653#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"As the U.S. turns 250, this historian has blunt advice: ‘America has to grow up’\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Best USA Movers\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3f4fef4452a41b72c331a70422221f40\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"As the U.S. turns 250, this historian has blunt advice: 'America has to grow up' - Best USA Movers","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"As the U.S. turns 250, this historian has blunt advice: 'America has to grow up' - Best USA Movers","og_description":"In America, U.S.A., Princeton historian Eddie Glaude Jr. looks at the country through the lens of its previous anniversaries and centennials. \"The divided soul of the nation is in full view,\" he says.","og_url":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653","og_site_name":"Best USA Movers","article_published_time":"2026-06-15T16:08:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":683,"url":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/01e903d3a7454d4f6309dcada459447e.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3f4fef4452a41b72c331a70422221f40"},"headline":"As the U.S. turns 250, this historian has blunt advice: ‘America has to grow up’","datePublished":"2026-06-15T16:08:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653"},"wordCount":732,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1c0c3aa1ccd1585ac6c15a8415e371e1-scaled.jpg","keywords":["America 250","civil rights"],"articleSection":["Author Interviews"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653","url":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653","name":"As the U.S. turns 250, this historian has blunt advice: 'America has to grow up' - Best USA Movers","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1c0c3aa1ccd1585ac6c15a8415e371e1-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-15T16:08:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3f4fef4452a41b72c331a70422221f40"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1c0c3aa1ccd1585ac6c15a8415e371e1-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1c0c3aa1ccd1585ac6c15a8415e371e1-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 01: Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr. speaks onstage during the PHRC Black History Month Social Justice Lecture Series featuring Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. on March 01, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Lisa Lake\/Getty Images for Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission )"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=2653#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"As the U.S. turns 250, this historian has blunt advice: ‘America has to grow up’"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/","name":"Best USA Movers","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3f4fef4452a41b72c331a70422221f40","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/bestusamoverss.com"],"url":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}