Exploring Division

Over the past few weeks, Exploring Division has been about one thing: understanding the deep political rifts tearing through the U.S.—how we got here, what’s fueling the fire, and whether anything can truly bring us back from the brink.

That work’s not done yet.

There are still threads to follow, voices to include, and chapters to finish.

But as that series begins to wind down—and before it fully catches up to the latest headlines—I’m launching something new.

Something narrower in scope, but deeply tied to the moment we’re in right now.

It’s called: Pax Americana.

On May 25, 2020, the world watched a horrifying video: a police officer in Minneapolis knelt on George Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, ignoring his cries of “I can’t breathe.” George Floyd was an unarmed Black man. His death was painful to watch — and it sparked something powerful.

In 2018, a bombshell hit the world of social media and politics. A company called Cambridge Analytica had quietly gathered personal data from millions of Facebook users—without their permission. This data was then used to target voters with political ads during the 2016 election, trying to influence how people voted based on their online behavior.

When COVID-19 hit in 2020, it wasn’t just a health crisis—it became a stress test for American democracy. What started as a shared emergency quickly turned into yet another battleground in the nation’s growing divide.

In 2018, the Supreme Court made a big decision that most people have never heard of—but it’s been quietly changing the country ever since.

The case was called Janus v. AFSCME, and it had to do with unions for government workers—like teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public employees. Before the decision, even if you didn’t want to join your workplace’s union, you still had to pay a small fee to help cover the cost of negotiations and protections the union fought for. After all, you still got the benefits.

In 2017, Republicans in Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA)—a huge tax overhaul that became one of President Trump’s biggest achievements. Supporters claimed it would help working Americans by giving businesses more money to invest in jobs and wages. But that’s not what really happened.

In August 2017, something happened that shocked the country: a group of white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and far-right extremists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia, for a rally they called “Unite the Right.” They said they were protesting the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. But what the world saw was something much darker—marchers with torches chanting racist and anti-Semitic slogans like “Jews will not replace us.”

The 2016 election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton wasn’t a normal campaign. It was full of anger, fear, and deep disagreement about what kind of country America should be. And the way it played out—and what followed—has had lasting effects on civil rights, corporate power, and how people feel about elections.

In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court made history with a decision called Obergefell v. Hodges. It ruled that same-sex couples have the same right to marry as straight couples. For millions of LGBTQ Americans, it was a huge win—finally being seen as equal under the law. It was a moment of joy, pride, and progress for civil rights.

But as we’ve seen many times in our history, big steps forward can also come with strong resistance.

When Black Lives Matter (BLM) emerged in 2014, it wasn’t just a hashtag—it was a demand for justice. The deaths of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and other unarmed Black Americans at the hands of police sparked protests across the country. People of all races joined together to call for police reform and racial justice. But just as quickly as support for BLM grew, so did the backlash.

In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, deciding that certain businesses could refuse to follow federal laws if those laws conflicted with the owners' religious beliefs. Specifically, the case involved Hobby Lobby, a chain of craft stores whose owners objected to the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that employee health insurance include birth control coverage. The Court’s 5-4 decision said that closely held corporations (those owned by just a few people) could claim religious exemptions, just like individuals.

This ruling had far-reaching consequences, not just for health care but also for corporate power, civil rights, and even elections. It fueled tensions in an already deeply divided America. Here’s why:

In 2014, the Supreme Court handed down a decision in McCutcheon v. FEC that changed the way money flows through American politics. It struck down the overall limits on how much a wealthy individual could donate to all candidates and political parties combined. Before, a donor was capped at around $123,000 per election cycle. After McCutcheon, that limit was erased, giving billionaires the ability to donate the maximum amount to as many candidates and committees as they wanted. This ruling may seem like a technical change, but its effects have been profound—especially on civil rights, corporate power, and the deepening divides in American politics.

In 2013, the Supreme Court made a decision that changed American elections forever. Shelby County v. Holder struck down a key part of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), a law that had protected Black and minority voters from discrimination since the 1960s. This ruling made it easier for states to pass restrictive voting laws, deepened political division, and strengthened corporate influence over elections.

In September 2011, a group of protesters gathered in New York City’s Zuccotti Park and sparked a movement that would change how Americans think about money, power, and fairness. Occupy Wall Street, with its famous slogan "We are the 99%," called attention to how the richest 1% of Americans hold a huge share of wealth and influence. While the protest camps didn’t last, the impact of Occupy Wall Street can still be felt today—especially when it comes to civil rights, corporate power, and elections.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), passed in 2010, changed healthcare in the U.S. by expanding coverage to millions and stopping insurance companies from denying people with pre-existing conditions. While it helped many, it also caused deep political divides that still affect the country today. The law’s impact on civil rights, corporate power, and elections shaped America’s ongoing debates about government and healthcare.

In 2010, the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision changed how money influences American elections. By ruling that corporations and unions could spend unlimited amounts on political campaigns, the Court gave the wealthy and big businesses more power in politics. This has caused more division, hurt civil rights, and made elections less fair.

In 2009, a new political movement called the Tea Party took off. It started as a protest against government spending and new policies under President Obama, like healthcare reform. Many Tea Party supporters said they wanted lower taxes and less government control, but the movement also pushed the Republican Party further to the right. With backing from wealthy donors and right-wing media, the Tea Party helped reshape American politics—making elections more extreme, weakening civil rights protections, and giving corporations even more power.

The election of Barack Obama in 2008 was a historic event in American history. As the country’s first Black president, his victory represented progress in civil rights and gave hope for a more united future. However, his presidency also highlighted and deepened political divisions. The backlash against Obama’s leadership helped create the extreme polarization that still affects U.S. politics today. His time in office had lasting effects on civil rights, corporate power, and elections, shaping the country in ways that continue to unfold.

The 2008 financial crisis wasn’t just an economic catastrophe—it was a turning point that deepened political divisions, exacerbated racial inequalities, and reshaped the balance of corporate power in America. While the collapse of the housing market and the ensuing Great Recession led to widespread economic suffering, the government’s response ultimately sowed seeds of anger that continue to shape our political landscape today. Understanding how this crisis intersected with civil rights, corporate consolidation, and election dynamics is crucial to grasping the root causes of our nation’s current polarization.

The Supreme Court has always played a crucial role in shaping American society, but over the past two decades, its decisions have increasingly contributed to political polarization. Since Chief Justice John Roberts took the helm in 2005, the Court’s rulings have expanded corporate power, restricted civil rights protections, and reshaped election laws—creating a judicial landscape that fuels division rather than unity.

For decades, the United States has struggled with political division, but the rise of partisan media and the culture war has pushed the country toward a level of polarization that threatens democracy itself. Issues that were once debated in the realm of policy have become matters of identity, where Americans are increasingly divided along ideological lines, shaping not just how they vote but how they view civil rights, corporate power, and the legitimacy of elections.

The 2003 invasion of Iraq created cracks in how American’s feel about their country—not just in terms of foreign policy, but also in the deepening of domestic polarization. The war, justified by the Bush administration on the grounds that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction (which were never found), ignited a fierce national debate that still echoes today.

In many ways, the Iraq War exacerbated the fractures in American society, particularly in how it shaped attitudes toward civil rights and elections. The effects of that era—distrust in government, the erosion of civil liberties, and increasing partisan division—have played a significant role in the growing political tribalism we see today.

The attacks on September 11, 2001, left an indelible mark on the United States. In the immediate aftermath, the nation came together in mourning, shock, and a collective determination to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. But the policies that followed—especially the USA PATRIOT Act—would sow the seeds of long-term civil rights erosion and political division that still plague the country today.

The 2000 election changed America forever. The Supreme Court’s Bush v. Gore decision halted Florida’s recount, handing the presidency to George W. Bush and leaving a lasting cloud of controversy. But this election did more than spark debate—it cemented the idea of “Red vs. Blue” America.

The legacy of 2000 still looms large. The question is: How much of our division is real, and how much is just color-coded?