Four mythologies have been central to the development of American national identity. The Myth of the Frontier is our oldest myth, tracing the origin of our society to the settler states of the colonial period and the country’s phenomenal growth to the exploitation of abundant natural resources. The Myth of the Founding deals with the establishment of national independence and constitutional government. The Myth of the Civil War arose from the existential crisis that overtook the nation in the 1860s over slavery and Southern secession. It has three significant variants: the Liberation Myth, centered on Lincoln and emancipation; the Reconciliation Myth, which emphasizes the postwar coming together of whites from North and South; and the Lost Cause Myth, which sanctifies the Confederate cause and the postwar struggle to restore white supremacy. Finally, the Myth of the Good War emerged in the 1940s, as the nation for the first time embraced its racial and ethnic diversity, uniting its people in a struggle for the Free World.
These myths haven’t just helped Americans define themselves as Americans. They’ve also been a way for people to use history as an instrument of political power. When faced with a crisis or challenging situation, Americans have scanned our common lexicon of myths for analogies that will help us make sense of the situation, and precedents on which to model a successful or even “heroic” response.
The peril of our current situation is that Red and Blue America no longer have a shared mythology that might unite them. Indeed, the MAGA movement has largely appropriated the myths and symbols that traditionally united Americans, turning them into the slogans and banners of a cultural civil war. MAGA is rooted in reaction against the social transformations which have, since the sixties, challenged the traditional hierarchies of race and gender and the norms of cultural expression. It is also a response to the loss of economic security attendant on the globalization and technological transformation of the economy. Its use of myth gives its adherents the sense of righteous empowerment that comes from association with a deeply rooted historical tradition.