Lafayette Lee is the managing editor at IM—1776. He joins me for a sprawling discussion on the history of American identity. To begin, Lafayette shares his ideological journey. We then move on to our main topic: identity. What is it? I ask Lafayette about how his conception of American identity differs from Vivek Ramaswamy’s. This leads to a discussion on the problems with a purely ideological national identity. We then explore the racial and ethnic dimensions of historical American identity and consider their relevance to our country today.
In the second half, we discuss the role religion – specifically, Protestantism – has played in shaping America. Next up, the American creed. How has it changed over the years? We then consider how American identity has eroded over time. That being the case, what are we to do? Tune in to find out.
