Topic: Do you agree with Nikki Haley’s claim that the United States has “never been a racist country”?
Read and think about these two articles we will call 1) Haley (technically, Chelsea Bailey wrote the article, but it’s basically Haley in her own words, so we’ll call it “Haley” for short), and 2) Cardona.
- Nikki Haley in her own words: Why America ‘has never been a racist country’. By Chelsea Bailey, CNN, Fri January 19, 2024 (please call this article simply “Haley” in your essay)
- OPINION: The source of Nikki Haley’s racial blind spot. By Maria Cardona, TheHill.com, January 22, 2024 (please call this article simply “Cardona” in your essay)
(The text of both articles is on this page below the assignment explanation.)
One article just parrots Haley word for word, and since we don’t have an article that Haley herself wrote on this subject, we’ll treat it as “her” essay. The other essay talks about what Haley’s arguments overlook.
1) Give the major argument(s) for BOTH articles (Haley and Cardona).
Haley argues that the US is not a racist country. How? Grasp her arguments and paraphrase them in your own words as strongly as you can.
Cardona argues that “Haley’s answer was dead wrong.” How? Grasp her arguments and paraphrase them in your own words as strongly as you can.
(Do NOT summarize the entire articles; you won’t have enough space.) (6 points each, 12 points total.)
2) What do you think? Choose the ONE commentator you agree OR disagree with more, and why. (6 points. If you can’t choose either, explain why.)
3) Why do you think Haley said this? Based upon your reading of the articles, what was her motive? (2 points)
Structure the essay like this with separate paragraphs:
- Intro paragraph establishing what Haley said in her campaign speeches/interviews, that this caused some debate, and that you will be talking about Haley’s and Cardona’s arguments and then finishing with your opinions. (I must see where this essay is going by the last sentence of this paragraph.)
- Paragraph describing Haley’s arguments in your own words.
- Paragraph describing Cardona’s arguments in your own words.
- Paragraph describing your opinions about one article’s arguments, informed by its arguments.
- Paragraph speculating as to why you think Haley said what she said, and finally a short concluding sentence or two wrapping things up.
Criteria for Success
What I’m looking for:
- I want to see a calm, accurate restating of 1) Haley’s AND 2) Cardona’s main argument(s) in your own words. In your essay, to shrink your word count you may simply say, “Haley argues….”, “Cardona says…” etc. I know who they are, and don’t need any further background information, so save words.
- I want to see a calm, thoughtful write-up about what you think about ONE of these articles (for example, cite the argument you agree most with), and why. If you can’t agree/disagree with either author, explain why in detail.
- I want to see a thoughtful response to a classmate that is also civil in tone.
- I want to see paragraphs. This is an essay, not a blog post or a YouTube comment.
- I want to see college-level writing in tone and organization. That means you make an outline before writing, then proofread after you write, and finally use Grammarly or Microsoft Word’s spell checker to check writing mechanics (i.e., spelling, grammar, punctuation). Be careful NOT to overrely on Grammarly (e.g., letting it adjust your writing tone) or it may trip my AI checker. AI-generated submissions will get a zero score and/or an F in the course.
- I want to see basic writing conventions followed in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation etc. Writing mechanics constitute 10 of your 20 points maximum, so submissions that are clearly unproofread jobs written at the last minute will only get half credit. See Grading Rubric below for specific points allocations and deductions.
What I’m NOT looking for:
- I DON’T want an overview of the structure of the articles. I just want the main argument(s) that are related to this assignment calmly summarized.
- I DON’T want a first draft all in one paragraph that reads like a blog post, that was hurriedly dashed off in one sitting without proofreading or spell-checking. Do due diligence, and don’t leave this essay to the last minute. I can tell if you did.
TEXT OF THE ARTICLES, FOLLOWED BY GRADING RUBRIC:
Nikki Haley in her own words: Why America ‘has never been a racist country’
By Chelsea Bailey, CNN, Fri January 19, 2024
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has drawn praise and criticism this week for her claim that the United States “has never been a racist country.”
At a CNN town hall Thursday night, host Jake Tapper asked the Republican presidential candidate to clarify what she meant by the remark, noting that slavery was enshrined in the Constitution.
Haley responded she truly believes “our Founding Fathers had the best of intentions when they started and we fixed it along the way.”
Here’s a look at how the Haley’s response has evolved over the last week:
‘We’ve never been a racist country’
On Tuesday, the former governor gave an interview on Fox News where she was asked to respond to an MSNBC host’s comments about the Republican Party.
Fox News host Brian Kilmeade asked Haley if she was “involved in a racist party.”
Haley responded, “We’re not a racist country, Brian. We’ve never been a racist country.”
“Our goal is to make sure that today is better than yesterday. Are we perfect? No. But our goal is to always make sure we try and be more perfect every day that we can. I know I faced racism when I was growing up. But I can tell you, today is a lot better than it was then. Our goal is to lift up everybody. Not go and divide people on race or gender or party or anything else. We’ve had enough of that in America.”
A campaign spokesman for Haley later reiterated the former governor’s position, telling CNN:
“America has always had racism, but America has never been a racist country. The liberal media always fails to get that distinction. It can throw a fit, but that doesn’t change Nikki’s belief that America is special because its people are always striving to do better and live up to our founding ideals of freedom and equality.”
‘National self-loathing’
After Haley’s remark on Fox News sparked a national discussion about the legacy of slavery and racism in the United States, Jake Tapper pressed Haley on her stance at a town hall in New Hampshire Thursday.
“I understand that you don’t think America is a racist country now but … do you really think as a historical matter America has never been a racist country?” Tapper asked.
Here’s Haley’s response, in full:
“I will tell you, when you look at the Declaration of Independence, it was that ‘men are created equal’ with unalienable rights, right? That is what we all knew.
“But what I look at it as, is I was a brown girl that grew up in a small rural town. We had plenty of racism that we had to deal with. But my parents never said we lived in a racist country. And I’m so thankful that they didn’t.
“Because for every brown and Black child out there, if you tell them they live or born in a racist country, you’re immediately telling them they don’t have a chance. And my parents would always say, ‘You may have challenges. And yes, there will be people who are racist. But that doesn’t define what you can do in this country.’ And so, I think it is important that we tell all kids that, ‘Look, America is not perfect, we have our stains, we know that, but our goal should always be to make today better than yesterday. It’s hugely important.
“And that’s the problem that I have. We have too many people with this national self-loathing – it is killing our country. We have got to go back to loving America.
“We are blessed because that little brown girl in that small, rural town in South Carolina, she grew up to become the first female minority governor in history. She then went on to become UN Ambassador and now she’s running for president of the United States. I want every brown and Black child to see that and say, ‘No, I don’t live in a country that was formed on racism. I live in a country where they wanted all people to be equal. And to make sure that they have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’”
After brief applause, Tapper again pressed Haley, noting she was discussing the ideals of the United States, but that the country was founded “institutionally on many racist precepts, including slavery.”
“But when you look at, it said, ‘all men are created equal,’” Haley said.
“I think the intent, the intent was to do the right thing. Now, did they have to go fix it along the way? Yes. But I don’t think the intent was ever that we were going to be a racist country.
“The intent was everybody was going to be created equally. And as we went through time, they fixed the things that were not, ‘all men are created equal.’ They made sure women became equal too. All of these things happened over time.
“But I refuse to believe that the premise of when they formed our country was based on the fact that it was a racist country to start with. I refuse to believe that. I have to know, in my heart and in everybody’s heart, that we live in the best country in the world, and we are a work in progress. And we have a long way to go to fix all of our little kinks.
“But I truly believe our Founding Fathers had the best of intentions when they started and we fixed it along the way. And we should always look at it that way.” ENDS
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OPINION
The source of Nikki Haley’s racial blind spot
BY MARIA CARDONA, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR – 01/22/24
Nikki Haley is a child of immigrants. So when the former South Carolina governor stated that America has “never been a racist country,” she was right — if you look at it the way most immigrants see the promise of the United States.
But as someone who is seeking election to the highest office in the land, to lead the most diverse country in the world, Haley’s answer was dead wrong, and it makes her unfit to occupy such a position.
As an immigrant myself, whose family came to this country when I was 2 years old, I grew up with the same sentiments Haley described in her incomplete answer. My parents came here because they saw the potential to get ahead, for us kids to get a quality education, have a brighter future and do anything we set our minds to. This promise was not afforded to us in our home country of Colombia.
Growing up, my parents flew the American flag proudly every July Fourth on our front porch, voted in every election after becoming naturalized citizens and always spoke with admiration and awe about being blessed to be able to raise their children in the greatest country in the world.
Meanwhile, at work, my father, an engineer for the phone company, was called “wetback” behind his back and was resented when he got promoted over his peers. I was made fun of when I spoke Spanish in front of my friends and was often asked if my father was a drug lord. But my father never let that set him back or keep him from working twice as hard to prove he was just as good (or better) than his white counterparts. And he and my mother instilled nothing but pride in us about our language, our heritage and our culture — while at the same time never letting us forget how lucky we were to call ourselves American.
Haley missed a golden opportunity to lead smartly and boldly on the issue of race. She could have simply acknowledged that the country has had a brutal racist past that cannot and should not be ignored — but that what makes great leaders is doing better than those who came before and seeking to unify the country based on the ideals and idea of America.
She could have then spoken beautifully about how she was raised, the experiences she went through, the racism she encountered and how that gives her unique insight into how to bring people together on this issue, instead of dividing the country by weaponizing the very racism she is denying exists.
Haley also missed a unique opportunity to set herself apart from former President Trump, who uses racism and xenophobia to keep his stranglehold on his MAGA base. Real American leaders acknowledge our painful past and offer a different path to those who follow them and to those they are seeking to lead. Haley has not been able to do that.
For her own edification, she should remember that the Founders — many of whom were slave owners — wrote a Constitution that counted slaves as three-fifths of a person. The leaders that followed passed many laws and edicts based on racism and xenophobia — the Fugitive Slave laws, the Indian Removal ActLinks to an external site. of 1830, the “Greaser ActLinks to an external site.” of 1855, the Chinese Exclusion ActLinks to an external site. of 1882, Jim CrowLinks to an external site. laws, the Indian termination policyLinks to an external site., the Japanese-American Internment ActLinks to an external site. of 1942, Operation “Wetback”Links to an external site. in 1954, poll taxesLinks to an external site. — the list goes on and on.
Trump announced his candidacy by calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals. During his term, he imposed the Muslim Ban, eviscerated our asylum laws, reduced legal immigration to record lows and instituted the migrant child separation policy. He has promised to do all of these and more, including getting rid of birthright citizenship, if reelected.
This is the history — and future intentions of her main GOP rival — Haley needs to understand and acknowledge.
In fact, she has done the opposite. Even in the face of Trump’s xenophobic attacks — using Haley’s Indian birth name of “Nimarata” and misspelling it “Nimrata” — Trump is demonstrating that the country’s racist history is not history at all. If it were, those putrid antics would not work to rile up more support for him, and even get more people to vote against her.
Many think that if Haley had gone full throttle against Trump on his racism and xenophobia and had been honest about the country’s difficult racist past, she would not be in a position of (some) momentum going into the New Hampshire primary. I would argue the opposite is true.
When Haley was asked if she belonged to a racist party and answered that we do not live in a racist country, she opened the floodgates that now are drowning her. She could have simply answered that racism is a dark part of our history but that true leaders seek to rise above that past, unify the country around our shared values, not divide us based on our biases.
She could then have waxed poetic about her upbringing as a child of Indian immigrants and how she was raised — as my brothers and I were — to see the best in this country and in each other and always strive to be our best selves. She could describe how her parents, like mine, taught her to try to make this country better and the American dream more accessible for everyone.
Instead, Haley again tried to have it both ways: to kowtow to Trump’s MAGA base, taking care not to offend him or any of those who traffic in racism and xenophobia, while trying to differentiate herself from Trump in a milquetoasty but meaningful way.
Haley fails miserably at both and demonstrates why someone who cannot acknowledge America’s racist and xenophobic past, and its ongoing challenges with racism and anti-immigrant sentiment at present, is unfit to unify this great country in common purpose for a better future for all. ENDS