In The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin says that the history within which white people are trapped is one of white supremacy. He writes:

They have had to believe for many years, and for innumerable reasons, that black men are inferior to white men.

History has taught white people in America, and many other countries, that they are a superior race, because they would not have been able to exploit Black people on such a vast scale if they had believed anything else. The justification for slavery, and therefore the system which allowed the expansion of economic and political power, was that Black people were an inferior race who could be exploited without compunction.

The way in which this history is now playing out within American culture is complex, but Baldwin gives a hint about it when he mentions that many white people do not believe the myth of white supremacy, but find it too difficult to act on their beliefs. One might describe the United States of America as having a split personality. On one hand, it is the first nation to be founded on principles of reason and justice, unlike the European monarchies. On the other hand, the foundation of what might, in principle, be the ideal Republic, involved two great crimes against humanity: the genocide of Native Americans and the enslavement of Africans.

These two horrific events are woven into a history of which most Americans have been taught to be proud. Since it is difficult to be simultaneously proud and ashamed of one's history and identity, this tension continues to cause conflict, involving sharp political and racial divisions in American society.