Two books shine a light on the dark parts of America’s history

ALL COUNTRIES have their patriots, but few are as proud as America’s. They exult in the lofty ideals of the Founding Fathers. They marvel at their country’s economic and military might (while imagining the rest of the world to be covetous). Past injustice, if acknowledged, is brushed off, perhaps by invoking : “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”For many Americans Donald Trump’s takeover first of the Republican Party, then the White House, has put the kibosh on such historical rosiness. It is not just that supporters of Mr Trump attempted to on January 6th 2021; it is that Americans may well vote to return him to the presidency in a few months’ time. To try to make sense of this turn towards illiberalism and right-wing nationalism, two recent books search for answers in the uglier parts of America’s history.