There are many narratives surrounding the United States that drive its economic and cultural influence in today's world. These ideas include—but are not limited to—the belief in meritocracy, the value of law and order, and the importance of being color-blind in order to create a harmonious society. Although Stamped "is not a history book," Reynolds and Kendi use past events to highlight how these nationalist values are, in fact, dangerous myths.
Meritocracy is defined as "a political system in which economic goods or political power are vested in individual people on the basis of talent, effort, and achievement rather than on wealth or social class." Under a meritocracy, advancement is based entirely on performance. When British colonists arrived in the United States, they aimed to create a society that valued individualism instead of collectivity. In creating this society, they stole land from Native citizens and enslaved Africans in order to support their own economic prosperity. The authors argue that the events outlined in Stamped show how the American promise of equality under meritocracy is a lie. People in the United States have not been given equal resources and opportunities to succeed. For example, when indentured servitude was coming under scrutiny in the early British colonies, there was a huge disparity between the treatment of the servants on the basis of their race. White indentured servants who were freed were awarded fifty acres of land, whereas Black slaves were forced to continue working. Although white servants were "given the opportunity to succeed," black servants were enslaved and dehumanized. American society demonstrates that the success of the few comes as a result of the oppression of many.
The brutal beating of Rodney King (and the countless other victims before and after him) demonstrated that American power systems continue to have embedded racial biases. Because Black people have historically been depicted as a threat to society, they experience violence and incarceration at higher rates than other populations. These aforementioned examples demonstrate why it is impossible to be "color-blind" in today's world. Stamped asserts that the only way to combat racism is to be actively antiracist. Antiracism requires that people make conscious efforts to provide equal opportunities for all on an individual and systemic level.
