Americana, Beyoncé, and a MAGA Civil War
How We Entered a New War for the American Identity
Since our nation’s inception, what it means to be American has been in constant flux. In his pre-revolutionary writings, Thomas Jefferson saw American colonists as entirely English, an extension of the Anglo-Saxons who settled the British Isles. During the Revolution, colonists sought to create a common American identity to unite 13 different colonies with 13 different values, economies, and priorities.
Since that establishment, the definition of American has evolved to include more groups, with the abolition of slavery, the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 19th Amendment, and more. For a while, progress on this front seemed linear, with more and more people being brought into this in-group.
This streak of linear progress became more complicated as the MAGA movement ignited. Again, the American identity became contested, with Donald Trump making patriotism and Americana a core component of his campaigns and administration. The Republican Party struck a new, nativist tone in its priority to protect American companies and manufacturers from foreign companies and illegal immigrants. Trump painted his opponents as un-American, communist, and other fearmongering buzzwords to give his movement a monopoly on Americanism.
This brings us to the last year, when the debate over the future of the American identity defined our year in politics and entertainment. In many ways, the 2024 Presidential Election became a battle between two different views of who we are as a nation. Donald Trump defined himself as “America First,” meaning that nothing, not our allies, minorities, refugees, the climate, or democracy, was more important than the prosperity and security of the American people. In that venture, Trump alienated many who consider themselves ‘the American people,’ such as immigrants, the LGBT community, women, and more.
In contrast, Kamala Harris became the first Democratic candidate in the recent past to attempt to embrace patriotism and Americana. Many pundits commented that Harris was trying to set a new tone with American imagery and shouts of “USA, USA!” at the DNC and other campaign events. She argued that it was Trump who was un-American as a polarizing figure and in his attempts to undermine our allies and our democracy.
In the end, the voters did not buy Harris’s argument. Trump repeatedly argued that the Biden administration did not prioritize American citizens by ignoring illegal immigration and giving billions in aid to Ukraine and Israel while Americans experienced economic hardship and natural disasters such as the hurricanes in North Carolina and Florida. The specifics of that argument are debatable, but the truth is that Trump’s “America First” rhetoric resonated with the American people. Simply put, Americans did not want to hear that Biden was supposedly prioritizing foreign countries and immigrants over true Americans.
In the wake of this campaign, we saw a civil war break out in Trump’s MAGA movement over an immigration policy known as H-1B. H-1B is a visa used primarily by tech companies to give immigrants a visa to work in skilled positions in exchange for six years of work for that company. In H-1B, the company sponsors the immigrant, and their visa is contingent on their work for the company.
This policy has received criticism from those on the left and the right. Liberals tend to argue that H-1B is akin to indentured servitude, with immigrants being tied to their sponsor company at risk of being deported if they want to quit. Conservatives, including many in MAGA, argue that big tech uses H-1B to replace American jobs with cheap foreign labor.
The H-1B visa is a small part of a broader immigration controversy, but it was brought to the forefront by DOGE co-chairs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. As a tech CEO and economic libertarian, Elon argued that many companies rely on H-1B visas and should be allowed to use them. However, Vivek took this topic and used it to criticize American culture in a bizarre post on X.
Vivek stated, “Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the ’90s and likely longer). That doesn’t start in college; it starts YOUNG.
A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the Math Olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers.”
This post becomes stranger when you consider how Trump has used American culture and Americana to his political advantage for years. In many ways, Trump has been a key part of our culture for decades, from Trump Tower to The Apprentice and his controversial yet iconic MAGA hats. Recently, Trump used American iconography on the campaign trail through his photoshoot at McDonald’s and the famous assassination picture that shows an American flag billowing in the background.
Vivek’s post provided a spark that ignited a powder keg of tension within the Republican Party. Populists like Laura Loomer and Steve Bannon quickly criticized Elon and Vivek for their stance on H-1B, calling them anti-American, with Bannon even calling Elon a “truly evil person.” After his post, Vivek stayed silent for weeks, with many believing Trump reprimanded him.
This whole controversy has taken place before Trump has even taken office, a sign of potential division and conflict brewing in the Republican Party. With the trouble that DOGE has already caused, we must wonder how long it will be before Trump and Elon “break up.”
I know you read the title and wondered how Beyoncé fits into this. In 2024, we saw another civil war brewing, this time within the country music industry. As we all (should) know, Beyoncé released Cowboy Carter in March 2024 with great success and acclaim. Part of the genesis of this album came from a 2016 performance at the Country Music Awards, where Beyoncé performed a country song from her Lemonade album with the (then) Dixie Chicks. Beyoncé received backlash and a cold reception from the audience, who labeled her a pretender and “not country.”
Fast forward to Cowboy Carter, and Beyoncé firmly cements her role in the distinctly American genre of country, with her album blending the genre with rap, R&B, pop, and other styles. Many of her songs touched on the influence of Black Americans on country music and culture. She even created a website called beencountry.com with photos of the original Black cowboys, Black country artists, and herself as a child living in Texas at rodeos and other quintessentially “country” places.
While Beyonce has fought hard to cement her place within country music, that didn’t stop many from criticizing her. She has been labeled inauthentic and her album as “White Woman Cosplay”. In 2024, Beyoncé was shut out of the Country Music Awards, though her album was the most successful country album of the year. Cowboy Carter will remain in the spotlight as it is predicted to receive Grammy nominations, an event that will bring more attention and controversy to Beyoncé’s work.
In many ways, this Country Civil War mirrors the MAGA movement itself. As progress is made and more people are included in American culture, there will likely always be naysayers and backlash. The response will always be that someone isn’t country enough, patriotic enough, or even American enough. Do not forget that Trump established himself in politics by leading the birther movement and stating that Barack Obama was not born in America. These arguments will always exist, but it is important to remember, as Martin Luther King said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” As the definition of American continues to expand, we must ensure that backlash and hate do not impede progress.
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