I commend Ms. Wente in her attempt to state--and prove--(thank you, Ken Burns) that U.S. divisiveness didn't start with Trump.  To show us that "It's nothing new." But divisiveness was fairly new as the U.S. went from sending a few hundred military advisors to sending tens of thousands of "grunts" to fight what Springsteen called "the yellow man." FAIRLY new, because the Civil Rights struggle was still gaining momentum as JFK pondered a possible Vietnamese quagmire. But something changed by the late 50s boycotts and "sit-ins": people could see them on TV immediately...everywhere.

People protested in great numbers as early as 1919. That summer, America was rocked by racial riots and arson that is still unprecedented today. Violence flared in 33 towns and cities. Hundreds died. Thousands lost homes. Presidential election campaigning began a few months later. The issue was ignored by candidates, the press and the public. The only news outlet? Newspapers that most Americans didn't read.