The US historical heritage, to the great part, shaped the current position of the country on the international arena. Another defining aspect was the Puritan ethics that promoted hard and constant work as a way to stay pure and to atone for one’s sins. Still, it was impossible to build a whole new society based on new models, so the American identity was constructed within the existing canons of suppression of the weak.
While racial issues were fundamental to social stratification in the US, gender inequality was universal. It was not until the 20th century that any significant improvements were introduced, but the real policy changes started much later – in the 1950s. By that time, social structures have been long established, and the wealth has been unevenly distributed for more than 50 years. The people in power were big businesses, who succeeded during the Industrial Revolution and managed to survive all political perturbations; still, it was also the time when new talents arose. As the fight for racial and gender equality continued fiercely, the progress started to be seen. Nevertheless, as it is with most established structures, it is not easy to deconstruct society and the accepted norms in one day.
By the end of the second decade of the 21st century, the issue of equality for all remains unsolved. The fight continues, but it appears to be a long one with the society being rigid and the gap between the rich and the poor growing faster than the emergence of new policies. The minorities are still fighting for equal opportunities, and businesses hire unconventional candidates only as a part of the mandatory diversity programs or to improve statistics. The real progress might require a change of the majority’s thinking, which has not yet happened but will hopefully happen within the next 100 years.