If Americans are honest with themselves they know America has been striving to be great, but has NEVER been great!  We want to be great and good, the hero type.  But America, like any large nation, has many, many flaws.

Was America "great" when we landed in Plymouth and began stealing America away fro the native Americans?

Was America "great" when we started murdering and slaughtering American Indians?

Was America "great" when we brought slaves to America?

Was America "great" when we fought the Civil War to retain slavery for economic reasons?

Was America "great" when we gave slaves "freedom," but passed Jim Crow laws and only allowed people of color to be part of a citizen?

Was America "great" when failed to truly acknowledge racism is as rampant in America as ever it was?

In 2017 America is a flawed nation mixed with many flawed people and ideas that has yet to achieve greatness.