The Resurgence of Tribalism in the USA

The United States of America was founded on a revolutionary idea: that all individuals are created equal, endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This principle, enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, rejected the old-world hierarchies of group privilege, hereditary status, and collective guilt.

It affirmed the dignity of the unique person over the claims of tribe, clan, or class. Yet today, a corrosive resurgence of tribalism threatens to unravel this foundation.

At the Center for Human Equality in Oregon, founded by Russell McAlmond, we champion Ethical Individualism—the belief that every American must be treated as a sovereign individual, not reduced to a member of any group. We stand firmly opposed to group judgmentalism in all its forms. The path forward lies not in elevating or demonizing tribes, but in recommitting to the individual rights that unite us as Americans.

Tribalism—whether based on race, ethnicity, ideology, religion, class, or any other collective marker—divides people into opposing camps. It encourages individuals to view their fellow citizens not as neighbors with shared humanity, but as avatars of their group identity. This mindset fosters suspicion, resentment, and conflict. In place of reasoned debate and mutual respect, tribalism substitutes loyalty tests, purity spirals, and zero-sum power struggles.

It promotes the supremacism of “my tribe” over others, implying that some groups deserve special elevation while others merit suspicion or diminishment. Such thinking is profoundly un-American.

The Founders explicitly rejected rule by faction or interest group, designing a republic grounded in individual liberty and equality under the law precisely to guard against these dangers.

History bears witness to tribalism’s failures. From ancient blood feuds to modern ethnic conflicts, societies organized around group identity have repeatedly descended into violence and stagnation. In America, the ideal of e pluribus unum—“out of many, one”—was meant to transcend such divisions by forging a common national identity rooted in shared principles, not ancestry or grievance. When Americans are judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin—or any other group attribute—we build trust and cooperation.

When we revert to group-based scorekeeping, we erode that trust. Demonization of entire categories of people as “oppressors” or “privileged,” paired with the elevation of others as inherently virtuous or victimized, recreates the very hierarchies the nation was founded to dismantle. This approach does not heal past wrongs; it perpetuates new ones by teaching Americans to see one another as enemies rather than compatriots.

The harms of tribalism extend beyond interpersonal relations. It poisons institutions, from education to government to commerce, by prioritizing group quotas, narrative conformity, and collective guilt over merit, truth, and individual accountability. It undermines the unity necessary for solving real national challenges—economic opportunity, technological progress, infrastructure, and defense of liberty.

Bitter rivalries between tribes distract from the common good and sap the energy required to improve the country. Instead of working together to expand freedom and prosperity for all, tribalism channels human effort into perpetual grievance and retaliation. No matter how a “tribe” is constructed—whether by immutable characteristics or chosen ideologies—the outcome is the same: fragmentation that weakens the republic.Ethical Individualism offers the antidote.

This philosophy insists that rights belong to persons, not groups. It demands that we evaluate individuals based on their actions, choices, and character, not inherited identity. It rejects both supremacism and collective condemnation, affirming the equal moral worth and potential of every unique American. By focusing on the individual, we honor human diversity in its truest sense: the infinite variety of thoughts, talents, dreams, and responsibilities found within each person.

This approach fosters genuine empathy and understanding, because it requires us to engage with people as they are, not as avatars of a category. It encourages personal responsibility, innovation, and voluntary cooperation—the engines of American success.

Returning to these principles requires courage and clarity. We must reject policies and rhetoric that sort Americans into favored and disfavored groups. We must teach our children to see beyond surface identities to the shared humanity and equal rights of every individual. Educational institutions, media, and leaders at all levels should promote critical thinking and individual agency rather than group loyalty.

Civil discourse must be restored, where disagreement is met with argument rather than ostracism. Only by treating every American as a unique individual—possessed of equal rights and equal dignity—can we build a society that moves forward in human relations rather than backward into division.

The Center for Human Equality calls on all Americans to reject the siren song of tribalism. Our nation’s greatness stems not from perfect group harmony but from the audacious commitment to individual liberty and equality. By recommitting to these founding ideals, we can overcome resentment, heal divisions, and renew the American promise.

Let us choose unity through individuality. Let us choose progress through respect for the unique person. In doing so, we secure not only a more peaceful and harmonious society, but a freer and more prosperous one for generations to come.