It comes as a great shock around the age of 5, 6, or 7 to discover that the flag to which you have pledged allegiance, along with everybody else, has not pledged allegiance to you. It comes as a great shock to see Gary Cooper killing off the Indians, and although you are rooting for Gary Cooper, that the Indians are you.

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Baldwin, James. "The American Dream and the American Negro." The New York Times, 7 Mar. 1965. Originally debate speech "The American Dream and the American Negro." Has the American Dream Been Achieved at the Expense of the American Negro? Debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley. Cambridge Union. 17 Feb. 1965, Cambridge, England, UK.