--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are few instances when American…" description: "\"There are few instances when American history offers us two clear sides of a moral line.\" — Joy Reid" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7d/joy-reid-6005_american_there-are-few-instances-when-american-hi_819832.jpg" --- # There are few instances when American history offers us… ![“There are few instances when American history offers us two clear sides of a moral line.” quote by Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7d/joy-reid-6005_american_there-are-few-instances-when-american-hi_819832.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7d/joy-reid-6005_american_there-are-few-instances-when-american-hi_819832.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7d/joy-reid-6005_american_there-are-few-instances-when-american-hi_819832.jpg) > “There are few instances when American history offers us two clear sides of a moral line.” [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. American history often presents stark moral dichotomies that clarify right versus wrong. **In simple terms:** History shows clear moral choices. Key Takeaway Recognize and act on clear moral lines. Themes morality history politics clarity Mood reflective serious Type analytical historical When to use this quote - policy debates - education curricula - public discourse - media analysis Key Concepts ethical dualism historical analysis Questions to Reflect On - How do we handle gray areas in history? - When should we question binary moral framing? A Different Perspective Moral clarity can oversimplify complex events. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [American history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-history/) [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Offers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-offers-462984/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral Line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-line-462983/) [Sides Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides-moral-462982/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) ## Related quotes > [It's very easy for the U.S. or Western Europe to have this moral line of right versus wrong, and you go, 'Well, that's breaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fogel/it-s-very-easy-for-the-u-s-or-western-europe-to-have-this-moral-line/) [Bryan Fogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fogel/) > [History offers us vicarious experience. It allows the youngest student to possess the ground equally with his elders; without a knowledge of history to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/history-offers-us-vicarious-experience-it-allows-the-youngest-student/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [Schools don't teach American history that well, especially a lot of black American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/schools-don-t-teach-american-history-that-well-especially-a-lot-of/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [A trillion dollars spent, 2,000 American lives lost - Afghanistan is the longest war in American history. But you don't hear a word about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-baumgartner/a-trillion-dollars-spent-2-000-american-lives-lost-afghanistan-is-the/) [Michael Baumgartner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-baumgartner/) > [The Voting Rights Act of 1965 brought an end to the ugly Jim Crow period in American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-murkowski/the-voting-rights-act-of-1965-brought-an-end-to-the-ugly-jim-crow/) [Lisa Murkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-murkowski/) > [The 2020 presidential election was arguably the most secure - and among the most scrutinized - in American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/the-2020-presidential-election-was-arguably-the-most-secure-and-among/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [As the most radical agenda in American history comes through the 117th Congress, the Whip Team will play an important role in making sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/as-the-most-radical-agenda-in-american-history-comes-through-the/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I knew nothing of American History because I didn't pay attention to American History in school. Because I did not see myself in American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okieriete-onaodowan/i-knew-nothing-of-american-history-because-i-didn-t-pay-attention-to/) [Okieriete Onaodowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okieriete-onaodowan/) > [“I used to walk out, at night, to the breakwater which divides the end of the harbor form the broad moor of the salt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-doty/i-used-to-walk-out-at-night-to-the-breakwater-which-divides-the-end/) [Mark Doty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-doty/) > [The school curriculum today, particularly American history, is a shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-school-curriculum-today-particularly-american-history-is-a-shame/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Medicare and Social Security have created the healthiest and most financially secure generation of senior citizens in American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-walsh/medicare-and-social-security-have-created-the-healthiest-and-most/) [Jim Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-walsh/) > [Throughout American history many of our social gains and much of our progress toward democracy were made possible by the active intervention of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-washington/throughout-american-history-many-of-our-social-gains-and-much-of-our/) [Harold Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-washington/) > [I'm really trying to dredge up what one might call intellectual and moral material. For example, when do you realize that you are an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-m-really-trying-to-dredge-up-what-one-might-call-intellectual-and/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Budgets are moral documents. Federal funding should reflect the priorities and the values of the majority of the American people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/budgets-are-moral-documents-federal-funding-should-reflect-the/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) ## More by Joy Reid > [Trump is reviled around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-is-reviled-around-the-world/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [What White America and Black America wanted and expected from Obama were fundamentally different and opposite things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/what-white-america-and-black-america-wanted-and-expected-from-obama/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [If Obama was fundamentally different from prior presidents, Trump seems to violate every tenet of what Americans have long sought as our national image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-from-prior-presidents-trump/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [In many ways, Trump is both a boon and a bane to Republicans. His insanity and moral decrepitude keep the country focused on things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/in-many-ways-trump-is-both-a-boon-and-a-bane-to-republicans-his/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [To be white in America is to assume, with total self-confidence and little afterthought, the personal ownership of public spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/to-be-white-in-america-is-to-assume-with-total-self-confidence-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Dwight Eisenhower presented a face of America that was heroic and resolute; Ronald Reagan represented a return to confidence and glamour after the weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/dwight-eisenhower-presented-a-face-of-america-that-was-heroic-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Trump's affinity for Russia dates back at least to the late 1980s, during the time of the Soviet Union, and it intensified after his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-s-affinity-for-russia-dates-back-at-least-to-the-late-1980s/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Trump's more outre economic ideas, like repealing trade bills and implementing a massive surcharge on imports, would seem like non-starters in a Republican-led House…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-s-more-outre-economic-ideas-like-repealing-trade-bills-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Too great a love for the presidency has caused Democrats to neglect state and local politics and to overly prize compromise and a futile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/too-great-a-love-for-the-presidency-has-caused-democrats-to-neglect/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Bill Clinton had a hell of a first 24 months, even though he, like Trump, enjoyed a congressional majority. Scandal after scandal befell the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/bill-clinton-had-a-hell-of-a-first-24-months-even-though-he-like/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Whether on guns, race, culture or feminism, there really are two Americas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/whether-on-guns-race-culture-or-feminism-there-really-are-two-americas/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [The sharp differences between the way city dwellers and rural, suburban and exurban residents vote, think and live cannot be papered over by federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/the-sharp-differences-between-the-way-city-dwellers-and-rural/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Even without the euphoria of 'yes we can,' Hillary Clinton is to white women what Barack Obama was to African-Americans. She represents the opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/even-without-the-euphoria-of-yes-we-can-hillary-clinton-is-to-white/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [If you've never feared the police - if you don't get a dull ache in the pit of your stomach when you see red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/if-you-ve-never-feared-the-police-if-you-don-t-get-a-dull-ache-in-the/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Republicans don't vote Republican because of Nancy Pelosi. They vote Republican because they are Republicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/republicans-don-t-vote-republican-because-of-nancy-pelosi-they-vote/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) [Explore all 100 Joy Reid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. 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W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. 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But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) [Browse all 7,717 American quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are few instances when American history offers us two clear sides of a moral line.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joy Reid" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/there-are-few-instances-when-american-history-offers-us-two-clear/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/there-are-few-instances-when-american-history-offers-us-two-clear/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7d/joy-reid-6005_american_there-are-few-instances-when-american-hi_819832.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7d/joy-reid-6005_american_there-are-few-instances-when-american-hi_819832.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7d/joy-reid-6005_american_there-are-few-instances-when-american-hi_819832.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are few instances when American history offers us two clear sides of a moral line.” — Joy Reid", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joy Reid", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are few instances when American...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/there-are-few-instances-when-american-history-offers-us-two-clear/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/there-are-few-instances-when-american-history-offers-us-two-clear/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```