In a viral TikTok video, creator ShaskaCoarteson offers a biting, sarcasm-filled breakdown of what “Make America Great Again” might actually mean in historical context.
She dives into real sarcasm after an insert of Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, apparently explaining at a rally when America was great, and why the country must return to that era.
Coarteson humorously yet powerfully then lays out a timeline of women’s and minority rights in America, highlighting that what some may hail as the “good old days” weren’t exactly good for everyone.
Coarteson begins her rundown by noting:
“We keep asking MAGA when America was great, and I think we just got our answer.”
She then inserts a short clip of Trump saying the following at one of his rallies:
“We have to go back to 1798. That’s when we had laws that were effective.”
The TikToker then starts her commentary, reflecting the ironic truth behind America’s uneven history, where legal strides for equality and basic rights often came painfully late.
Running through historical milestones, the TikToker points out that Black Americans were deemed “three-fifths of a person” before gaining citizenship in 1868, while interracial marriage was only legalized in 1967.
She contrasts these facts with other rights won over time, like the Civil Rights Act in 1964, when Black Americans saw formalized civil protections, or when women only gained the right to open bank accounts in 1974.
“The anti-lynching bill? They started trying to pass it in 1918, but it only became law in 2022,” she says dryly, as if to emphasize just how delayed progress can be.
She goes on to credit another TikTok creator, M-A-R-C-84, whose timeline design she borrowed to outline each jaw-dropping fact.
The TikToker’s historical recap spans everything from women’s right to wear pants in 1910 to women’s ability to own homes independently in 1974.
She interjects with biting remarks about how, for example, it took until 1994 for women to receive legal protection against domestic violence.
The video, which has struck a chord on social media, wraps up with the TikToker asking what many might be wondering as election season looms:
“When I hear things like this and think about all the women and minorities planning on voting for this person…what the [expletive] are you thinking?”
Coarteson’s sarcastic delivery and comedic timing, many of her followers, highlights a deeper, powerful question about what “great” means in the context of American history—and whose history is considered in the process.
