When Was America Great? When Did America Stop Being Great? ‘The Daily Show’ Asks Republicans

In response to the Make America Great Again slogan of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, several media outlets have set about investigating what times in American history were best, as well as exactly when America ceased to be great.

Daily Show correspondents asked Americans at the Republican National Convention, “When was America great?”

The first person answered that 1913, the year the 17th Amendment was passed, was the best. Daily Show host Jordan Klepper noted that, at that point in U.S. history, women didn’t have the right to vote, which caused the man to seemingly trip over his words.

“So that’s kind of your sweet spot?” Jordan Klepper asked before the scene cut away.

Roy Wood Jr. then asked two women covered in buttons and pins displaying the American flag to narrow precisely what year the U.S. was great.

“Well, the year it was founded,” one woman answered.

“Except for the slavery stuff,” Roy Wood Jr. responded, anticipating a response from the woman, which did not come.

“Except for the slavery stuff,” the second woman stated, seemingly noticing the Daily Show host’s anticipation and agreeing with him.

A man responded to Ronny Chieng that America was at its best around the “mid 40s, 50s.” Chieng pointed out the issues surrounding women’s rights and racial issues during the era.

“Look we can sit here and paint negative faces of all times in America,” the man replied.

“Correct,” Chieng deadpanned, as the scene cut.

Another man wearing a straw hat and an American flag bow-tie explained to Ronny Chieng that America became great in 1776, when the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.

“That was greatness,” the man stated.

“That was awesome,” Chieng agreed. “Other than the slavery.”

“Well, we did have that,” the man said, looking rather nonplussed. He then added, “And the Indian thing.”

Chieng agreed that the U.S. treatment of Native Americans was “terrible,” and added mention of “the women’s voting thing.”

The man, festooned in Americana, then waxed philosophical with the Asian-American Daily Show host.

“Like they say. Nobody made it to the top without breaking a few pieces of china.”

The man’s use of the term “china” as a possible double entendre caused Ronny Chieng to look at the man with a perplexed expression.

“That wasn’t an insult, by the way,” the man quickly apologized, and the segment ended.

Mother Jones recently asked several Americans, “When did America stop being great?” at an “America First” Unity Rally held in Cleveland.

One man from Erie, Pennsylvania responded that he doesn’t think that America has stopped being great and that it is still the “greatest country in the world.” However, he stressed that the country has many “problems” and that if things don’t change, citizens are “on track to lose many freedoms.”

A woman wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat stated that the nation started going downhill “about 30 years ago.” She cited her experience working in the healthcare field and how doctors started coming from “other countries.” The woman also spoke of a “globalist agenda” that she believes should be addressed.

A young man, wearing a t-shirt stating “Hillary for prison,” professed a belief that America is currently great but that it needs to be made “safe again” and be allowed to become “greater” than it already is.

A woman wearing a white Trump baseball cap described the rights of American citizens being taken away by its leaders.

“There’s nothing wrong with Muslims,” the woman explained her view, “gay people, blacks, Mexicans. The rhetoric that’s being shared… wants to tell us that, somehow, we’re racist… it’s just not true.”

Time asked delegates at the Republican National Convention “When was America last great?” and tallied the results by decade. The era immediately following World War II, the late 40s and early 50s, was cited by seven Republicans as the peak of America’s greatness.

Only one delegate felt the 1960s was the greatest U.S. era.

Mike Stopa, a Massachusetts Republican, stated that he had a girlfriend during the 60s who was quite “foxy.”

Sherry Powell, a Nevada Republican delegate, was the only respondent to the Time question who felt the 1970s was the best.

Ten delegates, including Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, stated that the 1980s was the best decade in U.S history.

Bryant explained that under Ronald Reagan’s leadership the U.S. economy grew so strong that it “exploded.” The governor also made note of the fact that enemies of the United States “feared us.”

No Republican delegates chose the 1990s as the best American decade. Four, including daughter of Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Sarah, chose the 2000s as the nation’s greatest era. None of the Republicans questioned by Time as to “when was America great” were reported to state that the present era was the best.

Not sharing Donald Trump’s view that America needs to be made great again is presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, the first woman to ever lead a major political party in the United States, as reported by Real Clear Politics.

“When he says let’s make America great again, that is code for let’s take America backwards.”

Closely following the wrap-up of the RNC, Clinton announced Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her vice presidential running mate yesterday, as reported by the Inquisitr.

[Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images]