Freedom Was Never Meant for Everyone
The United States claimed to be born in liberty, yet liberty was never for all. The words “all men are created equal” were written with elegance, but their meaning was reserved for a select few. While leaders celebrated freedom, enslaved Africans were shackled nearby. This wasn’t a contradiction. It was intentional. The system promised equality on paper but denied it in practice.
The Legal Face of Cruelty
Slavery was not hidden or denied—it was legal. The law defined Africans not as human beings but as property. They were sold at markets, branded with hot irons, and denied basic rights. Families were torn apart and never reunited. Even murder was excused when it came to enslaved lives. If a White man killed a slave, the courts did not call it murder. Instead, it was recorded as damage to property. This cruelty was not random; it was carefully structured and defended by lawmakers.
Religion Was Turned Into a Weapon
Ripley uncovers how religion, which should have offered hope, was instead turned into a tool of oppression. Popes declared that kings had divine permission to conquer nations and enslave their people. These decrees, written in official language, gave holy approval to violence. Ships carrying chained Africans were blessed in the name of God. Churches grew wealthy while millions suffered. Faith, meant to liberate, was twisted to justify cruelty.
The Creation of Race to Divide Humanity
The idea of race did not exist naturally—it was invented to protect power. Skin color became a tool of control. Whiteness was lifted as superior, while Blackness was degraded as inferior. This lie spread across textbooks, laws, and sermons until it became accepted as truth. Generations grew up believing these divisions were real. In reality, they were a carefully built system of control designed to keep one group in power at the cost of another.
Silence Strengthened the System
Evil rarely survives by cruelty alone; it survives through silence. Many people who claimed to oppose slavery remained quiet, benefiting from the system without speaking against it. They saw injustice yet turned away. Their silence was not neutral—it was complicity. Every look away, every refusal to speak, gave the system more strength. Silence became as powerful as chains.
The Image of God Was Altered
One of the most damaging lies was the false image of Christ. Born in the Middle East, Jesus would not have resembled the pale images painted across Europe. Yet for centuries, he was portrayed as White. This wasn’t about art. It was strategy. By showing God in the image of the oppressor, White supremacy gained spiritual weight. People accepted injustice more easily because even their faith had been reshaped.
Truth Is the Path to Healing
The lesson of Built on Lies is not only about exposing what happened but about confronting what still lingers. Injustice was written into laws, traditions, and beliefs. But truth has the power to rewrite them. Healing begins when silence ends, when denial stops, and when honesty takes its place. This is not about guilt; it is about responsibility.
A Nation Can Still Choose Justice
The future does not need to repeat the past. A nation that was built on lies can be rebuilt on truth. That choice lies with us. Facing the truth may feel painful, but it opens the door to justice. And when justice is finally allowed to breathe, hope can follow.