When Dr. Phil McGraw interviews people on his television show who have done some really bad things, he often asks, “What did you say to yourself that made you think I was okay?”

That question could also be directed at the nations, legislators, and political leaders who commit or condone atrocities. For example, “Southern America, Bible Belt, in fact, what the hell did they tell themselves to think racial segregation in America was okay?”

This, of course, is a rhetorical question, since the era in question happened approximately sixty years ago. However, the answers may surprise you. The web of self-delusion was wide and deep and ingrained at all levels of society. Entire generations of white people were born and raised in cultures where they were taught that black people were inferior, stupid, lazy, and born to serve white people. Children’s games even portrayed blacks as targets that felt no pain.

Segregation and discrimination even had a name, Jim Crow, and he ruled with a heavy hand. Jim Crow laws were passed in numerous states between the 1870s and 1960s to keep blacks “in their place,” that is, subservient to whites.

Who were these people? They were largely white Protestants from the South. About half had high school diplomas and fewer than ten percent attended college. Their lives were narrowly focused and they did not trust Jews, Catholics or recent immigrants, although most of them had never met any. They were wary of anyone they didn’t understand, but could be extremely warm and caring towards those with whom they felt an affinity. Blacks were so different from them as to be feared, which ultimately led to blacks being demonized and subjected to domination.

Racial segregation in the United States was underpinned by violence and threats of violence, even for petty crimes. If a black man bumped into a white woman on the street, he could be charged with rape. Blacks were not allowed to be buried in white cemeteries. White nurses could not be forced to take care of blacks. Black and white military units were separate, and black troops always reported to white commanders. In prisons, white inmates could not be forced to eat with black inmates. Any infraction could result in a beating, a lynching, or even worse.

The seeds of reconciliation between the races, and between North and South, were discovered only when America was required to unite against a common enemy during World War II. However, those seeds would take decades to sprout.