Huck's America or Tom's?

In 2017, we have not completely left the world of Tom, but we are closer to Huck's America. By being closer to Huck's America, I mean we are more progressive and open to new ideas, rather than following traditions like Tom. Huck and Tom grow up the same way, but Huck's friend Jim makes him realize a lot more about the real world outside of what his family has taught him. In the past, many people have followed their parents beliefs about politics, careers, and other moral values. People who were different were considered weird and have often been unaccepted into certain communities. In the book, Huck and Tom (and most other white people) were raised to think that African Americans were not equal to them. When Huck meets Jim, he has a dilemma because he knows helping Jim is against what he has been taught, but in the end it is the right thing to do because Jim is a human who deserves to be free. Throughout the book, we see Huck change from a poor, racist boy to a caring and accepting boy. A lot of America today shows the accepting part of Huck's world in the novel. 

While we have come very far in that most people have equal rights, Tom's America still exists. It seems as though when there is a step forward, there are often two steps back. For example, Huck's America was growing until Donald Trump was elected. His America is much like Tom's America because it only works for a limited number of people. Trump's slogan was "Make America Great Again," which implied that America needs to get rid of people who don't belong. When people see others as less than themselves, that's when Tom's America shows the most. While we have come very far in legalizing the rights of many minority groups, racism still appears in 2017, which is why we are still living partially in Tom's America.