The lie is a psychological mechanism that preserves America’s national innocence.

Evidence

Taken as a whole, then, the lie is the mechanism that allows, and has always allowed, America to avoid facing the truth about its unjust treatment of black people and how it deforms the soul of the country. The lie cuts deep into the American psyche. It secures our national innocence in the face of the ugliness and evil we have done. — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Begin Again, 86

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘the lie’ as a defensive mechanism rather than mere falsehood — the conceptual heart of the reader’s thesis.
• XREF: Connects to Baldwin’s own later essay uses and to Coates’ ‘Between the World and Me’ on the American Dream built on the body of the Black.