The election of Donald Trump in November 2016 exposed a deep vein of distrust across the US, where millions have become disillusioned with a political and corporate elite out of touch with the sentiments of ordinary Americans. We explore the construction and mythology of the American Dream and uncover the reality of exclusion and denial. In this two-part series, we chart the history of post-Second World War America to uncover how race has dominated the political landscape and continues to shape American society. We reveal the nexus of political, corporate and institutional interests that created and now curtail a withering middle-class, pushing people into polarized camps, and now furthering disaffection with the traditional ‘establishment’.