"...It’s about a huge cohort of old people who are scared and resentful that privileges they once took for granted..." Like being drafted into Foreign Wars and having to fight for one's country and family?
Pre-Johnson - he turned a strong movement in the right direction into the crap sandwich we have today...
Well, Opie, that would be any year without Barry Soetoro and any Democrat wreaking havoc and destruction on this nation.
April 19th, 1775.
The answer to your question is in Mayberry ...
Before the US was looked upon as a push over, before we financed our image of being “caring” by dumping b(tr)illions into waaaaay too many countries problems, before the govt decided they needed to be involved in every aspect of everyones lives, before we opened the floodgates to immigrants who not only forgo the legal methods of entering but milk them system hard once they arrive....
40’s and 50’s.
Slavery , but this time for ALL Americans, was reintroduced by President Taft on June 16, 1909 when his speech before Congress gave birth to the 16th amendment. This cancerous poison pill to our Constitution essentially nullified the whole document. The income tax is unlimited in it's power to steal the work of all Americans turning every one of us into little more than free range slaves.
So when was America great? When liberty was maximized: May 13 1865- June 15 1909. How to make it ever greater? The amendments that made black slavery illegal are no longer needed and should now be repealed because they centralized federal power. Gut the income tax as well. Ultimate greatness is still possible, our American Founders gave us that chance for an ultimate cure with Article V.
This IS a trick question. It’s not a “when” was America great. It’s “what” makes America great. And “what” made America great was God, family and capitalism. Bring those back and America IS GREAT AGAIN.