DIVIDED AMERICA: Even in fractured land, there's much unity

Nudged to sum up the values Americans broadly share, they point to their handiwork and what it stands for — freedom, opportunity and pride.

EDITOR'S NOTE — This story is part of Divided America, AP's ongoing exploration of the economic, social and political divisions in American society.

Because we realize, together we stand, divided we fall.

Bouldin works on the opposite end of a sprawling sewing room floor from Ed Haney and political pollsters would see them in different worlds altogether.

Medicare and Social Security are wildly popular, and most have a positive view of entrepreneurship and small business.

The gun debate may polarize Capitol Hill and statehouses, but there is wide consensus among Americans on mandating background checks for gun shows and private sales (85 percent agree, according to a Pew Research Center poll), and on keeping weapons from the mentally ill (79 percent agree).

"The average Democrat and the average Republican are not that far apart from each other," said Patrick Miller, a political science professor at the University of Kansas.

Americans may not agree on whether to support Clinton or Trump, but they unite in their lack of confidence in Congress and the political system overall.

American children start their school days, hand to heart, in a pledge, and it becomes as much a fixture in their lives as in their history books.

When there are trying times — whether terrorism or natural disaster or a hardball political season that drives wedges between people — he sees the flag's resonance grow.