He meant that at that time the consensus on the rights and duties of society was selective and that it did not cover all American citizens.
Explanation:
John Green is reporting that the need and the emergence of the civil rights movement shows that the American concept and consensus on citizenship, rights, duties, civil liberties and respect were at odds with what America preaches. These factors were offered to the population selectively, leaving part of the population deprived of all of them and suffering for not being able to use any political force to help them, because they were considered by the powerful to be inferior and unworthy.
