Roundup Top Ten for January 8, 2021
A Confederate Flag at the Capitol Summons America's Demonsby Rhae Lynn Barnes and Keri Leigh MerrittThe presence of Confederate iconography in the Capitol building riots is no coincidence; Trumpers are following the playbook of the slaveocracy in crafting a Lost Cause narrative of grievance and betrayal. |
Will the Democrats Win in Georgia?by Jason SokolEugene Talmadge served three terms as Georgia's governor through a combination of racism, attacks on government, and a state electoral system that grossly overrepresented rural whites. The January 5 runoff will test whether at least one of those dynamics has changed in Georgia politics. |
The Deep Origins of Latino Support for Trumpby Geraldo Cadava"In the White House, Joe Biden will have the opportunity to show Latinos that they’re important to the Democratic coalition. First, though, Democrats will have to acknowledge that a shift did, in fact, take place." |
Trump’s Supporters Think They’re Being Patriotic. And That’s The Problemby Christine AdamsThe September Massacres of 1792 finished the overthrow of the French monarchy and paved the way to the Reign of Terror; the significance of conspiracy theory, rumor, and identification of enemies of the people were echoed in Wednesday's Capitol riots (though with, as yet, less bloodshed). |
Ted Cruz’s Proposed Election Commission Can Only Hurt the Countryby Stuart MacKayThe 1878 Potter Committee, set up by supporters of Samuel Tilden to prove corruption by the 1877 commission that awarded Rutherford Hayes the presidency, ultimately devolved into a farce. Trump supporters might wish to rethink the idea of such a commission, even if they continue to complain of "fraud" in the 2020 vote. |
How U.S. Pandemic Restrictions Became a Constitutional Battlefieldby John Fabian Witt and Kiki ManzurConservative attacks on COVID-related restrictions on social gatherings are rooted in a selective and false interpretation of the history of the application of the police power to support public health. |
Stop Worrying About Upper-Class Suburbanitesby Lily Geismer and Matthew LassiterTwo suburban historians argue that the changing demographics and political composition of American suburbs mean the Democrats' strategy of courting white moderates will foreclose building the ethnically and economically diverse coalition they need to win. |
We Can’t Let Our Elections Be This Vulnerable Againby Richard L. Hasen2020 is a warning: America needs to remove opportunities for political pressure, discretionary action, and deception in the counting and recording of votes. |
Who was Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Why Does He Matter Now?by Julia GaffieldThe anniversary of Haitian independence is occasion to rethink the legacy of the nation's first head of state, the uncompromising opponent of slavery and colonialism Jean-Jacques Dessalines. |
‘Cancel Culture’ is Not the Preserve of the Left. Just Ask Our Historiansby David OlusogaBritish media has enthusiastically demonized historians whose work challenges myths of national glory by focusing on slavery and colonialism. |