Roundup

What the Founders Would Have Done with Trump

by Frank O. Bowman III

"The impeachment mechanism written into the American Constitution owes its structure to a set of very specific lessons the Framers drew from British and classical history," writes a constitutional law scholar. Those lessons point to the validity of trying Trump in the Senate even after the end of his presidency.

Hamilton and Lincoln Warned of a Mobocracy. Trump Brought Their Fears to Life

by Andrew F. Lang

Alexander Hamilton and Abraham Lincoln both feared demagogues who might corrupt the body politic and turn a free citizenry against the democratic institutions that safeguarded their liberty.

Why It’s Time to Take Secessionist Talk Seriously

by Richard Kreitner

"The Confederate flags the insurgents carried through the Capitol weren’t about the past, but the future." (note: Subscription required to read source article.)

Georgia’s New Senators will Write the Next Chapter in Black-Jewish Relations

by Jeff Melnick

The history of the Leo Frank trial and lynching shows that, while both groups have faced prejudice and discrimination, "the glory of Black-Jewish relations has always been more aspirational than achieved." Georgia's two new senators have a chance to advance a coalition for progress and equity.

Embracing Democracy: The Storming of the US Capitol and the Positive Lessons of Weimar Germany

by Andrew I. Port

A 1922 political assassination rallied the German public and political class against the far right. The Weimar Republic's failure to consolidate itself around the idea of democracy shows that the January 6 Capitol riot cannot be allowed to fade from discussion lest the authoritarian beliefs behind it return even stronger.

Why is Charles Curtis's Legacy So Complicated?

by Kiara M. Vigil

VP Charles Curtis advocated for policies toward Native American nations that today seem steeped in paternalist and assimilationist values, but in the context of the 1920s his legacy should be seen as part of debate among Native leaders about the tension between preservation and incorporation of modern American society.

The Trump Administration's Thinly-Veiled Rebuke of 'The 1619 Project' is a Sloppy, Racist Mess

by Kevin M. Kruse

The Commission report selectively quotes from Martin Luther King and ignores massive white resistance to paint a picture of the Civil Rights movement as a national consensus, in order to bash contemporary demands for racial justice. 

The Worst President in History

by Tim Naftali

Previously condemned presidents have failed in some aspect of their oaths of office, whether by abusing power, failing to confront national crises, or putting self-interest over the nation. Trump has done all of this, argues the first director of the Nixon Library.

Four Years Of Doing Activist History

by William Horne

The founder of the Activist History Review argues that the mantle of scholarly neutrality must be rejected: it allows historians to abdicate the responsibility to fight forms of abuse and exploitation that they understand intimately, and will never shield the profession from political attacks. 

On the Way Out, Trump Trashes History: Why the 1776 Project is so Damaging

by James Grossman and Jacqueline Jones

The 1776 Commission report is a propagandistic attack on the role of expertise in government and demands for racial justice, butchering the historical record for the sake of inflaming the deadly resentments that erupted this year against BLM and COVID lockdowns.

Biden Rescinding the 1776 Commission Doesn't End the Fight over History

by Nicole Hemmer

"In dissolving the 1776 Commission on his first day in office, President Biden helped end one source of misinformation about our past, a reminder that, as we work to restore democracy, we will need to restore honest inquiry and accurate history as well."

White Christian Nationalists Want More Than Just Political Power

by Lauren R. Kerby

"White Christian nationalism also unites nostalgia for a lost age of Christian power with a profound sense of victimization. No one should underestimate how dangerous this combination is, particularly among those who decide that their faith requires them to retake their nation."

France Knows How This Ends

by James McAuley

"What is especially useful to remember about the Dreyfus affair now is the point of no return it represented, the repugnant embrace of lies by one half of society, educated people who were not ignorant but who had simply ceased to care."

Biden Inauguration amid Trump COVID Failure could End Republican Era of Bashing Government

by Seth Cotlar

Ronald Reagan's 1980 victory helped cement the popular notion of the futility of government action. Will four years of Trump capped by one year of the COVID-19 pandemic restore public demand for competent and active government? 

The Next New Deal Must Be for Black Americans, Too

by Willow Lung-Amam

Those advocating for New Deal-type programs from the Biden-Harris administration must be profoundly aware of the way the first New Deal accommodated racial prejudice and deepened material inequality; any acceptable understanding of "build back better" must actively tackle racial inequality as well as protecting the existing middle class.

A Major Business Ally Called for Trump’s Removal. It’s also a Problem for the GOP

by Jennifer Delton

The National Association of Manufacturers called for Trump's removal from office after January 6. The business lobbying group has faced controversies in the past ove the presence of John Birch Society members in its ranks. 

Legacies of Cold War Liberalism

by Michael Brenes and Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

Two historians interrogate the origins of liberal intervention after World War II. 

The Attempted Insurrection was Only Part of the Right’s Anti-Democratic Playbook

by Melissa DeVelvis and DJ Polite

The overthrow of Reconstruction in South Carolina involved a symbiotic relationship between white political leaders and a loose coalition of armed white vigilante groups. 

Pre-Nazi Germany Tells us the Fight to Save American Democracy is Just Beginning

by Michael Brenner

German history highlights how the real risk to American democracy came hours after order had been restored in the U.S. Capitol when seven U.S. senators and 138 members of the House of Representatives voted to sustain an objection to Pennsylvania’s electoral votes.

What Will Trump's Presidency Mean to History?

by David Greenberg

Above all else, a pattern of rule-breaking and a determination not to be bound by rules are the characteristics of Trumpism, and inseparable from the policies the 45th president pursued.