The January 6 Committee's Report Shows it's up to Politics, not History, to Judge

by Matthew Sitman

The committee's report will never be able to create or sustain closure on the Trump era or the hard right turn of conservatism; only voters and political organizers can do that. 

What Jill Lepore Got Right—And Wrong—About January 6 Committee

The historian's critique of the committee's report—that it focused too narrowly on Trump and not enough on the far right movement—is undercut by a false equivalency that election denial and conspiratorial thinking are equally prevalent on the left and right of the spectrum. 

As a History of Insurrection, the January 6 Report is a Mess

by Jill Lepore

The Committee delivered a potent indictment of Donald Trump's responsibility for the events of January 6, but shed little light on the origins or the future of the antidemocratic insurrection and failed to tell a compelling story about what happened. 

Jan. 6 Report Gives Good, but Not Complete, Picture of Right-Wing Extremists

by Jon Lewis

A domestic extremism researcher argues that the committee's report lets law enforcement and intelligence agencies off the hook for their evaluation of the theat of right-wing violence at the Capitol and makes a future incident more likely. 

Historians Predict How History Will Remember January 6

Historians of the Civil War era including Manisha Sinha and Joanne Freeman, suggest that the Jan. 6 Committee has assembled a documentary record of events that can support a definitive understanding of events. But what politicians and voters make of the information will determine what history is written. 

Task of January 6 Committee? Don't Let the Plot Get Memory-Holed

The compulsion to fit the past into a narrative about collective identity means that events like January 6 and the ugly truths about the scope and goals of the far right are likely to be consigned to the archives in a misguided attempt to "move on." 

There Are Two Ways America Can Go After January 6

by Thomas Zimmer

In some respects, the January 6 attack resembles the failed 1923 Beer Hall Putsch. What should concern us is what could happen if the Justice Department decides to give similarly lenient treatment to the Capitol conspirators and their leader. 

The January 6 Committee and the Paranoid Style

by Bruce W. Dearstyne

Episodes consistent with the "paranoid style" recur with sufficient frequency in American history to make them a landmark of the culture. But it's less well understood how each individual episode has faded, insight we could use today. 

Liberals: The January 6 Hearings Won't Save Us

by Daniel Bessner and Ben Burgis

Liberals hoping the televised hearings will result in criminal charges or accountability for Trump and his accomplices are in denial about the culture of elite impunity in America. The Democratic Party can't hope that outrage over January 6 will help them in November. 

Don't Call them Conservatives

by Alan J. Singer

As we confront what is happening in this country, we need to stop calling the MAGA movement conservative.

Politics and Priorities: The January 6 Hearings and American Values

by Walter G. Moss

Pragmatism does not mean acting without principles, but only openly, undogmatically. Is the glimmer of bipartisanship on display at the January 6 hearings a sign of hope?

Previous Congressional Hearings Inform What to Expect from the Jan. 6 Committee

by Jennifer Selin

From KKK violence during Reconstruction to Watergate, high profile Congressional investigations have approached controversial issues. Partisanship is likely to be an obstacle to the goals of advancing transparency and public information. 

Proud Boys Indictment Charges Attempt to Overthrow Government. Does it Matter?

by Heather Cox Richardson

The charge of seditious conspiracy by a paramilitary organization with close ties to the Trumpian Right is incredibly serious, but will it be met with a shrug?

On "Smoking Guns"—Yesterday and Today (and Tomorrow?)

by Jim Zirin

As text messages between Donald Jr. and Mark Meadows surface, it seems the last roadblock to a prosecution of Donald Trump over January 6 is a lack of will, not a lack of evidence.

History's Guidance to the January 6 Committee

by Stephen A. West

The 1872 report of the Congressional Ku Klux Klan Committee offers lessons for the January 6 Commission: expect partisans to weaponize the report, and don't trust "the judgment of history" to clear up doubts about culpability. 

Jan. 6 Commission: Trump Allies Engaged in Potential Criminal Conspiracy to Block Certification

"The court filing is the strongest assertion yet from the committee that it believes Trump and some of his allies potentially committed crimes during the effort to overturn Biden’s victory and by falsely stating repeatedly that the election was stolen."

We Almost Lost Our Democracy – and Still Could: A Conversation with Congressman Adam Schiff

by Robin Lindley

"There's no division in our purpose. We're all united in wanting to get to the truth and expose the truth to the American people and then legislate in a way that protects our country going forward."

Uncivil Religion: A Collaborative Effort to Understand January 6, 2021

Historians including Kristin Du Mez and Matthew Gabriele contribute to a new collaborative project analyzing the flood of digital imagery associated with the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and the election results. 

The US Keeps Failing the January 6 Test

by Nicole Hemmer

Between Republican obfuscation and Democratic indifference, "it is fair to say that American democracy is in a far more tenuous position today than it was during the January 6 insurrection."

Framing Political Violence as Patriotism is Even More Dangerous Than it Sounds

by Jeremy Best

The Republican Party has agreed to label the Capitol rioters of January 6 as patriots resisting a dubious (if not stolen) election result. This is a step toward endorsing more political violence and endangering democratic government.