insurrection

Proud Boys' Convictions for Seditious Conspiracy Won't End the Far Right Threat

by Tom Mockaitis

Despite the conviction of leading organizers of the January 6 attack on the Capitol (which aimed at overturning Joe Biden's election), the extreme right will remain a threat, partly because of the flourishing of online channels for hate and partly because the Republican Party has framed the insurrection as legitimate political expression. 

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. 

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. 

Law Profs: First Amendment Hurdles to Trump Prosecution Real, Not Insurmountable

by Alan Z. Rozenshtein and Jed Shugerman

The defense that Trump's speech about a stolen election, even if deliberately untruthful, constitutes protected political speech is plausible, but prosecutors can situate the remarks in the context of other actions to overturn the election. 

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. 

Does Disqualifying a January 6 Participant from Office Threaten Democracy?

Disqualifying particular candidates does nothing to fight the broad-based embrace of election denialism and authoritarianism, and it further deprives voters of the right to repudiate those things at the polls, say three law professors. 

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. 

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?

The Secessionist Roots of January 6

by Elizabeth R. Varon

"The story of Southern secession provides illuminating evidence that the Jan. 6 insurgency was, indeed, precedented, rooted in long-standing efforts to preempt, delegitimize and suppress Black voting."

Prosecutor: The Two-Prong Test that Could Determine Trump's Legal Risk

Isaac Chotiner interviews former federal prosecutor and current law professor Barbara McQuade about the prospects of a criminal case against Trump over January 6. 

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?

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."

NC Elections Board Affirms it has Power to Bar Rep. Cawthorn from Ballot over Jan. 6 Actions

Without stating whether such action would proceed, North Carolina's elections authority affirmed that it has the power to bar Rep. Madison Cawthorn from seeking reelection if his actions on January 6 are determined to amount to support for insurrection. 

Is the Challenge to Madison Cawthorn's Re-Election Eligibility For Real?

The text and historical application of the 14th Amendment means that the courts could bar the North Carolina MAGA Congressman from seeking reelection because of his endorsement of the January 6 attack on the Capitol which sought to overturn Joe Biden's election. 

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."

The House January 6 Commission Hearings

On October 13, the January 6 Commission held its last hearing before the midterm elections, presenting evidence that the Secret Service knew of plans for violence and voting unanimously to subpoena ex-president Donald Trump.

9/11 and 1/6: How an American Nightmare Becomes Real

by Timothy Snyder

A historian and analyst of democratic collapse describes a slow-moving nightmare unfolding to ensure minoritarian rule. Will Americans, and their elected representatives, wake up in time?