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The Roundup Top Ten for January 22, 2021

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. 

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.

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.

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.

In a Civil War, Accountability Must Precede Healing

by Melody Barnes and Caroline E. Janney

"With no consequences for their acts of rebellion, the months after Appomattox saw former Confederates regain local and state control and bend it to their purposes."

Why the Mob Thought Attacking the Capitol was their ‘1776 Moment’

by Franita Tolson

"The pro-Trump insurrectionists seeking to replicate 1776 ignore that America has consistently recommitted itself to democracy in the two centuries since the Revolution — choosing voting over violence and ballots over bullets."

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."

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. 

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."

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?