militia movement

How the Right Got Waco Wrong

by Paul Renfro

Historian Paul Renfro reviews Kevin Cook's new book, which seeks to explain how the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidian cult's Waco compound became a totem for the right while also decrying the aggressive law enforcement tactics that escalated the situation toward mass death. 

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. 

How Disinformation Powers Vigilantism

Right wing misinformation has linked the nation's borders with race war discourse that encourages vigilantism, according to historian Carly Goodman. 

From the Past, a Chilling Warning About the Extremists of the Present

“Do they want armed revolution and race war or are they seeking to enter politics?” said historian Kathleen Belew. “Do they want to burn it down or do they want to take over?”

What Kyle Rittenhouse's Fate Reveals about Law and Order

by Nicole Hemmer

Historically, white vigilantism, especially against the demands of minorities for civil and economic equality, has been a key component of the politics of "law and order."

Out of the Barrel of a Gun

The resurgent militia movement and renewed attention to the threat of political violence compels a reckoning with the vast number of firearms in America and with the political significance of guns. 

Capitol Attack was Culmination of Generations of Far-Right Extremism

Historians Robin D.G. Kelley and Greg Grandin discuss the historical relationship between white supremacy and political violence in the US. 

How the Pro-Trump Mob Fits in the History of U.S. Lynching

Kathleen Belew joins Nikole Hannah-Jones on Joy Ann Reid's show to discuss the rise of the far right movement that drove the Capitol rioting on January 6. 

‘The Turner Diaries’ Didn’t Just Inspire The Capitol Attack. It Warns Us What Might Be Next

Historian Kathleen Belew discusses the centrality of the 1978 novel to the far right and its possible use as a blueprint for future attacks.

Who are the Self-Styled Liberators? Looking More Deeply at those Protesting Coronavirus Shutdowns

by Betsy Gaines Quammen

The American militia movement — a network of armed people, some religiously motivated, some white supremacists, some neither, loosely organized to defend the Constitution, or at least their own version of it — have joined in protests of COVID closures.

Why Americans Didn’t Rally Around Ammon Bundy

by Matthew C. Hulbert

The takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge triggered unpleasant memories of guerrilla warfare from our past.

Ammon Bundy’s Wrongheaded History of Militias Is Getting People Killed

by Thomas A. Reinstein

Historically, militias were a tool of the state, not a force formed in opposition to the state.

This Isn’t The First Time Armed Ranchers Have Seized Government Land in Oregon

by Steven C. Beda

Back in 1941 they proclaimed themselves the State of Jefferson. Then Pearl Harbor happened.