Teaching the January 6th Insurrection: Historical Perspectives on a Crisis in American Democracy

Abstract

This article offers a framework for analyzing and teaching the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol. The crisis itself offers an opportunity to unpack and better understand American political discourses and institutions. I focus on four historical and contemporary currents that elucidate the January 6th crisis: 1) White supremacy and backlashes against Civil Rights; 2) conservative assaults on the New Deal order and the regulatory state; 3) organized labor’s decline, right-wing populism’s rise, and nativism; 4) political polarization, sectarianism, and minority rule. These themes enable students to assess both crucial challenges posed by January 6th and the vitality of American democracy.

Keywords

• january 6th crisis
• pedagogy
• donald trump
• political institutions and discourses
• conservatism
• white supremacy
• anti-regulation
• populism
• polarization