New Lecture Series Will Examine January’s Capitol Insurrection

History faculty show connection between ‘Stop the Steal’ and Reconstruction era

Sacred Heart University presented the first installment of its new lecture series, “American Democracy Under Siege” earlier this month, inspired by the invasion of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6. The series will take a multidisciplinary approach to the insurgency, incorporating themes of justice, truth, politics, history, law and order, media and multiculturalism.

Charlotte Gradie, professor and chair of the history department, hosted the first lecture, “The Long Shadow of Reconstruction.” Three faculty members who specialize in American history began with their individual insights on what happened at the Capitol before participating in a group discussion. 

David Thomson, assistant professor of history, provided historical context regarding contested elections and the period of Reconstruction after the Civil War. The most recent election was not America’s first experience with a contested result, Thomson said. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln emerged victorious from a four-way race, even though his name did not appear on ballots in many of the southern states, and he received less than 40 percent of the popular vote. Similarly, in the 1876 presidential election, there were contested states where both Democrats and Republicans claimed victories. These elections, however, stood in stark contrast to the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The Reconstruction era began toward the end of the Civil War and continued in part until 1877. It raised questions about what America would look like following the end of slavery and what should be done to those who displayed violence against their own country, Thomson said. As with recent events, the time of Reconstruction was full of white supremacist violence and voter intimidation. “When we talk about these ideas of anti-democratic violence in American history—targeting the ballot box, targeting the right to vote the franchise—we should be aware that they have a very long history in this country of being under attack often under a guise of white supremacy, as it laid bare on Jan. 6 as well,” said Thomson.

Jennifer McLaughlin, instructor in the history department, said although many citizens were surprised by the attack on the Capital, American history shows that the rhetoric of white supremacy and revolution that was heard Jan. 6 is part of a long American tradition. In this case, the insurrectionists’ “Stop the Steal” slogan expressed their anger at the federal government, which they believed had ignored evidence of election fraud, “even as more than 60 court cases were decided against the Trump campaign’s claims,” McLaughlin said. The Capitol building was breached as the Senate was preparing to accept the electoral college’s certified results designating Joe Biden as president-elect, she noted.

Republican claims of voter fraud have been heard long before the time of Donald Trump, according to McLaughlin. Republican state legislatures have been trying to pass voter ID rules, limit the use of mail-in ballots and prevent non-issues like voter impersonation. These methods “end up preventing citizens from practicing their constitutional right to vote, rather than protecting the American system from voter fraud,” said McLaughlin. And, she noted, voter suppression disguised as prevention of voter fraud has a long history in America, including attempts to block newly enfranchised Black citizens from voting.

McLaughlin also argued that parallels drawn between the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 and the insurrection on Jan. 6 are unfounded. “The symbols, the language, the targeting of the seat of our government weren’t acts of disruption,” she said of the insurrection. “They were acts of violence cloaked in the symbols of hate.”

There have been several controversial protest marches, demonstrations and attacks on the U.S. Capitol in the past, said Kelly Marino, assistant lecturer of history. However, what happened on Jan. 6 was unprecedented, in that American citizens forced entry into the building and it was encouraged by the sitting president himself. Although some have tried to connect the insurrection with the Capitol’s invasion by British forces during the War of 1812, that attack came from a foreign military power. “Many activists have argued over time that taking their campaign to congressional halls and the metaphorical doorstep of the legislature is the best way to get national and international attention,” said Marino. However, what differentiates the insurrectionists is their forcible attempt to halt constitutional government proceedings, she said.

Many critics of the insurrection argued that if racial minorities had stormed the Capitol, they would have faced much harsher consequences, asserting that the double standard in police response highlighted white privilege. They also questioned the appropriateness of the term “protest” to describe the Capital invasion and how the insurrectionists were able to breach the building with such ease. “Most Americans do not realize that, historically, the Capitol has only been ‘lightly guarded,’” Marino said. “As the Wall Street Journal writes, ‘Members of Congress have been reluctant to put up barriers to the public that they represent.’” However, Capitol security has increased historically due to events such as the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Overall, the panel emphasized the importance of historical context in exploring the events of Jan. 6. Through examination of evidence and understanding the importance of change over time, a historical perspective informs the public that such events do not take place in a vacuum, but have origins both complex and contentious. The panelists agreed that further dialogue between the historical community and the public is essential to expand knowledge on current events.

The entire discussion can be found on YouTube.