Since the attack on Capitol Hill, there have been a slew of think pieces about just how unprecedented it was. That is true. But it is also true that the past is full of precedent, full of stories and events that bring context to the present and an understanding of what might be ahead.
Since 2019, NPR's podcast and radio show Throughline has been going behind the headlines, putting events into historical context. Here are some episodes of the show we think might help us better understand this moment.
The Modern White Power Movement
In recent years, the Department of Homeland Security has said that extreme right-wing groups make up the biggest domestic terror threats facing the United States. Among the rioters in the insurrection last week, there were people displaying flags and paraphernalia often associated with the white power movement. University of Chicago historian Kathleen Belew talked with us about the history of the modern white power movement, from the wake of the Vietnam War to the Oklahoma City bombing. (Apple) (Spotify)
The 1st Presidential Impeachment
President Andrew Johnson was impeached and nearly convicted within just a few years of the end of the Civil War. The impeachment further separated a nation just coming out of the most divisive moment in its history. And the lessons of that impeachment process may help us understand what to expect in American politics over the next several years. (Apple) (Spotify)
When Puerto Rican Activists Stormed The Capitol
Surprisingly, many reports in the media have claimed that the attack on the Capitol was the first time Congress has been attacked since the British army burned the building in 1814 during the War of 1812. Actually, that's not true. In 1954, a group of armed activists from right here in the United States stormed Congress and wounded five representatives. The reasons for the attack were much different from what happened in 2021. And they're still alive in our politics today. (Apple) (Spotify)
How Conspiracies Have Played A Role In U.S. History
There is no doubt that conspiracy theories were a factorin the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Social media has made the dissemination of conspiracies easy and allowed them to spread into every sector of society. But if you thought conspiracies were just a feature of the Internet age, you would be mistaken. Some historians argue that conspiracies helped drive the American Revolution. In this episode, we look at how conspiracy theories have shaped United States history. (Apple) (Spotify)
The Great Depression And Today
The economic situation in the United States is beginning to rival The Great Depression. The shaky economy and pandemic have combined to raise poverty levels to alarming rates. For many Americans, the Great Depression isn't a historical moment, it is their current reality. In this episode, we hear from people who survived that terrible chapter of United States history. From their experiences, we may be able to better understand both the suffering and resilience happening all across the nation. (Apple) (Spotify)
A Volcano That Shaped Human Civilization
Living through a moment can make it impossible to understand the long-term, massive events that shape human civilization. This is true for the environment. Will future historians look back to understand how subtle, and not so subtle, environmental calamities were in precipitating the upheavals of the early 21st century? In this episode, we look back at how an exploding volcano changed human civilization in surprising and lasting ways. (Apple) (Spotify)
Throughlineis NPR's history podcast. Listen each week as co-hosts Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei go back in time to understand the present with stories that you can feel and sounds you can see from the moments that shaped our world.
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