It’s hard to imagine literally talking for an entire day, but that is what happened during the longest filibuster in Senate history. The year was 1957 and Strom Thurmond, a South Carolina white supremacist best known for running as a third-party presidential candidate nine years earlier, talked for 24 hours and 18 minutes to stall a major civil rights bill....
Originally posted on salon.com
How will COVID-19 change the future? Look to history.
Mar 7, 2021 | History, Salon.com
This month marks the one year anniversary of the pandemic in the United States.
It may seem like so much longer, but it was only March 2020 when President Donald Trump declared a state of national emergency due to the pandemic. There is no direct parallel in American history to the sheer impact that this public health event has had on our country....
Originally posted on salon.com
Sir, you’re no Grover Cleveland: Donald Trump doesn’t deserve two non-consecutive terms
Mar 7, 2021 | Elections, History, Salon.com
As someone who has spent much of his academic career writing about Grover Cleveland, I have a message for Donald Trump and his supporters: He’s no Grover Cleveland.
If Trump actually runs for president in 2024, he’ll be aiming to join Cleveland in the history books as just the second president to serve non-consecutive terms ....
Originally posted on salon.com
Joe Biden needs to emulate FDR and LBJ — but so far, he’s not even close
Feb 28, 2021 | Democrats, History, Salon.com
It is no exaggeration to say that the fate of America, and perhaps the world, depends on Joe Biden being a successful president — and, beyond that, by most definitions a successful liberal president. We are less than six weeks into his administration, but so far he has not risen to the occasion. The stakes could hardly be higher....
Originally posted on salon.com
What connects Trump’s two acquittals: The profound danger of the “Dershowitz precedent”
Feb 14, 2021 | Elections, History, Republicans, Salon.com
Donald Trump, who as president incited a riot in an effort to stay in office despite losing the 2020 election, was acquitted by the U.S. Senate on Saturday, putting an end to his second impeachment trial.
He was not acquitted because he was innocent. He was acquitted for one reason: Donald Trump and his supporters have a toxic sense of entitlement, believing that they should never lose an election....
Originally posted on salon.com
A garden of delights for Rome’s creepiest emperor: Caligula’s purported hangout open to public
Jan 16, 2021 | History, Salon.com
Medal with Portrait of Caligula in the 6th Book, from Tibère ou les six premiers livres es Annales de Tacite Traduits par M. l’abbé de la Bléterie Professeur d’Eloquence au Collège Royal et de l’Académie Royale des Inscriptions et Belles-lettres. A Paris de l’Imprimerie Royale, published in 1768. Artist Augustin de Saint-Aubin....
Originally posted on salon.com
Why the 2020 election looks a lot like 1876 — with one crucial difference
Nov 7, 2020 | History, Salon.com
Rutherford Hayes, Samuel Tilden, Joe Biden and Donald Trump Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images
There’s never been a candidate quite like Donald Trump, nor an election quite like 2020’s. Yet students of history and pundits have noticed one surprising, yet very apt, comparison case study: the presidential election of 1876. Though 144 years have passed, the similarities are striking....
Originally posted on salon.com
History Channel’s engaging “Washington” miniseries shows his intolerance for Trump-like corruption
Feb 16, 2020 | History, Salon.com
Washington José Sarmento de Matos / History
In the age of Donald Trump, America needs to remember the lessons taught by George Washington.
It will be hard for politically perceptive Americans to shake that thought while watching the three-part docuseries “Washington,” which premieres Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on History Channel and continues at that time over the next two days....
Originally posted on salon.com
The Best and Worst Vice Presidents Ever
Oct 4, 2016 | History, Vice President Biden
Published: Fusion (October 4, 2016) As Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, and Republican Indiana Governor Mike Pence prepare to square off in this year’s sole vice presidential debate, it’s worth taking a moment to analyze the history of the office they seek...
The best and worst moments in modern presidential debates
Sep 26, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), History
Published: Fusion (September 26, 2016) As millions of Americans prepare to watch one of the most anticipated presidential debates ever, between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, it’s worthwhile to evaluate previous debates for a sense of what we should look for this...