UMaine professor offers historical context to Wednesday’s violence on Capitol Hill
Riordan says yesterday’s events show us what critics of the patriot movement warned Americans against.
ORONO, Maine (WABI) - The chaos on Capitol Hill has many people turning to history for a better understanding.
UMaine Professor of History Liam Riordan says this is a good example of when catastrophe sends us looking back to where we’ve seen similar events.
He says we can reference the 1876 presidential election with Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes.
In the wake of the Civil War there were contested ballots from three southern states and no one knew what to do.
Riordan says yesterday’s events show us what critics of the patriot movement warned Americans against.
”They said the danger of a democracy will come from a demagogic tyrannical leader who will use the power of the executive to mobilize his supporters who do not represent a majority of the United States,” Riordon said.
Professor Riordan says he hopes when historians look back on 2020 there will be a full engagement with evidence and facts in terms of dialogue and discussion.
He believes yesterday’s events will be lasting in the political history of the United States.
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