January 6 and the Politics of History

Authors

James Downs, Gettysburg CollegeFollow
Stephanie McCurry, Columbia UniversityFollow
Joanne Freeman, Yale UniversityFollow
Elizabeth Hinton, Yale UniversityFollow
Jill Lepore, Harvard UniversityFollow
William Sturkey, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillFollow
Julian E. Zelizer, Princeton UniversityFollow

Roles

Edited by Jim Downs

Document Type

Book

Files

Description

On January 6, 2021, more than two thousand rioters stormed the doors of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., hoping to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power from former president Donald Trump to his successor, Joseph Biden. The deaths, property damage, and vicious rampage that ensued were witnessed on live television as an unprecedented attack on the democratic process and those who strive to protect it.

As an installment of UGA Press’s History in the Headlines series, this book offers a rich discussion between highly respected scholars on the historical backdrop and context for contemporary issues from the headlines. In addition to the historical context, this conversation demonstrates how historians speak to one another about contentious topics and how they contribute in meaningful ways to the public’s understanding of momentous events. This volume focuses on the historical context of the January 6 attack and employs a free-flowing conversation style that allows the historians a more unconventional format. The participants discuss if—and if so, how—historians should engage in public debates and what that engagement means to their roles as academic authorities in the public.

ISBN

978-0820364056

Publication Date

3-1-2024

Publisher

University of Georgia Press

City

Athens

Department 1

Civil War Era Studies

Department 2

History

Recommended Citation

Downs, Jim, Stephanie McCurry, Joanne Freeman, Elizabeth Hinton, Jill Leopore, William Sturkey, and Julian Zelizer. 2024. January 6 and the Politics of History. The University of Georgia Press.