Are Conservatives Giving Jan. 6th the Same Treatment They've Given to Slavery?

Published on 22 January 2024 at 09:02

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

~ George Santayana

Are followers of Donald Trump, including many Evangelical Christians, arch-conservatives, Republican congress members, Federalist Society members, and Christian Nationalists, trying to whitewash the events leading up to, during, and after January 6, 2021, like what has continued to occur regarding racism and slavery since the period of Reconstruction (1865 - 1867)?

I am not equating the actions taken prior to and since the 2020 presidential election with those taken by the Dixiecrats, Klu Klux Klan, or others favoring "states' rights". Certainly, the actions taken against African-Americans during and since Reconstruction were much more violent. However, the efforts of those who deny this Country's racist history are similar to the efforts of those claiming that the events of January 6th were caused by overzealous tourists or that Mr. Trump had nothing to do with those events.

We see efforts to whitewash treatment of African-Americans, including denial of slavery, continuing to treat African Americans as second-class citizens, and white-supremacist terrorism through actions of right-wing politicians and commentators; creation of a "1776 - Commission" consisting of non-historians to rebut the findings of the "1619 Project"; reference of the Civil War as the "War of Northern Aggression"; referring to slavery as a career or job training program; overly glorifying the antebellum South; and, Republican officials in Florida banning the teaching of "Critical Race Theory" as well as creating the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act

Contrast this with calling the January 6th perpetrators overzealous tourists; calling those convicted for their January 6th actions "hostages"; continuing to justify the false set of elector schemes in 5 states (despite Mr. Trump losing 63 court cases, including at the Supreme Court, regarding election fraud); and, continuing to perpetrate the false claim that Trump won the 2020 presidential election.

Continuing to whitewash the historical record by deception, subterfuge, or ignorance only prevents our dangerously divided citizenry from having serious discussions about complex, divisive issues.

As Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Sources:

Encyclopedia Britannica online:

Reconstruction

Written by Eric Foner; Last Updated: Jan 6, 2024

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica

https://www.britannica.com/event/Reconstruction-United-States-history

Critical Race Theory

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica

This article was most recently revised and updated by Brian Duignan.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/critical-race-theory/Basic-tenets-of-critical-race-theory

The 1619 Project