Can a small group of ultra wealthy people rewrite U.S. history? That’s the concern of Heather Cox Richardson, a history professor at Boston College. She takes a closer look at the ideological battles that have shaped American society, including the struggle for equal rights, in Democracy Awakening.
History Repeats Itself
A key takeaway from Richardson’s analysis is that right-wing violence, voter suppression, and other steps towards authoritarianism started a long time ago. For example, she points to Richard Nixon’s presidency, when Nixon manipulated foreign affairs to gain domestic support during wartime. He labeled Democrats as dangerous “others,” which polarized the country.
