In Depth: What history tell us about the US Capitol riots – RADIO.COM

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) On Wednesday, America watched in horror as a dark day was written in history at the U.S. Capitol.

As Congress worked to certify President-elect Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 election, a mob of President Donald Trumps supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol Building.

Members of Congress were forced into hiding, scrambled to hide under desks, were told to don gas masks and evacuated to undisclosed safe rooms.

For hours, insurrectionist wreaked havoc on the building until federal authorities were able to take control.

There are a number of angles to this story, many of which are covered in WCBS 880s one-hour special report Chaos in the Capitol A Nation Divided, but in this weeks In Depth Podcast, we wanted to dig into the historical precedent.

For that, WCBS 880 reporter Peter Haskell spoke with Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs, who says the event was unprecedented.

The only time that the capitol has been attacked and taken over was in the War of 1812, Zelizer said. Theres been moments of violence in the capital, such as in 1954 when Puerto Rican nationalist shot at members and in 1998 there was another incident, but this is a wholly different issue. This was about a mob instigated and incited by the president ,and many Republicans, storming Congress and trying to stop the Constitutional process of finishing a presidential election and this is something we have never seen.

Professor Zelizer says he is concerned about the scarring that this event will now have on America and the further divides it will create.

I don't think this is going away anytime soon, he said, adding that while the president didn't create the disillusionment in the country, he did stoke it. Their anger will not diminish any time soon, nor will the worldview that's been shaped by the last four years.

The U.S. history expert says he is now worried about the future of this countys democracy, saying theres no threat as direct as a group of rioters in the Capitol Building.

He notes that future historians won't just see this event as an isolated event, either.

"They think they're not only going to see the roots in the Trump presidency that have been taking form for a while, they're going to be more cognizant of changes in the Republican Party that have been taking place since the 1980s, he explains.

Zelizer says he thinks removing the president using the 25th Amendment is absolutely appropriate in this type of situation saying, This is the kind of situation that it's made for.

Hear the full conversation with Princeton University professor Julian Zelizer in this weeks 880 In Depth Podcast. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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In Depth: What history tell us about the US Capitol riots - RADIO.COM