This is a clip of the January 6th riot on Capital Hill. It was used as evidence in the hearings after the incident to demonstrate what happened. I think that this video demonstrates American political culture in two primary ways. The first reflects a core value of Americans gone wrong: self-government. When Donald Trump was beaten for the presidential seat by Joe Biden, he refused to accept the decision of the voters and instigated his followers into action. Trump was able to do this by calling upon the ultimate source of political power in America, which is the people, and suggested that they could refuse to accept Biden as president. This riot was catalyzed by Trump’s statement that the election was rigged, and that Biden had unfairly won. Because of his words, many supporters rose up and stormed the capitol on January 6th, breaking into the Capitol Building and attacking the police stationed there and searched for the representatives and senators. There were numerous threats made against important political figures, but thankfully none were actually harmed. While self-governance is an admirable tenet of American politics, this is one significant case where it went too far.
In addition, this disturbing clip illustrates the intense partisan conflict in America, showing another facet of political culture. Our nation has not been so divided since the Civil War, as can be seen here–Confederate flags were carried by some of the protestors, and the violent emotions/actions were almost reminiscent of a war or battle. Many people felt so strongly that Trump should have won that they were willing to attack officers and break into a political building to prove their support for the former president. Thus, this video integrated two aspects of the current political culture in the United States–self-governance, albeit in a misused and misguided fashion, and the strong faction lines extant in today’s politics.
Five questions for my “students:”
1. Why is it so important to ensure that our core values as Americans are not used in a misguided way?
2. What was the most striking example of political dissonance in the clip?
3. What do you think the rioters would say it means to be American if they were asked at the moment?
4. Would the participants in the riot believe that their actions are protected by the Constitution?
5. How can we make sure that our principles, especially self-governance and liberty, are kept in balance with safe communities yet ensuring that our voices are heard?
I thought that this was a very illuminating assignment, and I appreciated its learning opportunity. I had not watched the Capitol riot in any depth, and I had no idea of the extent of the violence. It helped stimulate my thoughts on our Constitutional rights, the balance between individuality and morals, and how dangerously angry our country is at the moment. While the video I choose is rather frightening, I think that this was an excellent assignment!