Democracy Imperiled

The Civil Rights movement of the mid-twentieth century begins despite the internal conflicts that shape it. We focus particularly on the complex response to the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 as well as the ideological debates surrounding ...  Show more

In the aftermath of the collapse of Reconstruction, we chart the emergence of Jim Crow laws and the extralegal violence that made it the law of the land. In many ways, this period laid the foundation for the Black freedom Struggle of the mid-twentieth century. To learn more about ...  Show more

When a mob of pro-Trump supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 they also incited a defining moment in United States history. Now what? We revisit our conversation with historian Timothy Snyder about how we got here and what an insurrection could mean for ...  Show more

When a mob of pro-Trump supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, they also incited a defining moment in United States history. Now what? Historian Timothy Snyder talks to us about how we got here and what an insurrection could mean for the future of America.See ...  Show more

After the storming of the Capitol, can America recover its democratic values? Gideon discusses what the recent lawlessness means for the US and its place in the world with Anne-Marie Slaughter, head of New America, a think-tank.

Trump’s historic felony conviction, a SCOTUS ruling in favor of presidential immunity, and a dumpster fire Biden vs. Trump debate: Those are just a few of the things that have happened on the American democracy front since Kara spoke to historian Heather Cox Richardson in January ...  Show more