On January 6, 2021, I was putting the finishing touches on this special issue with its focus on “Americas.” That same day, a mob of disaffected, disorganized, fragile, and frustrated Trump supporters managed to overrun the U.S. Capitol police and swarm the Capitol building. Their rampage briefly disrupted the certification of electoral college ballots from the 2020 election. Among the most prominent symbols brandished by the seditionist rabble were Confederate battle flags, nooses, “Make America Great Again” hats, and Trump flags (at least one of which was used to replace one of the Capitol’s many U.S. flags). While people clad in flannel and faux assault gear lounged in Speaker Pelosi’s office and took selfies in the well of the Senate, President-Elect Joseph Biden and many other political leaders responded to the mayhem with a familiar refrain: This is not who we are. This is not America.
History shows us that...