How Heather Cox Richardson looks to the past for hope

Police brutality, rigged elections, corrupt politicians, economic un­certainty, soaring inequality, racial injustice, democracy itself under threat—has America ever seen a year like 2020?

Well, yes, says Heather Cox Rich­ard­son, professor of history at Boston College. Many of today’s horrors have been present, either openly or as unacknowledged undercurrents, since be­fore the founding of the United States. Twice, in fact, American democracy has been seriously jeopardized by a minority of wealthy white men. The first time began in the 1850s and culminated in the Civil War. The second time is now.

Richardson describes herself as “a political historian who uses facts and history to make observations about contemporary American politics.” The author of five previous books, she has become wildly popular since last year, when she began writing “Letters from an American,” a daily reflection setting the day’s news in historical context. Her Facebook page has more than half a million followers, with several thousand more added every day. When COVID-19 made bookstore signings impossible, she began promoting her newest book through twice-weekly lectures live-streamed on Facebook. These hour-long sessions average more than 100,000 views each.