Area experts weighed in Tuesday on the deadly events that transpired at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, and the lasting implications for the country going forward.
âWhat happened at the Capitol is almost unprecedented,â said Jeffrey Dixon, associate professor of political science at Texas A&M University-Central Texas. âCertainly, itâs closer to an actual revolutionary insurrection than weâve experienced before.â
Nearly 300 people have been charged by federal authorities for taking part in the attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol which left five dead, including one Capitol police officer.
Dixon, co-author of âA Guide to Intra-state Wars: An Examination of Civil, Regional, and Intercommunal Wars, 1816-2014,â said he never expected to see an insurrection on American soil in his lifetime.
2020 presidential election is far from the first contested election in U.S. history
and last updated 2021-01-16 19:42:51-05
TEMPLE, TX â Contested US presidential elections can date back to some of the first presidencies, and they happen in almost every election.
However, the extent to which theyâre challenged is another story.
Dr. Timothy Hemmis, an American history professor at Texas A&M Central Texas, said we can trace election turmoil back to the 1700s.
âGeorge Washington was elected unanimously, so it was the next one, the John Adams 1796 election, then you had a very heated division,â Hemmis explained. âItâs the start of the two party system.â