Insurrection

"Long before the uprising at the Capitol, the threat of insurrection has held a mirror to America's highest ideals and d... (more)

"Long before the uprising at the Capitol, the threat of insurrection has held a mirror to America's highest ideals and deepest fears. The Insurrection Act of 1807-passed amid pervasive fears of slave rebellion-authorizes the president to deploy federal troops to quell domestic uprisings. Invoked during Reconstruction and the civil rights movement, the Act was deployed to enforce the promise of equal citizenship for Black Americans. But the Act has also authorized federal military intervention to suppress so-called race riots after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination and during the 1992 Los Angeles rebellion; more recently, President Trump threatened to use the Act in response to the George Floyd racial justice protests. The invocation of the Act to either enforce civil rights or suppress riots, lawyer and cultural critic Hawa Allan argues, reflects the enduring struggle to incorporate Black Americans as full citizens of the United States. She demonstrates how the Insurrection Act exposes America's most enduring conflicts: over racial injustice, human rights, equal citizenship, and federal power"-- (less)

Episode Two examines the events of Easter Week 1916 on a day-to-day basis. Through the use of graphics and contributions... (more)

Episode Two examines the events of Easter Week 1916 on a day-to-day basis. Through the use of graphics and contributions from military historians, viewers are provided with both an insight into particular locations, such as the General Post Office, as well as a clear, overall view of the state of play in Dublin. They will also hear—via archival material that has been rarely seen or heard—from the voices of participants: rebels, British soldiers, and civilian witnesses. Viewers will experience as far as possible what it was like to be an eyewitness to these events. (less)