In the midst of Trump-Biden turmoil, Americans must remember their history.

Learn from public humanities chair at the University of London and author of ‘The Wrath to Come: America’s Hidden Histories

The Supreme Court recently granted President Trump unprecedented immunity from prosecution, a move that conservative Heritage Foundation head, Kevin Roberts, lauds as a step towards “taking this country back.” His ominous addition: the second American Revolution will remain peaceful “if the left allows it to be.”

Amid this tumultuous election season, parallels are drawn between President Joe Biden and past weak incumbents who succumbed after one term. Despite Biden’s performance being analyzed, his opponent continues to make reckless statements during the pandemic, adding to the political chaos.

Americans’ limited understanding of their history contributes to the current political turbulence. One of the most relevant historical elements is the rise of American fascism in the 1930s, when extremist rightwing groups mushroomed across the US, side by side with European fascism.

In 1933, retired general Smedley Darlington Butler testified before Congress about a planned coup against Franklin Roosevelt, an event recently reconsidered by historians. The search for an American Caesar, mentioned by contemporary rightwing think-tanks, continues even today.

The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, who led the 2021 insurrection, reflect the 1930s Silver Shirts ideology, thinking they are reclaiming the country for themselves. Their goal harks back to reversing the Civil War’s liberation attempts, thereby restricting power to the “right” citizens.

White supremacist vigilante groups like the Ku Klux Klan and Red Shirts enacted serial local coups during the postbellum era in the South, some successfully. Tell us your views on the 2024 US election.

While it’s disconcerting to see an election between two elderly white men, they are not equally problematic. One of them stands accused of multiple felony counts, sexual abuse, and involvement in an insurrection against his government. The Supreme Court’s ruling grants him immunity if his actions were “official.”

Many Americans found it difficult to celebrate July 4, recalling John Adams’s ambition to create “a government of laws, and not of men”. The justifications for the first American Revolution against King George seem similar to the current case against Trump, yet the Supreme Court ruled in his favour.