US History and Authoritarianism

I was not yet born for the presidency of Ronald Reagan, but from what I can read, I see that President Reagan, with the help of the Heritage Foundation, started many of the policies that President Trump intends to implement.

            The parts of American history of which I am proud, such as the abolition of slavery except as punishment for a crime, the New Deal, and the Great Society, suffrage for women, and suffrage for people of other races, I consider progressive or liberal parts of American history.

            The parts of American history of which I am ashamed, such as the displacement of Native Americans starting with the arrival of the colonists, the preservation of slavery at the founding of the United States, and the internment of the Japanese during World War II, the Tuskegee experiments, I consider authoritarian parts of American history.

            Many of the previous authoritarian examples were before my lifetime, but I remember watching the Twin Towers fall on television after school. I saw people jumping from the Towers to their deaths. The clips played over and over again on cable television. I also remember photos of the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. I remember the passing of the Patriot Act, granting immense powers of surveillance to the government. I remember video clips of the Iraq War, tracers shooting in the sky over residences. I remember discussion of “enhanced interrogation,” which is a euphemism for torture. With the benefit of hindsight, the Global War on Terror was a continuation on the road to authoritarianism now seen in President Trump.

            Trump and the Republican Party use authoritarianism to diminish human rights, whether those human rights relate to reproductive healthcare, gender-affirming care, immigration, or voting. Both President Biden and Vice President Harris campaigned to tell the truth about Trump and the Republican Party. Some said that the Democratic Party is in disarray, but I do not think so. I wonder if some privileged people view the success of others as a threat, but when the Democratic Party wants to expand economic opportunity, and ensure that people can succeed in America, regardless of a part of their identity, such as a race, gender, wealth, or religion, that means that anyone can be successful in America, including people already privileged.

            As far as I can tell, the Republican Party has embodied the authoritarian element of American history. In the modern era, this element of authoritarianism started with President Reagan and now with President Trump, and if President Trump ever leaves office, without much risk can be forecasted to continue after him.

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