- Jon Meacham, historian, believes that the US might soon experience a period in civil chaos.
- Abraham Lincoln biographer says it is partly due to a passionate minority.
- He doesn’t believe in armies but he believes that violence will prevail.
A presidential biographer claims that the US is now at “greater risk” than it was during the 1930s. This is partly due to a “passionate minority that puts its own interests above those of the nation.”
In an interview with NPR’s “Morning Edition,”Jon Meacham was an occasional speechwriter for President Joe Biden and reflected on current political conditions ahead of the contentious midterm elections.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Abraham Lincoln is due out in print. It will be discussed how Lincoln set an example by prioritizing democracy over politics.
Meacham stated that Meacham was under tremendous political pressure to declare, “We’ll settle everything in due course.” “Well, guessing what that meant: If Confederacy came back it would all have been settled and slavery most likely would have continued to exist again.”
He continued: “And Lincoln denied, that he had made clear his position. We would eventually get the 13th Amendment just a few months later. But he was willing and able to sacrifice his political career for that principle.
Meacham stated that he believes that the US might experience more “civil chaos” now than it did during the Great Depression when there was so much doubt in our institutions.
“Tragically, we will see more civil chaos. He said that he believes we will see violence. “I don’t believe we will see the massing great armies the same way as we saw in the 19th Century. However, we are more at risk of civil conflict than we were in the 1930s, during the Depression, because there was so much doubt in our institutions.
Meacham stated, “And it’s that there’s a passionate minority that puts its own interests before those of the country.” “And without having the ability to both vote, perhaps against your immediate interests, and without being able to recognize that there’s a greater force that needs your support of the Constitution over any narrow partisan interests, then we’ll continue to descend into ever greater chaos.”
Meacham commemorates the 6 January attack on Capitol earlier in the year. The historical significance of the topic was discussedThe insurrection was referred to as an “inflection moment” in American history.
Meacham said, “It is either a step towards the abyss or it’s a call for arms, literally, for citizens to engage in saying, ‘No. We are more important.'” “The work that we do is more important than any one man’s or party’s whims or interests.
He said, “To lose this gift by selfishness and a greedy for power through the autocratic impulse is beyond tragic.” “I don’t think that’s going happen, but I believe that we’re as near as we’ve been since Sumter,” he stated.
