Letters from an American November 22, 2025
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Nov 23, 2025 In a gripping discussion, lawmakers share a video urging military members to resist unlawful orders. A shocking revelation comes from Trump's calls for extreme measures against colleagues. Historical parallels are drawn to Andrew Johnson's incendiary rhetoric from the 1860s. The impact of Black Codes and the return of Confederate leaders sheds light on the Reconstruction period. As tensions rise, Johnson's defense of Southern defiance leads to violence, yet backlash from the North ultimately empowers Republicans and reshapes the nation.
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Presidential Rhetoric Echoes Past Threats
- Heather Cox Richardson links President Trump's calls to arrest and execute lawmakers to historical presidential threats against Congress.
- She frames recent rhetoric as extreme but historically resonant with past presidents who incited violence in politics.
Andrew Johnson’s Contradictory Roots
- Heather Cox Richardson recounts Andrew Johnson's background as a Tennessee tailor who opposed Southern elites yet rejected Black rights.
- She uses Johnson's contradiction to explain his hostility toward congressional Reconstruction efforts.
Black Codes Undermined Emancipation
- Johnson's early directives let Southern states reorganize but their new laws enacted Black Codes limiting freed peoples' freedoms.
- These codes stripped voting, jury, and testimony rights, leaving Black Americans vulnerable to violence and exploitation.