Tuesday, January 21, 2020

The Present in Context

Today, as the impeachment trial of Donald Trump begins in the Senate, the Columbia County Historical Society and the Hudson Area Library announced a lecture to take place on Saturday, February 1: "Historical Significance of Impeachment in the U.S." 
The Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson
The lecture will delivered by Dr. Christopher Leahy, author and professor history at Keuka College in Keuka Lake. Leahy is an expert on states' rights, the American colonies, the American Revolution, and the Early National Period. He is the author of the forthcoming book President Without a Party: The Life of John Tyler. In a little known episode of American history, Tyler, the 10th President of the United States, was the first president to contend with the threat of impeachment.

 Leahy's lecture will provide a historical overview, including insights on impeachment, its historical basis, the constitutional significance, and the impeachment process. 

The lecture takes place at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 1, at the Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street. For more information and to acquire tickets, click here. Tickets will also be available at the door on the day of the event.
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3 comments:

  1. man bites dogJanuary 21, 2020 at 12:07 PM

    It's not the "American Revolution". It's the "American War of Independence". Even I know that !

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    Replies
    1. Bruce MitchinsonJanuary 21, 2020 at 6:38 PM

      "U.S.War of Independence" aka "The American Revolution" aka "The American Revolutionary War". Take your pick. Look it up!

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  2. unheimlichJanuary 23, 2020 at 12:15 PM

    I'd say you're both right.

    Political philosophers increasingly recognize the distinction, initially made by Edmund Burke (1729-1797), between a "revolution" - quintessentially defined by the French Revolution - and rebellion towards separation, and occasionally independence.

    Burke knew before anyone else that the latter don't threaten to overturn an entire social order, whereas revolutions attempt to replace everything which preceded them; e.g., "year zero."

    At the time, the American War of Independence probably felt like a Civil War to a lot of people. You get a good sense of that in the novels of Kenneth Roberts, particularly "Oliver Wiswell."

    For too long Burke's support of the American rebellion (and also Irish self-rule) compared to his total condemnation of the impulses which led to the French Revolution were chalked up as an inexplicable contradiction.

    But now that Burke's making a comeback at a time when it's easier for more of us to grasp his distinction, I think it's a very good sign to hear more people calling our rebellion the American War of Independence.

    After more than 200 years, Burke is finally getting through.

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