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Capital Hill at night.
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Government Shutdowns Were Never Necessary Anyway

Government shutdowns only became possible in 1980, when the Attorney General offered a new interpretation of an 1870 law.
by M. A. Davis via Made By History on November 16, 2023
House Speaker Thomas O'Neill Jr. talking to President Ronald Reagan

Which President Had The Most Shutdowns? Reagan, With An Asterisk

There were more government shutdowns under Ronald Reagan than under every president since, combined. But some were as short as a few hours.
by Gillian Brockell via Washington Post on September 23, 2023
President Clinton pursing his lips, while Newt Gingrich looks at him from behind.
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Midterm Elections: How 1994 Midterms Set Off an Era of Divisive Politics

Economic and social issues with roots in the 1994 midterms are still being debated today.
via Retro Report on August 25, 2022

How Air Traffic Controllers Helped End the Shutdown — and Changed History

It shows that labor still has some power, at least when public opinion is on its side.
by Joseph A. McCartin via Washington Post on January 26, 2019
Martin Luther King Jr. speaking into news microphones.

MLK Warned Us of the Well-Intentioned Liberal

Dr. King did not compromise on racial justice. Neither should we.
by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, William J. Barber II via The Nation on January 18, 2019

The Man Who Broke Politics

Gingrich turned partisan battles into bloodsport, wrecked Congress, and paved the way for Trump’s rise. Now he’s reveling in it.
by McKay Coppins via The Atlantic on October 15, 2018
Battlefield illustration by Keith Negley

What Was the American Revolution For?

Amid plans to mark the nation’s semiquincentennial, many are asking whether or not the people really do rule, and whether the law is still king.
by Jill Lepore via The New Yorker on November 10, 2025
John Brown stands armed, positioned before Union and Confederate people fighting amid smoke and devastation.

Why Donald Trump Wants to Erase John Brown’s Fiery Abolitionist Legacy (and Why He Will Fail)

Reflections on Harper's Ferry amid a government shutdown.
by Robert S. Levine via Literary Hub on October 10, 2025
American politicians with supporters and German citizens in the background

1989-2001: America’s Long Lost Weekend

From the fall of the Berlin Wall to 9/11, we had relative peace and prosperity. We squandered it completely.
by Walter Shapiro via The New Republic on June 27, 2022
Trump looks at border wall construction prototypes.
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The Hole in Donald Trump’s Wall

As long as Americans continue to flood into Mexico, the wall will do little to deter crossings.
by Tore C. Olsson via Made By History on January 9, 2019

The New Congress and the History of Governing by a House Divided

What do the results of the 2018 midterms portend for the next two years?
by Brooks Simpson via The Conversation on January 2, 2019
George Washington Plunkitt

The Case for Corruption

Why Washington needs more honest graft.
by Jonathan Rauch via The Atlantic on March 1, 2014

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