This is an article I had written out before I woke up Wednesday morning to a new Trump Presidency. There are certainly going to be dark days ahead, but I, and many others, know that there is hope for 2028. We will survive, and we will overcome.

“A turning point for America.” How often have you heard those words? In today’s political climate, every year, every election cycle, seems like a new battle to fight for America’s very existence. Americans seem to lose faith in this country’s institutions all the time. It’s a wonder we can even still be called “United”.

However, this has happened before. Every 50 years, in fact, something new happens (with a margin of 2-3 years of error, of course). It is an event that shakes the core of Americans. It becomes the defining political event for an entire generation of people. And it changes the lives of millions of people. And to see what I mean, we will have to go back to the beginning.

1773-76

The beginning of America. People have lost faith in their institutions so much that rebellion forms against their fish & chips overlords. 1773 is the year of the Boston Tea Party, the first large-scale act of rebellion against all kinds of Aromatic Beverages. 1770’s Boston Massacre also counts within the margin of error, as do the first Revolutionary War battles of Concord and Lexington in 1775, and really anything up to and including the Declaration of Independence, the ultimate middle finger to government overreach and supreme authority.

1824

America is now a nation, enshrined in ideas of peace and liberty (and practices of anything but that stuff, shhhh!) John Quincy Adams is running for president, alongside a crowded field of candidates including Andrew Jackson, William Crawford, and Henry Clay. In such a field where no one was going to win a majority, Clay threw his support behind Adams. In exchange, Adams makes Clay his Secretary of State. This “Corrupt Bargain” leads to Adams’ victory in the election, but also becomes America’s first major political controversy and ends the “Era of Good Feelings”.

1873- 1876

President Ulysses S. Grant’s administration has begun and is immediately rocked by economic hurdles. None of his policies worked to counteract what would become the “Long Depression” of the 1870s. Additionally, nearly every one of his cabinet members is corrupt, so much so that it becomes a bit of a political meme in the press. Eventually, this will lead to the controversial election of 1876, when Grant and Congress make yet another “corrupt bargain” to ensure Rutherford B. Hayes’ victory over Samuel Tilden in the election.

1923

Warren G. Harding dies unexpectedly in office, leaving behind a presidency widely liked by the American people. However, controversy soon comes to light regarding Harding’s extramarital affairs, his knowledge of his corrupt head of the Veterans Bureau, and especially the Teapot Dome scandal. Teapot Dome is a case of bribery regarding leasing oil drilling reserves, but also shows how we love to name controversial events after British delicacies. Harding’s successor, Calvin Coolidge, tries to move beyond his predecessor’s controversies, but his economic policies eventually will soon pave the way towards exacerbating the effect of the Great Depression in 1929.

1973-74

Here’s the big one. Watergate defined an entire generation of Americans, and was the first major instance of Americans losing faith in the systems of government and especially its president. The stealing of documents at the Watergate complex at the Democratic National Convention and President Richard Nixon’s further attempts to conceal the truth of the matter led to the first (and so far only) presidential resignation and a level of distrust in this country’s foundation that pervades even to this day. Not to mention his successor, Gerald Ford, chose to pardon him, which left a cloud over his entire term as president.

Today, 2023-28

And so here we are today. 50 years on from Watergate, and it seems like we’re back at it again. The political landscape of today is more fiery than it’s ever been. Every day a new controversy comes to light, a new meme to skyrocket to the front pages of the internet. People don’t want to vote anymore, don’t want to even have to think about our political landscape. And still, it can feel like getting involved is the most important thing you can do, just because who’s currently there to choose from is nobody’s favorite choice. Truly, this is a time of contention for Americans. Imagine how simpler things might have been if we were still only British…

But if there is one thing this historical retrospective has proved, it’s that things will get better. The pendulum swings every which way, yet again. Trump’s change has shown to have taken more than 50 years to correct itself, as recent events have proven, but eventually, this too shall pass. If anything, the defining event to finally oust this man will become even more intense, more astounding, hopefully. It’s a simmering pot that just turned to boil. If we can survive the next four years, we can survive anything else.