On January 6th, 2021, the core of American democracy came under fire in an unimaginable way. As Congress gathered at the Capitol to verify the results of the 2020 election–a simple yet crucial part of a peaceful transfer of power–a mob of radical Trump supporters, fueled by the ideas of a stolen election, began to march. They traveled one mile from The Ellipse, where then-President Trump had just delivered a fiery speech, to the Capitol building. By the time Trump had finished his final remarks, thousands of people had already gathered around the barriers of the Capitol building, clashing with police and law enforcement. Within only two hours, the mob had breached the barricade and stormed the building, breaking windows, and doors, all while ransacking the complex. Meanwhile, government officials and congressmen barricaded themselves in their offices and escaped to local safety bunkers. The Capitol–once a symbol of national peace and unity–became a site of destruction, violence, and division.
Before Trump took office, he had promised to pardon rioters within the first hour of his second term, and he upheld that promise. Following his inauguration on January 20th, 2025, Trump pardoned around 1,500 criminal defendants charged in the Jan 6th attack, including the leaders of the extremist groups “Proud Boys” and “Oath Keepers.” The man who killed Brian Sicknick, a police officer defending the Capitol on the 6th, has been released of all charges, along with many others. Only a few insurrectionists remain in prison, and more could be pardoned. The rioters will not have any repercussions for their efforts to kill American Congressmen and politicians, attack the US Capitol, and threaten democracy.
To fully understand the events of January 6th, it is important to understand the political context that set the stage for such tension. In November 2020, Donald Trump and Joe Biden ran against each other in the presidential election. The votes were cast in each state on November 3rd, and by November 7th, almost all major media organizations had announced that Biden won the election. By mid-December, the same decision had been officially made by the US Congress. This election, specifically the primaries, had been impacted by Covid-19, causing early voting periods to be extended. During Trump’s campaign, and the months and weeks leading up to the election, Trump repeatedly claimed that the election would be “rigged” by Democrats. After the election, Trump stated that he had won, and refused to concede. MAGA supporters started social media accounts named “Stop the Steal” and continued to spread misinformation about the outcome of the election. Fourteen days after January 6th, Biden was inaugurated at the US Capitol. Trump didn’t attend the inauguration, becoming the first outgoing president to skip an inauguration since Andrew Johnson in 1869.
As many Americans believed, and what was eventually proved through video footage, the insurrection on January 6th was not a spontaneous outbreak of violence, but rather a planned attack, or Coup d’état, against the certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election. On the evening of January 5th, Enrique Tarrio and Stewart Rhodes, leaders of two far-right Trump support groups, (Proud Boys and Oath Keepers) met in an underground parking garage for around 30 minutes discussing the events that would unfold the following day. Details of this meeting suggest that both leaders had direct roles in helping orchestrate the events on January 6th and that the plan for a violent insurrection was in place from the get-go.
We interviewed Mr. Garikes, an Upper School History Teacher who teaches both AP Government and AP Comparative Government at SSSAS. Mr. Garikes, who lives on Capitol Hill, recounts his experience on January 6th, 2021, and shares how he thinks this event has impacted American Democracy.
Mr. Garikes says, “I remember watching it on television at home with my wife.” We asked him what the atmosphere was like in DC on Jan 6 and the days that followed, and he responded, saying, “Nobody expected what happened on January 6th. I think after January 6th, for those of us who lived in Washington and had been there for a while. We were sad, we were disappointed, we were mad. It was like our neighborhood had been invaded and we just couldn’t believe the type of violence had taken place at the Capitol.”
When asked about security changes he observed while living on Capitol Hill, he remarked “After the sixth, it [barricades] extended two or three blocks toward my house. And that was a sad sight and uncomfortable sight to have the Capital of the United States look like a military installation. So that was very disappointing to see we had reached that point. But beforehand, there was no active security. Nobody expected anybody to storm the United States Capitol.”
Now, it’s been four years, and we’ve seen an entire presidential term pass from start and finish. We asked Mr. Garikes to reflect on the time that’s passed and evaluate how he thinks Americans view January 6th, 4 years later. He says “For some Americans, it was a disqualifying reason they would never vote for President Trump. They felt he had too much involvement in it. Other people feel like it was just a protest that got a little bit out of hand and that it really wasn’t that detrimental.”
Trump refused to call for a stop to the storming of the Capitol, and instead called the rioters “patriots” and encouraged their behavior. Mr. Garikes says “The January sixth committee definitely pointed to criminal activity by the president.” Some MAGA supporters still confidently claim that the 2020 election was stolen from them, but Mr. Garikes says “There was no proof the election was stolen. That was, I think, will be proven historically to be inaccurate.”
We asked Mr. Garikes “How do you think this impacted the state of democracy in America?” He shared that “I think it’s done as much to undercut people’s faith in democracy than anything ever happened in the history of the United States.” He continued, saying, “I think that [democracy] was put in jeopardy on January 6th, and I think there are people now that don’t have faith in our democracy like we did prior to that event.”
On January 20th, 2021, when Trump didn’t appear at Biden’s inauguration, millions across the nation were shocked. Mr. Garikes says “One of the great things about this country is the peaceful transition of power that started in 1800. No other country can have a record like we’ve had.” That record was broken though, and that will forever remain a significant part of American history.
Now Trump has been put back into office for his second term, and there are many unknowns about the future, and how this presidency will unfold. Currently “More than 1,488 defendants have been charged for Jan. 6th, 547 defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, 163 individuals who have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer, 140 police officers were assaulted on Jan. 6 at the Capitol, and 11 individuals have been arrested on a series of charges that relate to assaulting a member of the media” according to the US Department of Justice. Additionally, a Jan 6th officer died due to injuries, and four other Jan 6th police officers took their own lives in the days and weeks following. However, as of January 20th, 2025, around 1500 insurrectionists have been pardoned by President Trump. Mr. Garikes declares “For some Americans, I think [January 6th] remains one of the darkest days in American history.”
