The history of presidential impeachment in the United States will be the subject of a panel discussion featuring faculty from the social sciences department at University of Wisconsin-Stout.
The free event, Check Your Politics at the Door: Impeachment from the Perspective of History, will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts in Menomonie.
Chris Freeman, assistant professor, will be the host and provide opening comments on the importance of history to the framing of the Constitution.
The other historians will examine the articles of impeachment regarding their origin, historical use and contemporary context. The faculty are:
- Le-Trice Donaldson, assistant professor
- Chris Marshall, senior lecturer
- David Seim, associate professor
Each speaker will present for 15 minutes. A question-and-answer session with the audience will follow.
Impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump began Wednesday, Nov. 13, in the U.S. House of Representatives, the fourth time in U.S. history the action has been taken against a president.
Along with the Mabel Tainter, event sponsors are Stout Students Unite and the university’s Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation.
The event could be the first in a proposed series called Crises in American Democracy, with the hope of holding one each semester. “We are hoping that the Mabel Tainter and CSII can collaborate to create a community forum to discuss topics that relate to American democracy and threats to its vitality,” Freeman said.
A reception with refreshments and snacks will be held at the Mabel Tainter after the event.
UW-Stout has a bachelor’s program in applied social science, which includes a concentration in history and politics. A minor in history also is available.
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Photos
Chris Freeman
An artist’s rendering shows the impeachment proceedings against President Andrew Johnson in 1868. / Illustration by Theodore R. Davis published April 11, 1868, Harper’s Weekly
