—AP LEQ Prompt: Evaluate what extent Reconstruction was successful. Due November 11. FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: A supporter of President Donald Trump carries a Confederate battle flag on the second floor of the U.S. Capitol near the entrance to the Senate after breaching security.
Postwar Aims
During the war, Wilson believed that United States involvement would translate into a new democratic world order. In a fourteen-point speech to Congress, Wilson summed up United States war aims and its noble objectives. November 1918 saw the war grind to a halt. The peace conference, held at Versailles in 1919, was dominated by conflict among the 'Big Four,' and the resulting treaty proved a disaster. Ultimately, Wilson failed in his most cherished objective, American membership in the League of Nations.
aims of Allies and US at peace conference: The main goal of Wilson and the American delegation was to secure an international peacekeeping organization; a peace based on Wilson’s Fourteen Points. The aims of the other allies were not as liberal as that of the US. The enormous reparations settled on was representative of this atmosphere.
Fourteen Points: The Fourteen Points were Wilson’s proposals and beliefs for a post-war world order. They dealt with the things that led to the first World War. For example, the first points called for open treaties, freedom of the seas, arms reduction and free trade. The other points dealt with self determination and finally a general association of nations, the League of Nations. During the conference of Versailles, Wilson pushed the Fourteen points and was partly successful.
Versailles Conference and Treaty: The Big Four dominated the conference in 1919 that determined the postwar world order. Wilson promoted his Fourteen Points while other Allies sought vengeance. The treaty found Germany liable for the war and established new nations based on self determination. It also made German colonies mandates under the League of Nations and included the controversial article X that kept the US out of the League. These provisions set the stage for World War II.
US Versailles delegation: The delegation was headed by President Wilson himself, and included Secretary of State Robert Lansing, General Tasker Bliss, Colonel Edward M. House, and attorney Henry White. Blatantly missing from the delegation were any Republican leaders, so the conference became not an American but a Democratic affair.
Big Four: Wilson, George, Clemenceau, Orlando: The Big Four were the dominating four at the Versailles conference after World War I. President Woodrow Wilson represented the United States, Lloyd George for Britain, Clemenceau for France, and Vittorio Orlando represented Italy. Each had a different prerogative and differing interests.
League of Nations: The organization promoted by Wilson in his Fourteen Points was the League of Nations. The US never joined because of controversy over Article X of the League Covenant that took away the United States’s freedom of determination in world affairs. Implemented at the Versailles conference, it existed from 1920 to 1946, meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, until it was taken over by the United Nations. After WWI, it divided German colonies into mandates of various League members.
collective security: Collective security was the dogma behind Article X of the League of Nations covenant of the Versailles Treaty. It stated that every nation would serve to protect the territorial integrity and existing governments of all other League nations. Hence, it was felt that this would ensure peace in the postwar world order. The belief manifested inself in the international world court that was established and later in the establishment of the United Nations after the demise of the League.
new nations, self determination: The idea of new nations and self determination was behind some of the aspects of the Treaty of Versailles. Self determination meant every nationality getting their own country, so new nations were created to allow this. Yugoslavia, Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland were new nations which filled this definition. Even with the doctrine of self determination, boundaries for new countries still left many misrepresented and under others’ control.
reparations: Reparations were implemented by European powers wanting vengeance against Germany. Germany was forced to pay a huge sum, some $33 billion to the Allies for civilian and veterans costs. This huge amount led to Germany’s economic downfall, allowing for the rise of Hitler and World War II
mandate system: As a provision of the Versailles Treaty, Germany’s colonies became mandates of the League of Nations and delegated to France, Japan and Britain. The colonies became in actuality, those of the respective countries, which was one of their purposes in fighting the war.
Article 10 of the Versailles Treaty: The most controversial of the League of Nations covenants, Article 10 said that all nations must protect the territorial and political integrity of other League members. The article meant that if one nation was engaged in war, all others must become involved. This article was a large part of why the US rejected the League.
Article 231 of the Versailles Treaty: By Article 231, Germany accepted total responsibility for her and her allies for starting the First World War. Reparations payments were based on this claim. It led to hatred among Germans and inadvertently contributed to conditions precipitating World War II.
Senate rejection, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, reservations: Senate reservationists did not fully oppose the League except for mainly one Article. They did not want the United States going to war defending another League member without Congress’s permission, as was stipulated by Article X. They wanted that article removed before ratification.
'irreconcileables': Borah, Johnson, La Follette: The irreconcileables were those in Congress who felt the United States should not be a member of the League under any circumstances. They opposed nearly all of the provisions of the League of Nations and felt that the League obstructed the United State’s freedom of self determination. Wilson attempted to overcome them and get ratification for the League but was unsuccessful in his campaign. The United States never joined the League of Nations.
Note: Star Bustamante and Manny Tejeda-Moreno were contributors to the article.
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, a rally in support of U.S. President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud turned into a violent and chaotic insurrection. A group of far-right Trump loyalists attacked and breached the Capitol building in a puerile but violent effort to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election, which was won by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Of the many rioters photographed during the assault on the Capitol, one in particular caught the eye of the Heathen community – a face-painted, shirtless man, wearing furs and a horned helmet, carrying a spear, and covered in tattoos related to Viking and Norse imagery.
The man, Jake Angeli, sometimes referred to as the “QAnon Shaman,” appeared in dozens of photographs shared by national and social media.
Angeli, whose legal name is Jacob Chansley, 32, is a QAnon supporter from Phoenix, Arizona, who has been active in far-right circles in the past year, appearing in his face-paint and horns at many rallies in support of Trump and QAnon. In 2019 he appeared, in similar costume, at a rally demanding action on climate change at the Arizona state capitol.
Despite some claims on social media that Angeli is affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement or Antifa, Reuters notes that Angeli has a detailed history of involvement with Trump rallies and the QAnon movement.
On Angeli’s now-closed Facebook page, he shared a variety of QAnon-related conspiracy theories, including claims that a cabal of Satanic pedophiles had infiltrated the U.S. government and was acting in opposition to President Trump. One post included a video that claimed to expose “the way that Communism is tied to Satanism & black magick spell” (sic).
Angeli’s Facebook profile also contained a mishmash of memes, images, and quotes that seemed to indicate support for multiple religious expressions. Some involved Pagan imagery, but many were affirmations of Christianity and devotion to Jesus. The phrases “God Wins” and “Jesus Amen” were frequent elements of his posts.
He also described himself as “a shamanic practitioner and energetic healer. I have been on the shamanic path for over a decade and have numerous different capabilities and gifts at my disposal.”
Until shortly after the riot at the U.S. Capitol, Angeli maintained a profile on Backstage, an advertising website for actors and entertainers. In the now-deleted page, he described himself as an actor, voiceover artist, and singer, “capable of performing over 30 different voices and numerous different accents.”
He also claimed to be “very skilled at embodying characters.”
Despite the mostly-Christian nature of his posts, Angeli is clearly aware of modern Heathenry. One Facebook post contained the Nine Noble Virtues, an ethical code created by John Yeowell and John Gibbs-Bailey of the Odinic Rite in 1974. Yeowell had ties to white supremacist and fascist movements, including, at one point, membership in the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists.
Angeli has three prominent tattoos on his torso, including a valknut on his upper chest, a stylized tree on his pectoral, and a large Thor’s hammer tattoo on his abdomen. The tree is potentially a reference to Yggdrassil, the world tree in Norse cosmology.
Angeli does not appear to be connected to any active Heathen or Pagan community. His appearance at the head of the charge brought swift reactions from the Heathen and Pagan community.
The Troth released a statement last night condemning the violence of the extremists and denouncing their appropriation of Heathen symbols:
Today, the world has witnessed an unprecedented scene of violence and terror in complete disregard for the safety of Congresspeople, law enforcement, and an entire city. These events were driven by bigotry and hate. Furthermore, several of those who have been most visible in these events have also been bearing symbols many of us hold very dear and even sacred.
The Troth condemns the events today by all who committed acts of violence and terror in the strongest manner possible. We support all who seek to voice disagreements peacefully, and condemn any attempt by governments to suppress peaceful protest. We condemn the misinformation and hateful rhetoric that drives these events. Our community stands available to assist those in Washington DC who may need to speak with clergy or have other needs due to this event.
Tonight, we join with faith leaders from around the globe in a prayer for peace to settle over the United States and that a calm and orderly transition of power continues.
Robert Schreiwer, Steer for the Troth, spoke to TWH this morning and offered the following statement:
Speaking on behalf of The Troth, Heathens Against Hate, Huginn’s Heathen Hof, Der Urglaawe, and myself:
I am sure all of you are as shocked and dismayed as I am by what the events in Washington, DC, today.
It is horrifying (although, sadly, not unexpected) that some nitwits turn up in the media who have connections to our religion.
The Troth, HAH, and HHH will be making a statement about this matter.
Those of us who honor ancestors and forebears can see the struggles of the generations who went before us being shaken to near insignificance by this appalling action taken by the extremists on the lunatic fringe of the political right.
Unfortunately, the lunatic fringe is becoming larger and larger, and the potential for a civil war, once unfathomable to most of us, becomes greater and greater. This truly is a shameful day in this country.
Schreiwer also noted that Angeli’s outfit “looked like the Heathen version of [the musical] Cats!”
Other Heathens have made equally strong statements roundly denouncing both the violent insurrectionist actions and the use of Heathen symbols.
Ssush23: Post War Politicususa History Timeline
“If you have been in Heathenry for a while,” Ryan Denison, founder of Heathen Men United and the Pagan and Polytheist Educational Research Symposium (P.A.P.E.R.S.) at the Mystic South Conference, told TWH, “you know the tie between white supremacy and Heathenry in America is from the beginning.
“You also know those original people were clueless on the actual history and clouded by social Darwinism, bad, biased and racist 19th-century scholarship, and appropriation of a religion and its symbols for their racist power grabs.”
Denison highlighted the Heathen community’s ongoing struggle against the appropriation of their imagery by white supremacists. “We modern heathens have to fight this constantly because that is not the history nor is it our faith. Most of those seen yesterday with our symbols on don’t even identify as Heathen.
“The most prominent, ‘Q-shaman’ or Jake Angeli, doesn’t seem to identify as Heathen,” Denison continued, “but as a Christian mystic type at least according to his FB. Why would he get those symbols tattooed? Probably because he’s a white supremacist and he identifies those symbols with the 14 words and any other Nazi white power bullshit that’s floating around out there.”
This morning the Pagan Federation issued the following statement:
The Heathen community works to move forward, combating the negative messages that are created by the appropriation of their symbols by white supremacists and extremists. “I came out of the ‘Mjolnir closet’ many years ago,” said Denison, “because I decided the only way to change popular opinion was to show myself and show that Heathenry isn’t that 19th-century hate. I know our country will heal from this horrid attempt to destroy our republic. But it’s going to take work. Heathens need to help in this and be more vocal in calling racism. Leaders in Heathenry have been doing this for years with initiatives such as Declaration 127.”
Ssush23: Post War Politicususa History Definition
Declaration 127 is a statement signed by 180 organizations denouncing the Asatru Folk Assembly for discriminating against racial minorities and queer Heathens. It takes its name from verse 127 of the Old Norse poem Hávamál, which W.H. Auden translated as “If aware that another is wicked, say so: Make no truce or treaty with foes.” Huginn’s Heathen Hof, which hosts the Declaration, plans to expand its scope from beyond simply pertaining to the AFA.
Ssush23: Post War Politicususa History Channel
“Associating our symbols with acts of treason and sedition by extremists is simply unacceptable,” said Schreiwer. “We have to continue to work harder to get our message out there even stronger.”