Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law Mary L. Dudziak was one of 16 historians who authored a first and brief draft of 2018 history for a piece in Politico Magazine.  Dudziak is Associated Faculty in the History Department. Read her appraisal of last year along with those of other leading historians at Politico Magazine: “What Will History Books Say About 2018? 16 top historians predict the future.”

“2018 will be remembered as the year of cruelty. The United States separated thousands of migrant children from their families and created prison camps for them. The country aided Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen resulting in a humanitarian catastrophe seen in images of starving children. Trump refused to sanction or even criticize Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump told Californians devastated from the loss of homes and loved ones to fire that the tragedy was, in essence, their own fault. He said the same to victims of mass shootings. The list goes on and on—there is too much cruelty for one paragraph. Congress, and the American people, aided the president’s cruelty by failing to do whatever it would take to stop him.”