Chi Wang

Opinion | Amid the US Capitol siege, American democracy showed its strength and resilience

Even in the face of such unprecedented unrest within the very heart of America’s democracy, its elected representatives resolved to fulfil their constitutional duties and affirm the will of the people

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Chi Wang

Published: 1:30am, 11 Jan 2021Updated: 1:32am, 11 Jan 2021

I had the great privilege of spending over 47 years of my career at the US Library of Congress, a research centre for members of Congress. These decades made me intimately familiar with the Capitol complex and the dedicated public servants who made its work possible, from Congressional staffers to the police officers and the Congress members themselves.

Having grown up in China, I respected the sacred purpose of the Capitol and the thousands of people throughout history who have acted as conduits of representative democracy. I thus watched in horror and disgust on Wednesday as this historic institution was desecrated by an angry mob in the middle of its constitutionally mandated work to certify the presidential election results.

This is far from the first time violence has struck the Capitol. In 1814, British forces ransacked and burned parts of the building. President Andrew Jackson survived an assassination attempt after an assailant attempted to shoot him inside the Capitol’s rotunda.

In 1856, senator Charles Sumner was savagely beaten with a cane on the Senate floor following an impassioned debate about slavery. Bombs exploded in the Capitol in 1915, 1971 and 1983; fortunately, no one was injured in these attacks. In 1954, four Puerto Rican nationalists shot and wounded five members of Congress from the House gallery.

The Capitol was evacuated during the September 11 terrorists attacks. I was in my office at the Library of Congress that day when two Capitol police officers rushed inside and helped me evacuate. Wednesday’s events are another sad addition to the Capitol’s history.

05:52

Trump supporters storm US Capitol, interrupting Congress’ certification of Biden’s victory

The day began with a joint session of Congress convening to count the electoral votes from November’s presidential election and formally declare a winner. This is the last step in the American electoral process before the presidential inauguration and is typically a dull affair.