They say “Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it,” but what happens if history not only repeats but is constantly ignored? Mass deportations; attacking diversity; weaponizing the federal government against American citizens. All this and more is happening under President Donald Trump, but this isn’t the first time the country has been plagued with these harsh realities, although many of us weren’t alive to witness it all…
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If you’ve been paying close attention to recent history, then you’d realize the spooky similarities between what’s going on today and that of generations ago. With Trump being dead set on returning to an America reminiscent of the 1800s, Black Americans aren’t shocked because our ancestors have viewed this playbook before. Now, The Root is looking back through time to ultimately analyze the state of the nation and just how far we haven’t come towards progress, despite generations passing.
Nixon and the Southern Strategy
In the 1960s, white politicians had a problem. The Civil Rights Movement of the ’50s and ’60s resulted in the enfranchisement of Black Americans. This meant Black folks were voting– and largely voting Democrat. With Republican Richard Nixon running for president, he decided to try out a new strategy called the “Southern Strategy” in order to galvanize white voters in his favor. The idea was simply demonizing Black and brown Americans to instill white fear. In turn, white Americans would be more inclined to vote Republican, and it worked! In 1968, Nixon won with over 300 electoral votes.
Trump’s MAGA Strategy
While Trump’s version of Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” isn’t the exact same, historians said it bares keen resemblance, the Guardian reported. When Trump decided to run for office in 2015, he ran on the campaign to “Make America Great Again.” Under this slogan, Trump aimed to return the country back to its glory days– although he has yet to explain exactly which era this was. The idea here was to rally white Americans against a common enemy: immigrants “taking American jobs” and all the “others” who don’t fit into his Christian, white male agenda. MAGA was key to Trump’s success in 2016– although it was detrimental in 2020. The same strategy won the president back the White House in 2024.
Jim Crow Police Tactics
In order to understand the complexities of modern day policing, you have to go back to the origin of the badge. Originally, patrol officers were established as “Slave Patrol” in order to enforce “a system of terror and squash slave uprisings with the capacity to pursue, apprehend, and return runaway slaves to their owners,” according to the NAACP. Often times, Slave Patrol used excessive force, fear tactics and a common disregard for the safety of the enslaved. By the 1900s, Slave Patrol evolved into modern-day police in order to regulate Jim Crow laws– a series of state and local laws that enforced segregation and discrimination.
Modern Day Police Brutality
In today’s society, we’ve witnessed similar tactics championed by the Slave Patrol and Jim Crow officers against Black people. In the ’90s, the brutal beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers was captured on video for the world to see. And months before a Minn. police officer named Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd in 2020, Breonna Taylor was killed inside her own home. Louisville, Ky. officers used a no-knock warrant to enter Taylor’s apartment. The woman’s boyfriend feared the officers were intruders and fired a single shot. The officers then returned 32 rounds which struck Taylor, killing her. An investigation later found the involved officers used a faulty warrant for the raid. Statistics show Black people experience violence at the hands of police more commonly than any other ethnic group, according to the NAACP.
Immigration Act of 1924
The Immigration Act of 1924 largely shaped the country’s touchy history with immigration and deportations. At the turn of the 20th century, America welcomed a massive influx of migrants– roughly 14.5 million immigrants. But by the 1920s, the country was still recovering for International relations derailed by World War I (July 28, 1914 to Nov. 11, 1918). This led to the Immigration Act of 1924 which limited entry from Southern and Eastern Europe while completely banning migrants coming from Asia. Looking back 100 years to this act, it’s clear the law was rooted in racism and Xenophobia. And the modern version is even scarier.
Trump’s War on Illegal Immigration
When Trump was elected back in 2015, he made it his mission to go after immigration. Whether it be building a Southern border wall, enacting a ban on migrants from Muslim countries in 2017 or the June 2025 ban of mostly African and South American nations, Trump is clearly taking a page out of the game plan of 100 years ago. Critics have accused Trump of trying to rid America of the very fabric of the nation: immigration and diversity.
The Promise of Reconstruction
The year was 1865. The Union celebrated its victory in the Civil War, and formally enslaved Black people were freed under new protections. The next two decades would come to be known as “Reconstruction,” a time where legal, social and political changes were adapted to ensure the rights of Black Americans. Reconstruction meant hope for Black people. During this time, Black men voted in political elections and held government positions. Dozens of Black colleges, which would be classified as historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), were founded as safe spaces for Black students to learn. And most importantly, Amendments 13, 14 and 15 guaranteed rights for Black people.
Despite the progress made during Reconstruction, it was all shattered with the introduction of Jim Crow Laws and sneaky tricks to revert back to a more racist U.S. Shockingly– or not so much– this wasn’t the last time America broke its promise to Black folks.
The Promise After George Floyd
Similarly, the protests of 2020 following the murder of George Floyd gave Black Americans hope for a promising future. Under the Biden Administration, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 and other proposed laws aimed to right to wrongs of police brutality, especially against Black men. This birthed the national effort to increase diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and championed Black voices in politics and legal efforts.
But in Jan. 2025, the inauguration of President Trump saw the immediate removal of DEI and other efforts made in 2020. The George Floyd bill was axed, diversity was targeted and seemingly all the progress made after Floyd’s death was gone in less than a year under Trump.
HBCUs Attacked After Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination
HBCUs are some of the leading institutions producing the most successful Black scholars throughout history. Because of this, they are often targeted with violence during times of racial tension in the country. We could list all the times HBCUs were violated, but instead, we’re focusing on the arson of Wilberforce University in Greene County, Ohio. Wilberforce is one of the country’s oldest private historically Black colleges, and in 1865– just days after President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated– a fire destroyed some of the buildings at the HBCU. According to The New York Times, the damages totaled $50,000. Experts believe the fire was started by a white supremacist group, but the culprits were never identified.
HBCUs Threatened After Charlie Kirk’s Murder
In recent years, HBCUs have been subjected to several bomb threats. In 2022 alone, Howard University in Washington, D.C. received eight bomb threats– two occurring in less than 72 hours, the university reported. Bomb threats against HBCUs made national news again this past week following the assassination of conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk. USA Today reported more than two dozen HBCUs were threatened in the days following the deadly shooting. Authorities are still unclear who sent these threatening messages to the Black schools– just like the fire of Wilberforce.
White Folks Retaliate After the End of Slavery
Following the end of slavery, white slave owners reacting viciously, often targeting Black people and even white abolitionists. During the era of Reconstruction, Black Americans made significant gains in the political world as well as economically. With that, Black people became threats to white Americans still reeling from the loss of slavery. This prompted widespread violence against Black Americans. “Despite the plentiful reports from observers describing the frequent and largely unchecked murders and assaults Black people suffered during the Reconstruction period of 1865 to 1876, there is no established casualty count or reliable total number of victims killed,” the Equal Justice Initiative reported.
Retaliation After President Barack Obama’s Win
Whenever there’s a time in American history where Black folks making significant strides, almost always, the years following are met with extremely violence and retaliation. Let’s take the election of the country’s first Black president, Barack Obama. Not only were 11 separate attempts on Obama’s life made– reportedly the most of any modern president– but immediately following his second term, America elected Donald Trump– Obama’s stark opposite. Obama championed hope and an inclusive country, but on the other hand, Trump won following a campaign focused on preserving white America at any cost. Then came Trump’s attacks to Hispanic and Muslim communities. Next came his efforts to undo Obamacare and International relations, ABC News reported. Notably, the end of Trump’s term was framed around the death of George Floyd and the COVID-19 pandemic.
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