Introduction
The 2020 presidential election was a highly controversial political event that dramatically divided the people of the United States. The allegation of the election being fixed against former President Donald Trump in favor of President Joe Biden resulted in multiple protests erupting across the country. One of these protests resulted in the invasion of the Capitol Building in an attempt to prevent the election of President Biden from being formalized. The insurrection and the events that led to it are some of the most recent examples of American society experiencing an urgent social problem.
Main body
The victory of President Biden in the 59th presidential election resulted in former President Trump and his supporters trying to prove that it was manipulated and overturn it. The events of the January 6th, 2021, insurrection in Washington, D.C., were preceded by several riots taking place in different states of the country and President Trump encouraging the violence via Twitter (Lee, 2021). The invasion of the Capitol Building serves as an example of a social problem stemming from a part of society opposing a political decision of the majority.
The vital elements of the country’s social structure and culture led to the events on Capitol Hill unfolding in a violent manner. As the presidential election prompted the protest, it can be contended that the political institution, as a specific pattern of social relationships, contributed to the events (Mooney et al., 2017). The insurrection was carried out by a large task-oriented secondary social group that aimed to stop the vote from being ratified (Mooney et al., 2017; The New York Times, 2021).
The firm belief of the social group that the election was rigged contributed to the protest unfolding, with the former President fueling the ideology of his followers in his online posts. In addition, the American values of freedom and democracy can be viewed as contributing factors in the protest. The Trump supporters believed that their values and the values of their country were violated and that the political institution had failed them. Thus, the social structure and the culture of American society influenced the insurrection.
The events of January 6th are an instance of a social problem. Such a problem can be defined as a group within a society viewing a specific condition as harmful to all members of society and requiring a remedy (Mooney et al., 2017). It is clear from the insurrection that the supporters of Donald Trump believed the election results had been falsified and, therefore, the unlawfully chosen President threatened American society. Although this belief is subjective, the social group responsible for the protest was also exposed to the objective element of the discussed social problem, including news coverage in favor of Trump. Overall, the perceived inadequacy in the political institution and the belief that fundamental values are being violated translated into a social problem that culminated in the invasion of the Capitol building.
Summary
In summary, the insurrection that occurred on January 6th, 2021, in Washington, D.C., was influenced by several factors. It was encouraged by a social group consisting of individuals supporting former President Trump, perceiving the victory of President Biden as harmful to all members of society and requiring correction. The great social group of Trump supporters assumed that the political institution was inadequate and impeded the fundamental rights and values of the citizens of the United States. Thus, the insurrection of the Capitol building was a result of these convictions.
References
Lee, A. (2021). Riot at the capitol — what caused one of America’s darkest days. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Web.
Mooney, L. A., Knox, D., & Schacht, C. (2017). Understanding social problems (10th ed.). Cengage Learning.
The New York Times. (2021). Inside the capitol riot: An exclusive video investigation. Web.