A Wednesday (Nov. 20) panel discussion of the history of presidential impeachment in the United States will feature faculty from the social sciences department at University of Wisconsin-Stout.
The free event, “Check Your Politics at the Door: Impeachment from the Perspective of History,” will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts in Menomonie. Associate Prof. Chris Freeman will host the discussion and provide opening comments on history’s importance to the framing of the Constitution.
The other three historians will examine the origin, historical use and contemporary context of the articles of impeachment. These panelists will include: Le-Trice Donaldson, assistant professor; Chris Marshall, senior lecturer; and David Seim, associate professor.
Each of the three will speak for 15 minutes. A question-and-answer session with the audience will follow.
Impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump began Wednesday (Nov. 13) in the U.S. House of Representatives, the fourth time in U.S. history the action has been taken against a president.
Along with the Mabel Tainter Center, event sponsors are Stout Students Unite and the university’s Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation (CSII).
The event could be the first in a proposed series called “Crises in American Democracy,” with the goal of holding one event each semester.
“We are hoping that the Mabel Tainter and CSII can collaborate to create a community forum to discuss topics that relate to American democracy and threats to its vitality,” Freeman said.
A reception with refreshments and snacks will follow the program.
Note: The home page image, furnished by UW-Stout, is an artist’s rendering that shows the impeachment proceedings against President Andrew Johnson in 1868. / Illustration by Theodore R. Davis published April 11, 1868, Harper’s Weekly.