A Historian’s Lament

So much of human history is depressingly ugly.

Image by Anja from Pixabay

I am still haunted by the late Rodney King’s plaintive plea after rioting broke out in Los Angeles in 1992 protesting the acquittal of the police officers who had badly beaten him the previous year: “I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?” Can we all get along? That’s what I wonder every time I sit down to study some portion of…