SUMMARY

As Americans continue to grasp what led up to the threat on former President Trump's life, broadcaster Judy Woodruff sought some perspective on how this moment of political violence and deep division relates to the country’s past. It’s the latest in the ongoing series, America at a Crossroads.

Time markers:
Start of video to 4m:00s: an introduction to assassination attempts in the United States and parallels between the 1960s and now

4m:00s to 6m:30s: how political polarization has gotten worse today

5m:21s to end of video: potential ways to decrease political violence in the future

View the transcript of the story.

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Who are some of the political and civil rights leaders who were assassinated in the 1960s?
2. What are the three factors that lead to political violence in the United States?
3. When does historian Kevin Boyle suggest the guardrails of American politics began to fall off?
4. Why does Kevin Boyle fear for the future if political leaders don't change their language?
5. How can we use Martin Luther King, Jr.'s rhetoric and language to help decrease polarization?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

1. What is political polarization? How does Kevin Boyle suggest that it has increased in recent years?
2. What is misinformation? Can you think of some examples where misinformation has been spread?

Media literacy: How has social media and the proliferation of outlets affected political misinformation? How has this affected political polarization?

How can you ensure that you are consuming accurate information? Examine this chart of media bias from the Harvard Library.

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?

FOR MORE

What students can do: Check out how AI-generated misinformation threatens election integrity in this video.

This post was written by Raegan Lusk, a senior at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and an intern with PBS NewsHour Classroom, and edited by NewsHour's Luke Gerwe.

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