Most people entered 2021 with the belief that this year would be much better than its predecessor. Unfortunately, America rang in the new year with a violent attack on the Capitol building from protesters attempting to stop the counting of electoral college votes. 

   These protesters were attempting to stop the count, claiming that the election was stolen from President Donald Trump.

   A rally was planned and held on Jan. 6 2021 to challenge the Congressional certification of Biden’s victory in the presidential election.

   “Missouri Senator Josh Hawley was the leader of the opposition in Congress, along with Ted Cruz of Texas,” AP Government teacher Damon Jasperson said. “Some members of the

 protest rally attacked the Capitol building, overwhelming the Capitol police.”

   Trump and his supporters believe that the election was fraudulent. 

   The Wall Street Journal reported that there was no election fraud present in the 2020 election. 

   Trump called his supporters to gather at that rally and encouraged the crowd to “fight like hell” and “take back our country” in his speech at the event. The crowd then marched to the Capitol building in protest.

   There, the crowd entered the building by breaking doors and windows. The official count of the Electoral College votes was put to a halt; the floor of both the Senate and House of Representatives was evacuated. 

   Many offices of Senate and House members were vandalized, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. 

   Even before the events of Jan 6. 2020, students realized the importance of bipartisanship, or two parties working together. 

   “It’s separating us apart,” senior and Young Republican Kyler James said in an interview conducted in Oct. 2020. “It’s like in the past, these aren’t just small problems, these are giant dividing problems in our country that are tearing everybody apart.” 

   Junior and Young Democrat Isabella Sullivan agreed.

   “If we just understood each other more I think we would be able to bring some decency back into politics,” Sullivan said in an interview conducted in Oct. 2020.

Students also believe that people should trust in the processes of this democracy.

   “Losing a close election can be a crushing feeling to the side that didn’t win,” Jasperson said.  “Clinton supporters felt that way in 2016. Trump supporters in 2020, but that’s politics. We work out our problems through the political process so that we don’t end up resorting to violence. Many people are saying that they have ‘not been heard,’ but that is not the same as losing an election. Unless there is evidence of cheating, the candidate that loses needs to accept the fact that the people have spoken.”