Capitol riot one for the history books, FGCU students, professor say

For many Americans, the riot on Capitol Hill was unlike anything they have ever seen play out in the nation, and it will be just as hard to explain what happened to future generations. We looked at how the weight of the assault on the U.S. Capitol impacts those working to become the leaders of the near future.

Not only do FGCU students and a professor we spoke to say they expect the events of the week of the Capitol riot to end up in history books, but they’re already thinking about how they’ll tell their own kids or future generations about what they experienced.

“2020 to 2021 has definitely been one for the history books,” said Greg Ippolito, who graduated in 2020 in business management.

FGCU political science professor Peter Bergerson agrees.

“In 240 years, this is the first time in which the Capitol has been captured by domestic terrorists,” Bergerson said.

Bergerson says the events of this week are as significant as 9/11 and Pearl Harbor and will make their way into history books and into curriculums.

“Hopefully, this will be an indication of really a low point in how divided the country has been, I think perhaps since the Civil War,” Bergerson said.

Students are thinking about how they’ll tell future generations about what they’re experiencing now. One student says she’ll start with how divisive politics have become in modern America, even causing families she knows to break apart.

“Certain family members won’t talk to others because of their side of the election and how they feel and how they feel in their views,” FGCU sophomore Zoe Coronel said. “It’s just crazy to think that’s what it’s come to nowadays.”

Others hope to use this to guide their kids or future generations to a better tomorrow.

“Just needs to be civil,” Ippolito said “I have no words to be honest. It’s pretty sad to look at.”