In this volatile election season, it's useful to recall that the unsettling political climate of the 2020s holds many parallels to the 1960s and 1970s. That earlier time also featured divisive presidential campaigns; mass protests about war abroad and justice at home; assassinations; and even an attack on the U.S. Capitol. Many of the struggles played out on the streets of Washington, D.C., as they so often have done throughout our history.

This discussion will focus on the long-forgotten events of spring 1971, arguably the most intense season of dissent in the history of the capital. Lawrence Roberts, author of MAYDAY 1971: A White House at War, a Revolt in the Streets, and the Untold History of America's Biggest Mass Arrest, will revisit those days and the lessons we may apply to our current moment.

Lawrence Roberts is a long-time editor of investigative journalism who has worked at the Washington Post, ProPublica, Bloomberg News, and the Hartford Courant, and was executive editor of the Huffington Post Investigative Fund.