The skewed history behind the alt-right’s ideology
The alt-right, QAnon, paramilitary, and Donald Trump-supporting mob that stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6 claimed they were only doing what the so-called “founding fathers” of the US had done in 1776: overthrowing an illegitimate government that no longer represented them. This is why the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag was visible in the chaos—a symbol of resistance that dates back to the (first) American Revolution and was resurrected a decade ago by Republican Tea Party activists. The era of the “founding fathers” has always loomed large in the minds of most Americans.
