Lifestyles
By SMU
Dec 31, 2020
Dallas, Texas (SMU) Yes, 2020 was bad. But the United States has seen worse, says SMU historian Alexis McCrossen. And its good to know that the dawning of the new year was a turning point after the bloodshed and pain of two particular years 1862 and 1941.
Maybe the dawn of 2021 will be a turning point too.
A look backward at other New Years in troubled times turns up examples of how Americans optimistically looked to the future when even the worst of years drew to an end, says McCrossen, whose forthcoming book is Times Touchstone: The New Year in American Life. They were not Pollyannas or fools, but instead of looking backward, they looked forward.