This long piece by James Bennet was published in 1843 last December. Despite seemingly causing a bit of a stir at the time, it passed me by until now.

The writer was the editor of the New York Times Opinion section in June 2020. In the aftermath of protests following the murder of George Floyd, Bennet published an opinion piece by Republican Senator Tom Cotton arguing that the military ought to be deployed to quell the riots. Much unhappiness followed, leading to Bennet’s resignation.

In 18,000 words, Bennett sets out his side of the argument, eloquently and with some flair. It is, perhaps ironically, one of those articles which is worth reading whether you agree with everything he says or not.

The picture at the top is by Jason Kuffer, and used under licence.