After President Trump deployed Marines and National Guard troops to quell immigration protests in Los Angeles, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the move a show of “authoritarianism.”

Newsom’s reference is appropriate, argues U.S. history scholar Justin Randolph of Texas A&M University. He points out that the last time a president federalized troops over a governor’s objection dates to the Civil Rights Movement, when Black Americans stood up against the authoritarianism of Southern governors and their militarized National Guard troops. In those cases, however, presidents protected people with federal troops, whereas Trump has federalized troops to protect the government from protesters.

Trump’s view of law enforcement, Randolph argues, mirrors the militarized authority that some Southern governors cemented under Jim Crow policing. Arkansas Gov. Orville Faubus’ deployment of the National Guard to resist the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School offers one example. Other instances would follow with the desegregation of interstate transportation in the South, when political leaders used the National Guard in some cases to maintain segregation and preserve the interests of racial authoritarians.

The Los Angeles protesters, Randolph writes, reflect the continued struggle for social change. Their work may be criticized as “rebellion” by the Trump administration, but it follows a long American tradition of fighting authoritarianism.

Also in this week’s politics news:

• Israeli attacks on Iran disrupt nuclear deterrence rules
• Has gun violence turned Gen Z off the military?
• Smartphones set agenda in protests