In 63 BCE, Rome was facing an internal crisis that threatened to destroy the Republic.

Roman senator Lucius Sergius Catilina, known as Catiline, was conspiring to overthrow the government. With the help of a coalition of the discontented, his plan included violent uprisings and the assassination of several leading senators and political figures, including Cicero, Rome’s famed philosopher and statesman.

However, Cicero learned of Catiline’s plot through a network of spies and allies within the Senate. He also received information from conspirators who turned against Catiline once they realized their involvement could lead to a death sentence. Moreover, Catiline’s behavior and statements helped expose the conspiracy: his inflammatory public speeches, relentless pursuit of the consulship, and open recruitment of criminals and corrupt allies made his intentions unmistakable.

Having pieced together the plan, Cicero, the greatest orator of his time, gave a series of speeches to the Senate that spoke of the clear and present danger Catiline posed to the Republic.

“When, O Catiline, do you mean to cease abusing our patience? How long is that madness of yours still to mock us? When is there to be an end of that unbridled audacity of yours, swaggering about as it does now?

“Do you not feel that your plans are detected? Do you not see that your conspiracy is already arrested and rendered powerless by the knowledge which every one here possesses of it?”

With Cicero’s compelling oratory and mounting evidence, the Senate crushed the rebellion leaving Cataline to escape Rome and avoid the consequences of his actions.

The last time a U.S. senator stood up to expose a plot against the principles of honesty and fairness occurred on June 1, 1950. In a moment reflective of Cicero, Republican Senator Margaret Chase Smith delivered her “Declaration of Conscience” speech, condemning the reckless anti-communist tactics of her Senate colleague, Joseph R. McCarthy. With powerful rhetoric, Chase Smith exemplified the moral backbone and political courage in challenging McCarthy’s smear campaign against alleged communists.

“I am proud of the fact that the Republican Party has always been a party of sound judgment and of decency. I am proud of the fact that the Republican Party has been a party of integrity and of honor. . .

“I am not proud of the conduct of some of my colleagues who have used the power and the prestige of this Senate to attack and to malign innocent people. . . to spread fear and stifle dissent . . . .

“I am not proud of the fact that some of my colleagues have used the power and the prestige of this Senate to attack and to malign the very spirit of equality and of justice that has made this nation a shining example to the world.”

At the end of her address, the junior Senator from Maine received a standing ovation from Republicans and Democrats. Soon after, Edward R. Murrow, the most influential figure in American media, detailed the dangers of McCarthy’s actions to the public through a series of powerful broadcasts, which quickly led to McCarthy’s downfall.

Are we capable of learning from history’s lessons? Can we rise above our cultural and political biases to foster a culture of reflection, open-mindedness, and humility?