Shows
![[Abridged] Presidential Histories](https://storage.buzzsprout.com/tl0hd57uzysfc7brkh26z9taoqob?.jpg)
[Abridged] Presidential Histories36.A) LBJ & Vietnam, an interview with Mark LawrenceFew presidents have a darker mark on their resume that LBJ's handling of the Vietnam war. Though overwhelmingly popular at first, the war divided the nation and broke Johnson's political power just 4 years later.How did the United States get into Vietnam? Why didn't LBJ see what the American people saw as public opinion turned against it? And what can we learn from Johnson's handling of the war in Vietnam?Mark Lawrence, director of the LBJ Presidential Library & Museum in Austin and author of The End of Ambition: The United States and the Third World...
2024-01-1549 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories35.B) Joe Kennedy Sr., The Patriarch, an interview with David NasawJoe Kennedy Jr. used his intellect, connections, and more than a few shady stock market tricks to become one of the wealthiest men in America. Once there, he threw his vast fortune behind the political aspirations of his children, challenging them to do good in the world. But tragedy was always a step away. Within a year of Joe's crowning achievement, the presidential inauguration of his son, Jack, Joe was struck down by a stroke. He lived 8 more years, helplessly watching as two sons were felled by assassins bullets.Historian David Nasaw, author of The Patriarch: The...
2023-12-0456 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories35.A) The Assassination of JFK, an interview with Stephen Fagin60 years ago today, John F. Kennedy was assassinated while traveling through the streets of Dallas. Stephen Fagin, curator of The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, takes us through the tragic day and discusses why Kennedy's assassination has attracted so much doubt and dreams of conspiracy. Support the show
2023-11-2245 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories35.) John F. Kennedy 1961-1963"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." - John F. Kennedy, January 20, 1961~~~John F. Kennedy presided over three of the most turbulent years of the Cold War. From the Bay of Pigs to the Cuban Missile Crisis and a coup in Vietnam, the stakes have rarely been higher. But how did he overcome youth and bigotry against his Catholic faith to reach the White House? Well, it helps when your daddy has money and you have charisma to spare.Bibliography1. An Unfinished L...
2023-11-2059 min![[Abridged] Presidential Histories](https://storage.buzzsprout.com/4754usr54cjna4cxieslv1bxk73p?.jpg)
[Abridged] Presidential HistoriesBONUS! 2023 Friendsgiving History Podcast SpectacularEarlier this year, four podcasters got together to record the second annual Friendsgiving History Podcast Spectacular! Tune in as I'm joined by three fellow history podcasters and friends for a round table discussion on U.S. and presidential history. The other podcasters are:Jerry Landry, Presidencies of the United StatesAlycia, Civics & Coffee Howard Dorre, Plodding through the PresidentsHappy Thanksgiving!Support the show
2023-11-2055 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories34.C) Ike, the Last General, an interview with Bryan GibbyEisenhower is the last general to have become president. How did his time in the army influence his administration and what stamp did it leave on the presidency? Bryan Gibby, the deputy head of West Point's history department, discusses how Ike's time at the academy, in the army, and during World War II shaped his leadership style and impacted his presidential administrationSupport the show
2023-11-061h 15[Abridged] Presidential Histories34.C) Isolationism v internationalism, Ike & the election of 1952, an interview with Chris NicholsAs the election of 1952 approached, one thing seemed certain - a staunch isolationist, senator Robert Taft, was going to be the GOP's presidential nominee and the next president of the United States. Which was a major concern to anyone who feared the United States retreating back to its borders would invite Soviet conquest in the 50s just as it had invited Nazi conquest in the 30s. And so a plan was hatched to draft Eisenhower, the supreme commander of a fledgling NATO, to defeat Taft at home so the United States could defeat soviet influence abroad. The fate of...
2023-10-161h 00[Abridged] Presidential HistoriesBonus. Intelligent Speech Conference: The political double cross that saved American democracyBonus episode! Even the seemingly powerless have the power to change history.When the infamously corrupt Chester Arthur became president after the assassination of his predecessor, most Americans feared Democracy was about to go on the auction block. But, in an era when women couldn't even vote, one woman, Julia Sand, put pen to paper and changed history. Her letters imploring Arthur to abandon his corrupt political allies and listen to his long-abandoned better nature moved something in Arthur and Democracy itself may well have been saved.This is a recording of my 2022 Intelligent Speech...
2023-10-0942 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories34.B) Ike & the Suez Crisis, an interview with Jim NewtonThere are October Surprises, and there are October crisis. Just days before Americans went to the polls to vote for Ike's 1956 reelection, his allies France, England, and Israel launched a surprise October invasion of Egypt to capture the Suez Canal. With Cold War temperatures rising, Ike was faced with a high-stakes dilemma. Would he back his allies, or Egypt, for control of the all-important canal.Veteran journalist Jim Newton, author of Eisenhower: The White House Years, discusses the crisis that reshaped the political world order.Support the show
2023-10-0232 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories34.A) Ike v McCarthyism, an interview with Larry TyeDwight Eisenhower ascended to the presidency when the United States was in the grips of a red scare - a red scare fanned by Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy. As McCarthy exploited the public fear to steal the spotlight with hundreds of unfounded accusations of communist sympathies, Eisenhower, and three future presidents then in the Senate, had to grapple with the moral and societal threat of McCarthy to the republic, and what they were willing to do to stop him.New York Times best-selling author Larry Tye, author of Demagogue: The life and long shadow of S...
2023-09-1835 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories34.) Dwight Eisenhower 1953-1961"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." - Dwight Eisenhower, April 16, 1953~~~Dwight Eisenhower was born to poverty, but rose to be the savior of Europe and preside over the perilous early years of the Cold War. Follow along as Ike punches a ticket to education and upward mobility at West Point, leads the allied armies of Europe to victory during World War II, and faces off with Soviets a...
2023-09-041h 01[Abridged] Presidential Histories33.D) The blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the awakening of Harry S. Truman, an interview with Judge Richard GergelAs millions of Americans demobilized after World War II, some were welcomed home as heroes, but others were attacked by their neighbors. When a white South Carolina sheriff attacked a black sergeant, still in uniform, on his way home from the war, the resulting outrage inspired Harry Truman to risk his presidency for the cause of Civil Rights. Judge Richard Gergel, author of Unexampled Courage: The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of President Harry S. Truman and Judge J. Waties Waring, discusses the attack and its impact on a nation and its conscience. Support th...
2023-08-2136 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories33.C) Truman and the Pendergast Machine, an interview with Jon TaylorBefore he was president, and before he formed the Truman Committee, Harry Truman was known primarily for one thing: his connection to an infamous Kansas City political machine - the Pendergast Machine. But what was the Pendergast Machine? How did it work? What was it into? Historian Jon Taylor discusses Truman's connection to the infamous operation, and who was helping who in the relationship.Support the show
2023-08-0751 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories33.B) Truman and the Bomb, an interview with D.M. Giangreco"16 hours ago, an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima ... It is an atomic bomb. It is a harnessing of the basic power of the universe. The force from which the sun draws its power has been loosed against those who brought war to the Far East" - President Harry S. Truman, Aug. 6, 1945, in his announcement of the first atomic attack in world history~~~When Harry S. Truman unexpectedly became president on April 12, 1945, the United States was still in the midst of World War II - but there were plans to hasten its resolution. Secret...
2023-07-2453 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories33.A) The Truman Committee: An interview with Steve Drummond"When people create delays for profit, when they sell poor products for defense use, when they cheat on price and quality, they aren't any different from a draft dodger and the public at large feels just the same way about it." - Senator Harry S. Truman, March 31, 1941~~~As American war industry roared to life in 1941, Senator Harry S. Truman began receiving letters from concerned constituents. Money was being wasted. Badly. And all over the place. Truman jumped in his car and travelled thousands of miles to investigate first-hand, then formed the senate investigatory committee that...
2023-07-1748 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories33.) Harry S Truman 1945-1953"I don't know if you fellas ever had a load of hay fall on you, but when they told me what happened yesterday, I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me." - Harry S. Truman, April 13, 1945, the day after Franklin Roosevelt died and Truman was sworn in as president.~~~Harry S. Truman was a political late bloomer, first elected to the senate at age 50, and becoming vice president against his own wishes at age 60. That second role lasted just 82 days before president Franklin Roosevelt died and Truman inherited t...
2023-07-0556 min[Abridged] Presidential HistoriesBonus! The Rough Rider and the Professor, an interview with Laurence Jurdem"You are the only man whom in all my life I have met who has repeatedly and in every way done for me what I could not do for myself and nobody else would do." - New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt to Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, 1900~~~Theodore Roosevelt didn't reach the top of American politics without a little help from his friends, and no friend was more important than Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, a titan in his own right. Laurence Jurdem, author of The Rough Rider and the Professor (publication date: July 4, 2023), discusses h...
2023-07-041h 04[Abridged] Presidential Histories32.G.) Eleanor Roosevelt, an interview with David Michaelis"A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader. A great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves." - Eleanor Roosevelt~~~Eleanor Roosevelt is the most enduringly famous first lady in American history, and for good reason. She transformed what a first lady can be, criss-crossing the country to meet and listen to Americans in need and serve as their advocate in Washington D.C. But the woman we remember her as is not the woman she always was. David Michaelis, author of New York Times bestseller Eleanor discusses how Eleanor rose f...
2023-06-191h 21[Abridged] Presidential Histories32.F.) FDR & American Grand Strategy, an interview with Elizabeth Borgwardt and Christopher Nichols"In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms."The first is freedom of speech and expression ..."The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way ..."The third is freedom from want ..."The fourth is freedom from fear." - Franklin Roosevelt, Jan. 6, 1941, State of the Union Address~~~When FDR entered office, he had one overriding concern - to get the United States of America out of the Great Depression. But as the years...
2023-06-051h 40[Abridged] Presidential Histories32.E.) FDR's policy of Japanese internment, an interview with Paul Sparrow"By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States ... I hereby authorize and direct the Secretary of War and the Military Commanders ... to prescribe military areas … from which any or all persons may be excluded," - Executive Order No. 9066, Feb. 12, 1942~~~Two months after Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order permitting the military to remove anyone it wanted from designated "military areas." By this authority, 120,000 Japanese Americans were taken from their homes and put in military prison camps for the duration of the war. Historical consultant Paul Sp...
2023-05-1556 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories32.D.) FDR's mastery of radio, the press, and persuasion, an interview with Harold Holzer"The president wants to come into your home and sit at your fireside for a little fireside chat," - Robert Trout of CBS News, introducing one of FDR's radio speeches.~~~FDR is the longest-serving president in U.S. history, winning four consecutive terms. That doesn't happen without darn good PR. Historian Howard Holzer, director of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College in New York City, Chairman of the Lincoln Forum, and author of The presidents vs. the Press: The endless battle between the white house and the media, from the founding fathers t...
2023-05-0155 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories32.C.) FDR, Traitor to his Class, an interview with H.W. Brands"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little," - Franklin Roosevelt, Jan. 20, 1937.~~~FDR had one of the most privileged upbringings of any U.S. President. Why was he the one to enact the most radical social and economic reforms in U.S. history? Historian H.W. Brands discusses his Pulitzer Prize-finalist book, Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the roles uncle Teddy, Polio...
2023-04-1746 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories32.B.) FDR's death & the history of presidential mourning, an interview with Lindsay Chervinsky & Matthew Costello"Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them," - FDR on Bill of Rights Day, 1941.~~~Every president's death is mourned differently. What do those differences tell us about the evolving culture of our nation? Historians Lindsay Chervinsky and Matthew Costello join me to discuss their new book Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture, with a deeper dive on the death of FDR 82 days into the start of his fourth term. Did anyone know how sick he was? Did his health...
2023-04-0348 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories32.A.) FDR and the New Deal, an interview with Eric Rauchway"I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people" - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, July 2, 1932, upon accepting the Democratic nomination for president~~~Did the New Deal get the United States out of the Great Depression? Or was it World War II? Just how successful was the New Deal anyway? Eric Rauchway, a distinguished professor of history at UC Davis and the author of Why the New Deal Matters, Winter War: Hoover, Roosevelt, and the First Clash Over the New Deal, and The Money Makers: How Roosevelt and Keynes Ended the Depression...
2023-03-2057 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories32.) Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1933-1945"This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny." - Franklin Roosevelt~~~When FDR was sworn in on March 4, 1933, the nation, and the world, were in dire straights. Nation's around the world had abandoned democracy for militaristic authoritarian solutions, and many Americans were tempted to join them. Radio priest Father Coughlin espoused an American fascism from the right, while Louisiana kingpin Huey Long flirted with a socialist form of dictatorial power on the left. As if to underscore the danger, a 32-year-old bricklayer attempted to assassinate Roosevelt a month before he was sworn in, narrowly...
2023-03-0658 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories31.C) Herbert Hoover & the origins of The Great Depression, an interview with Robert McElvaine"The fundamental business of the country, that is, production and distribution of commodities, is on a sound and prosperous basis," - Herbert Hoover, on the eve of the Great Depression, Oct. 25, 1929What caused the Great Depression? Robert McElvaine, a professor of history at Millsaps College and the author of Down and Out in the Great Depression: Letters from the “Forgotten Man” and The Great Depression: America, 1929-1941, argues the very factors that made the 1920's roar were the instruments of its destruction - mass production, easy credit, and an ads industry that told Americas, 'spend away today, don...
2023-02-2058 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories31.B) Herbert Hoover, the first businessman president, an interview with David Hamilton"It simply comes to this: men hate me more after they work for me than before. They don't need think they are coming to a snap. They're coming to a perfect hell and I am the devil." - Herbert Hoover, 1897, written from the gold fields of Australia.The United States had seen generals, publishers, history professors, and lawyers - oh so many lawyers - become president. But it had never had a businessman president before Herbert Hoover. David E. Hamilton, a history professor at the University of Kentucky, discusses how Hoover's background in business gave him the...
2023-02-0656 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories31.A.) The political evolution of Herbert Hoover, an interview with Thomas Schwartz"My country owes me nothing. It gave me, as it gives every boy and girl, a chance. It gave me schooling, independence of action, opportunity for service and honor.” - Herbert HooverHerbert Hoover entered government a self-described progressive. But by the time the end of his life, his opposition to the New Deal had some calling him a father of modern conservativism. What's the truth of the matter? Join me as I talk to Thomas Schwartz, director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum, about the evolution of Herbert Hoover and whether he changed, or whether the co...
2023-01-1658 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories31.) Herbert Hoover 1929-1933"In America today, we are nearer a final triumph over poverty than is any other land." - Herbert Hoover.~~~Herbert Hoover made his fortune as a mining engineer, made his name as a humanitarian leader, and lost his reputation as a president. Nobody knew the great Depression was coming when they elected Hoover, but the great irony of his presidency is that, after savings millions of lives as a humanitarian during national and global emergencies, he's the first guy most Americans would have turned to if they had known it was coming. He went above...
2023-01-0257 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories30.A.) Calvin Coolidge turns PR into Presidential Relations, an interview with David GreenbergHistory remembers Calvin Coolidge as "Silent Cal," but the notoriously quiet president was also an early adopter of emerging forms of mass media, such as radio and motion picture. Join me as I talk to historian David Greenberg, author of Calvin Coolidge and Republic of Spin: An Inside History of the American Presidency, about how Coolidge quietly became one of the more effective image manipulators of the early 20th century.Support the show
2022-12-1954 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories30.) Calvin Coolidge 1923-1929"The business of America is business." - Calvin Coolidge.~~~Calvin Coolidge had a saying: When you see 10 problems coming down the road, nine will probably go into the ditch on their own. Translation? Don't do anything. But what happens when the one problem that doesn't go into the ditch is the Great Depression?Follow along as Coolidge works his way up the government food chain to VP, becomes president when Harding dies, introduces new tools like radio and motion picture to the presidential PR kit, enjoys one of the most fortuitous presidencies in...
2022-12-0551 min![[Abridged] Presidential Histories](https://storage.buzzsprout.com/183twbeyyfu1x1sixexkttzql6w3?.jpg)
[Abridged] Presidential HistoriesHistory Podcast Friendsgiving SpectacularOn a late summer day in September, four podcasters got together to record the first ever History Podcast Friendsgiving Spectacular! Tune in as three respected podcasters join me for a round table discussion of American and presidential history. The other podcasters are:Jerry Landry, Presidencies of the United StatesAlycia, Civics & Coffee Howard Dorre, Plodding through the PresidentsIf you enjoy the format, let us know and we'll look for more collaborative opportunities in the future.Happy Thanksgiving!Support the show
2022-11-2157 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories29.A.) Warren Harding's affairs & legacy, an interview with James RobenaltPoliticians having affairs is nothing new in the history of the world. But what happens when they're sleeping with an enemy spy?Join me as I talk to author and lawyer James Robenalt, author of The Harding Affair: Love and Espionage During the Great War, about Warren Harding's 15-year affair with Carrie Fulton Phillips, who became an Imperial German spy during World War I; whether we should be concerned about politicians having affairs; and whether Harding deserves a better shake than history has given him.Support the show
2022-11-0734 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories29.) Warren Harding 1921-1923First, Warren G Harding was a beloved president.Then, he became synonymous with government corruption.But today, we know him for his sex scandals - scandals that took more than 90 years to fully come to light.Follow along as Harding jumps from the newspaper business to politics, sleeps with a potential german spy, fathers a child out of wedlock with another mistress, wins the presidency at a time of great national turmoil, presides over two of the largest corruption scandals in American history, dies in office, and somehow leaves behind a nation that's in much...
2022-10-1757 min[Abridged] Presidential HistoriesAPH Mailbag Episode!"Who was the biggest presidential bust?""Do any of our presidents have an unvarnished legacy on race?""Which 19th century president would fail under the media scrutiny of today?"You've all been submitting some great questions this summer and today I take some time to answer them. Thank you everyone who participated. Enjoy the show!Support the show
2022-10-0337 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories28.E.) Wilson's Wives, an interview with Paul BrandusWoodrow Wilson's wives had a tremendous impact on his presidency. His first wife, Ellen Axson Wilson, died the week World War I broke out in Europe, leaving the president so depressed at a moment of crisis that he told aids he wished someone would shoot him. Less than a year later, he was over it, and instead obsessed with his courtship of Edith Bolling Galt, sometimes writing her three letters a day. When a stroke crippled Wilson in the final years of his presidency, it was Edith who cared for him and maintained the illusion that he was still...
2022-09-1930 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories28.D.) Woodrow Wilson, WW1, and the new world order; an interview with Thomas KnockFor the first 128 years of American history, the United States followed the parting advice of its first president, George Washington, to stay out of European wars.That all changed with Woodrow Wilson.Wilson wielded the power of rhetoric to change not just the country's course, but the way Americans thought of themselves - They had a destiny to make the world safe for democracy. But even as Americans embarked on this quest, the ideals Wilson gave life to began to flicker and dim as he succeeded in winning the war, but failed to win the...
2022-09-0555 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories28.C.) Woodrow Wilson's legacy on race; an interview with Eric S. YellinNo 20th century president did more to set back racial equality in the United States than Woodrow Wilson. His administration introduced a silent policy of segregating the federal government, and when he finally spoke out about it, he gave weight to a philosophy that was used to rationalize continued segregation for decades more. Join me as I talk with Eric S. Yellin, an associate professor of History and American Studies at the University of Richmond and author of Racism in the Nation’s Service: Government Workers and the Color Line in Woodrow Wilson's America, about the racist le...
2022-08-1554 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories28.B.) Woodrow Wilson's progressive legacy; an interview with John Milton CooperWoodrow Wilson is one of the most legislatively accomplished progressive presidents in American history. His list of achievements ranges from the first progressive income tax to the creation of the Federal Reserve, an inheritance tax, a child labor law, and more. But a list doesn't do justice to the effort it took to get these laws passed or the impact they had on the Americans' lives.Join me as I talk with John Milton Cooper, a professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of Pulitzer Prize-finalist Woodrow Wilson, a Biography, about the progressive legacy of W...
2022-08-0152 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories28.A.) Woodrow Wilson & the Spanish flu pandemic; an interview with John BarryThe Spanish flu of 1918 wasn't from Spain and it didn't start or end with 1918. It lasted for years, killed millions around the world, and it infected President Woodrow Wilson himself, right as he was negotiating the treaty that would end World War I. The costs of that infection may have been the values and world order he'd taken the United States into the war to achieve.Join me as I talk with John Barry, Distinguished Scholar at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and author of The Great Influenza: the story of the...
2022-07-1848 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories28.) Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921Woodrow Wilson was once regarded as one of the great progressive presidents of the 20th century. Then historians took another look at his record on race. Today, he's a bit of a mixed bag. But one thing you can't argue is the years he was president changed the world.Follow along as Wilson gives up on politics to become an academic, only to unexpectedly rise from Princeton president to New Jersey Governor to American President in two short years! Wilson's presidency will witness a raft of progressive change, a reactive retreat on racial progress, and a little...
2022-07-0451 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories27.B.) William Howard Taft, the presidential Chief Justice; an interview with Kevin BurnsWilliam Howard Taft is the only American in history to serve as both president of the United States and chief justice of the Supreme Court. But how did his experience as president shape his leadership as chief justice? What role did it play in his nomination process, and how good of a chief justice was he, anyway?Join me as I talk with Kevin Burns, an assistant professor of political science and economics at Christendom College and author of William Howard Taft’s Constitutional Progressivism, about the judicial impact and legacy of William Howard Taft.PS...
2022-06-2055 min[Abridged] Presidential HistoriesIntelligent Speech TrailerI'll be speaking at the 2022 Intelligent Speech conference on Saturday, June 25. Tickets can be purchased at the link below. Use the code "abridged" to save 10%!https://www.intelligentspeechconference.com/Support the show
2022-06-0902 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories27.A.) The rise and presidency of William Howard Taft; an interview with Peri ArnoldTo hear William Howard Taft tell it, all he ever wanted to do is be a federal judge. But people don't just accidentally become president. Join me as I talk with Peri Arnold, a professor Emeritus in the Department of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, a consultant to New York Times in Education, and author of several books, including Remaking the Presidency: Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson; about the role ambition, luck, and family played in Taft's rise to the nation's highest office.Support the show
2022-06-0646 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories27.) William Howard Taft 1909-1913In 1908, Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft were such great friends, TR personally campaigned for Taft to succeed him to the presidency. Four years later, that relationship was so irrevocably damaged that TR split the GOP in half to deny Taft's reelection. There's no way around, Taft's presidency was made by Roosevelt, and then it was unmade by Roosevelt. But there's far more to Taft's legacy than just his four years in the White House.Follow along as Taft pursues a career in the judiciary, gets dragged into politics by President William McKinley, is tasked...
2022-05-1644 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories26.E.) Theodore Roosevelt's post-presidential quest for death and glory; an interview with David PietruszaTheodore Roosevelt is the youngest American to become president. He's also the youngest American to become a former president, which means the hyper-energetic TR had plenty of time to do whatever he wanted with the rest of his life. In Roosevelt's case, that meant going on a bunch of suicidally dangerous adventures in search of death or glory. Join me as I interview presidential historian David Pietrusza, author of TR's Last War: Theodore Roosevelt, the Great War, and a Journey of Triumph and Tragedy, to discuss Roosevelt's African safari, near-miss assassination attempt, near-death experience exploring the amazon, a...
2022-05-0254 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories26.D.) Teddy Roosevelt, his cabinet, and a doomed bromance with William Howard Taft; an interview with Lindsay ChervinskyWhen Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in to replace the assassinated William McKinley, he was well aware that almost every previous accidental president had been a failure, and none had won reelection.He had a plan to buck the trend, and it started with winning over McKinley's cabinet. Join me as I interview presidential scholar Lindsay M. Chervinsky, author of The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution, and cohost of the SMU Center for Presidential History podcast The Past, The Promise, The Presidency , in a conversation about Roosevelt, the cabinet, and his d...
2022-04-1840 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories26.C.) Teddy Roosevelt, the press, and the bully pulpit; an interview with Harold HolzerWhen you hear the name Theodore Roosevelt, a face, personality, and image all pop into mind - Just the way Roosevelt wanted. Presidents have always dealt with and nurtured the press, but Teddy was a quantum leap forward in presidential PR, and he used the media to advance his career, his policies, and to create an image of himself that has lasted 100 years. Join me as I interview Harold Holzer, director of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College in New York City, Chairman of the Lincoln Forum, and author of The presidents vs. the P...
2022-04-0442 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories26.B.) How NY made TR, an interview with Ted KohnTheodore Roosevelt is one of the biggest personalities to ever inhabit the presidency, so of course he was born in New York City. Roosevelt was heir to one of the city's oldest families and a civil servant at nearly every level - state assemblyman, police commissioner, and governor of the Empire State. Join me as I talk with Ted Kohn, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Norwich University and author of Heir to the Empire City: New York and the Making of Theodore Roosevelt, on how Roosevelt's years in New York shaped him into t...
2022-03-2148 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories26.A.) The progressivism of Theodore Roosevelt, an interview with Alycia of Civics and Coffee PodBorn with a silver spoon in his mouth, Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most unlikely champions of progressive reform. Yet there he is, ushering in the American progressive era, promising a "square deal" to all.Join me as I talk with Alycia, host of the excellent Civics and Coffee podcast, about the origins and impact of TR's environment, economic, and civil service progressivism. How does one of the most privileged presidents in American history become its first champion of labor and the common man?Support the show
2022-03-0732 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories26.) Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909In 1898, Theodore Roosevelt was a pencil-pushing desk jockey with no clear political future. Six months later, he was the war-hero governor-elect of New York and well on his way to the presidential ticket. How'd he do it?Follow along as Roosevelt pushes the nation toward war with Spain, quits the safety of his Washington desk job to fight in Cuba, comes home a war hero with a bright political future, rises to the white house, then father's the modern progressive movement and overcomes treaties, disease, jungles, and international intrigue to build the Panama Canal.Bibliography
2022-02-2148 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories25.B.) William McKinley's American Empire, an interview with Robert MerryHow did a country founded by anti-imperial revolutionaries come to own an empire of its own? The answer starts with William McKinley, whose administration exploded onto the international stage by carrying the American flag to Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, Hawaii, and China.Join me as I talk with Robert Merry, a 40-year veteran of Washington journalism and author of five books, including President McKinley: Architect of the American Century, about the arguments for and against McKinley's international actions and the legacy those decisions left behind.Support the show
2022-02-0741 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories25.A.) How William McKinley revolutionized politics, an interview with Christopher McKnight NicholsWhen William McKinley ran for president in 1896, he out-raised his opponent 7-to-1, printed more campaign literature than all previous GOP presidential candidates combined, and organized what is often called the first modern presidential campaign. How'd he do it?Join me as I talk with professor Christopher McKnight Nichols, director of the Oregon State University Center for the Humanities; an expert on the Gilded Age, Progressive Era, World War I, and the 1918 flu pandemic; and author of Promise and Peril, America at the Dawn of the global age, to discuss what made McKinley's 1896 campaign such a game changer...
2022-01-1756 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories25.) William McKinley 1897-1901Once upon a time, the United States stuck to its shores and big business largely stayed out of politics.Then came William McKinley.William McKinley took the United States international in a big way, carrying the American flag to Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and China; he revolutionized political campaigning by leveraging the power of big business against a progressive populist threat and building a national campaign that was a quantum leap forward in political organization; and he crafted a international Chinese policy that is a big part of the reason we still have a...
2022-01-0353 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories24.B.) The lies and secrets of Grover Cleveland, an interview with Matthew AlgeoWhat was Grover Cleveland hiding in 1893? When the famously honest president was diagnosed with mouth cancer, he decided to keep it from the public at all costs - even if that meant hatching a hair-brained scheme to surgically remove the tumor on a yacht at sea.Join me as I talk with award-winning journalist and author Matthew Algeo, author of All This Marvelous Potential: Robert Kennedy’s 1968 Tour of Appalachia; Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip; and The President Is a Sick Man: Wherein the Supposedly Virtuous Grover Cleveland Surv...
2021-12-2742 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories24.A.) Grover Cleveland's reelection revenge, an interview with Mark SummersIn 1892, the rich were getting richer, the poor were getting poorer, and a former president decided to run again against the rival who had defeated him. How similar is the Gilded Age to our modern political and economic moment?Join me as I talk with University Kentucky professor Mark Summers, a historian of the Gilded Age and author of numerous books, including The Era of Good Stealings; The Gilded Age; and Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion: The Making of a President, 1884, to discuss how Grover Cleveland won his revenge campaign against Benjamin Harrison and whether we currently live...
2021-12-2046 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories24.) Grover Cleveland part II 1893-1897On the final day of Grover Cleveland's first term in office, his wife turned to a member of the white house staff and said. "I want you to take good care of all the furniture and ornaments in the house, for I want everything just as it is now when we come back again. We are coming back. Just four years from today."Four years later, she was right. Follow along as Cleveland graciously accepts defeat in 1888 only to become convinced he must run again, wins the white house, and them stumbles into one of th...
2021-12-1341 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories23.B.) What is legacy, anyway? An interview on Benjamin Harrison with Charles HydeBenjamin Harrison presidential accomplishments range from obtaining America's first overseas possession to signing an anti-trust bill that is still the law of the land, but he's hardly known today. Why?Join me as I talk with Charles Hyde, the President and CEO of the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis, Indiana, on why Benjamin Harrison should be better known and what we should remember him for.Support the show
2021-12-0649 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories23.A.) How Benjamin Harrison won his way to defeat, an interview with Charles CalhounIs it possible to win your way to defeat? Benjamin Harrison and the 51st Congress might say so. After passing almost all the legislation they had campaigned on in 1889, American voters dealt them crippling defeats in 1891 and 1893. What went wrong?Join me as I interview Charles Calhoun, a retired distinguished professor of History at East Carolina University, a past president of the Society for Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, and the author of Benjamin Harrison, on how Benjamin Harrison and the Republican Party won their way to defeat.Support...
2021-11-2954 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories23.) Benjamin Harrison 1889-1893When it comes to politicians, promises made + promises kept is supposed to = reelection, right? For Benjamin Harrison and the 51st GOP Congress, this common sense equation failed in a major way. After passing more legislation than almost any Congress in U.S. history, Harrison and the GOP majority were sent packing in one of the most lopsided congressional wipeouts ever. Why?Follow along as Harrison serves in the Civil War, enters politics, wins the White House, and passes a raft of major legislation - some of which we still live under today - only for the voters...
2021-11-2249 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories22.A.) Mugwumps, scandals, and the stunning campaign of 1884, an interview with Ted KohnHow do you break a 28-year losing streak? It takes good strategy, a bit of luck, and sometimes whatever the heck a mugwump is.Join me as I interview Ted Kohn, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Norwich University and a historian of the Gilded Age in American History, on how the Democrats ended an era of Republican rule. Support the show
2021-11-1528 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories22.) Grover Cleveland part I 1885-1889What do you do when your party hasn't won a presidential election in 28 years? You find an outsider and roll the dice. Grover Cleveland's political career was less than three years old when the Democratic party nominated him for president in 1884, but that guaranteed a candidate with a clean record - or so they thought. Get ready for a sex scandal that will have Republicans famously taunting, "Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?" and ultimately victorious Democrats rejoining, "Gone to the White House, ha, ha, ha!" Follow along as Cleveland buys his way out of serving in the...
2021-11-0836 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories21.A.) The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur, an interview with Scott GreenbergerChester A. Arthur is a 19th-century American politics version of Breaking Bad mashed with Darth Vader's redemption story.Ok. There's no meth or space sorcery. But there is a seemingly noble man who jettisons his values when they get in the way of making a buck. (Ok, a LOT of bucks). And then, after a lifetime of proving himself a good-for-nothing scoundrel, he turns into a redemption story when thrust into the presidency with the future of the nation on the line.Join me as I interview Scott Greenberger, executive editor of Stateline, the daily n...
2021-11-0144 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories21.) Chester A. Arthur 1881-1885Chester A. Arthur is the most corrupt politician to ever become president. For years, he made a fortune making sure enough money disappeared from the New York City customs house to keep his patron in power. When a backroom deal made him vice president and an assassin's bullet ended James Garfield's presidency and began Arthur's, the nation despaired. But then he got an unexpected letter. One woman - a woman he'd never met - believed he was capable of change. Could Arthur complete the most unexpected transformation in presidential history? Or was American democracy about to be sold to...
2021-10-2551 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories44.A) The Black President, an interview on Barack Obama with Claude A. CleggIt's Obama time! We are skipping ahead in the narrative to talk with UNC professor Claude A. Clegg, author of the recently published book The Black President: Hope and Fury in the Age of Obama, about the Obama administration, race, and the challenges and opportunities that come with writing contemporary history.Support the show
2021-10-1858 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories20.A.) Garfield and the Gilded Age, an interview with Todd ArringtonJames Garfield has been called, "The best president we never had." What did we lose when he was assassinated? A champion for the abandoned freedmen? A guiding light in an age of corruption? Or just another politician, same as the rest? Join me as I interview to Todd Arrington, a historian and site manager at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor, Ohio, and author of The Last Lincoln Republican: The Presidential Election of 1880 , on what the nation lost when Garfield was assassinated and how the Republican Party was evolving in the final decades of...
2021-09-0648 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories20.) James A. Garfield 1881-1881James Garfield didn't want to be president, but the 1880 Republican Convention nominated him against his will. And do you know what thanks he got for it? Assassinated within six months. But Garfield has a lot to teach us in his fascinating rags-to-riches life and the fierce political battles he waged during his short term in office for, in just a few months, he accomplished what his predecessor could not - the defeat of Lord Roscoe's corrupt New York political machineFollow along as Garfield goes from school janitor to school president, civil war soldier to Congressman, and...
2021-09-0150 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories19.A.) Hayes' evolving views on slavery, an interview with Dustin McLochlinRutherford B. Hayes is known to history as the President who ended Reconstruction, but is that a fair monicker? What did Hayes think of slavery, the freedmen, and Reconstruction, anyway?Join me as I interview to Dustin McLochlin, a historian at the Rutherford B Hayes Presidential Library and Museums in Fremont, Ohio, on Hayes' evolving views on slavery and how to best protect the former slaves, and bring peace, after the Civil War set them free.Support the show
2021-08-0949 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories19.) Rutherford B Hayes 1877-1881How do you lead a nation when half the country thinks you were fraudulently elected? I'm not talking about 2021, I'm talking about 1877, when Rutherford B Hayes emerged the winner of an election that was so vigorously contested, he wasn't even officially declared the winner until two days before inauguration day. But what did Hayes win? A nation that didn't fully accept him, and a party so rife with corruption that the longest daggers were in his fellow Republicans' pockets.Follow along as Hayes fights in the Civil War, becomes governor of Ohio, wins the craziest election in A...
2021-08-0256 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories18.C.) Grant, Lincoln, and Reconstruction, an interview with Ron WhitePresident Lincoln and General Grant formed one of the most successful president-general partnerships in American history, winning the Civil War and defeating the Confederacy. But before that partnership could turn to the challenge of reconstruction, Lincoln was assassinated, leaving the nation in the incapable hands of Andrew Johnson. Four years later, Grant was elected to pick up where Lincoln and left off and finish Lincoln's mission of healing the divided nation, and he'd lean on everything he'd learned from his late friend to attempt it.Join me as I interview to Ron White, a New York Times...
2021-07-1932 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories18.B.) The evolving myth and reputation of Ulysses S. Grant, an interview with Joan WaughUlysses S. Grant's reputation has been through a lot. While he was still alive, he was very nearly our first three-term president; after he died, the Myth of the Lost Cause repainted him as a drunk and corrupt butcher; in the past 30 years, he's started to become a Civil Rights Icon as historians gave him a long overdue second look. Join me as I interview to Joan Waugh, UCLA professor of 19th-century America who specializes in the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Gilded Age, and the author of U.S. Grant, American Hero, American Myth on why Grant's reputation...
2021-07-1250 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories18.A.) The moments that shaped Ulysses S. Grant, an interview with Nick SaccoUlysses S. Grant led an Odyssey of a life. From the battlefields of the Mexican-American War, to the get-rich-quick frontier of the California Gold Rush, to years of poverty in St. Louis, Grant was shaped by a dizzying array of diverse experiences. Join me as I interview Nick Sacco, a park ranger at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site in St. Louis and an author for The Journal of the Civil War Era, on the experiences that prepared Grant to win the Civil War and lead the nation through Reconstruction as our 18th President....
2021-07-0449 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories18.) Ulysses S. Grant 1869-1877They say history is written by the victor. Ulysses S Grant may beg to differ. For nearly 100 years, Grant was derided as an inept and corrupt drunk who won the Civil War by recklessly sacrificing the lives of his men and who floundered in a presidency rife with corruption.In the past 30 years, that verdict has changed.Follow along as Grant goes from Mexican-American war veteran to failed businessman, victorious union general, and eventually president of the United States. Along the way, he'll go nearly undefeated as a general, lead the fight against the Ku...
2021-07-0156 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories17.A.) The impeachment of Andrew Johnson, an interview with David O. StewartAndrew Johnson is the only president to face a Senate impeachment in our first 200 years. What did he do to get impeached? Who were the men out to get him? And how did he beat his conviction and removal from office by a single vote? Join me as I interview David O Stewart, a lawyer, historian, and author of numerous books about presidential history, including Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln’s Legacy, on the trial that some say altered the balance of power between Congress and the president for a generation....
2021-06-0734 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories17.) Andrew Johnson 1865-1869In the wake of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, former vice president Andrew Johnson was faced with a tremendous challenge: How do you mend relations between the north and south, two regions that had spend the past four years killing each other on the field of battle? And what do you do about the south's 3.5 million newly freed former slaves who owned no land or property and who were surrounded by 5.5 million whites who feared and resented them. And, oh yeah, all those white guys have recent military experience?It wouldn't have been easy for any president to navigate...
2021-06-0150 min[Abridged] Presidential HistoriesB.) Jefferson Davis, The Confederate PresidentJefferson Davis was never president of all the United States, but he was president of half of them.Follow Davis as parlays his status as a Mexican-American war hero into a political career as a fiery southern radical, serves as Secretary of War, get's his dream job as general of the confederate Mississippi armies, and days later gets the job he never asked for nor wanted - President of the Confederacy. We'll take a close look at the major decisions he made that helped shape the outcome of the Civil WarWhile we're at it...
2021-05-1557 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories16.E.) Lincoln, the Union Army, and the election of 1864; an interview with Jon WhiteSix of the seven presidents who followed Lincoln served in the Union Army during the Civil War. In our final look at Honest Abe, join me as I interview Jon White, an associate professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University and author of Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln , on Lincoln's relationship with the army and what its soldiers thought of Lincoln, the GOP, slavery, and the election of 1864.Support the show
2021-05-0642 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories16.D.) Lincoln the lawyer; an interview with Brian DirckAbraham Lincoln is the most experienced trial lawyer we've ever elected president, with more than two decades of experience litigating in the courtroom. Join me as I talk to Brian Dirck, a professor of History at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana, and author of Lincoln the Lawyer, as we discuss how those decades of practicing the law prepared Lincoln for the legal landmines he had to navigate to win the Civil War and free the slaves.Support the show
2021-05-0530 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories16.C.) Lincoln and the partisan press; an interview with Harold HolzerThink the press is biased today? Take a look at it in the 19th century, when papers were so partisan they were practically departments of their parties. Join me as I interview Harold Holzer, director of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College in New York City, Chairman of the Lincoln Forum, and author of The presidents vs. the Press: The endless battle between the white house and the media, from the founding fathers to Fake News on the tools Lincoln used to manage the press, and how he flattered, outwitted, and strong armed the media during t...
2021-05-0443 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories16.B.) The history of the abolitionist movement and Lincoln's place in it; an interview with Kate MasurThe debate over slavery is was old as independence. What made Lincoln to end it with the emancipation of the slaves? Join me as I interview Kate Masur, an associate professor of 19th-century American History at Northwestern University and author of Until Justice Be Done: America’s First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction, on the history of the abolitionist movement and Lincoln's place in it. Support the show
2021-05-0341 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories16.A.) Lincoln's balancing act, emancipation and reconstruction, an interview with Louis MasurHow did Lincoln keep the slave-holding border states in the union while also advancing the cause of emancipation? Join me as I interview Louis Masur, a distinguished professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University and author of Lincoln’s Hundred Days: The Emancipation Proclamation and the War for the Union , on the tightrope act Lincoln walked to save the union and end American slavery once and for all.Support the show
2021-05-0244 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories16.) Abraham Lincoln 1861-1865When Abraham Lincoln was elected, the south didn't take it too well. Before he was even sworn in, seven states had already seceded, and four more joined the confederacy in the months that followed. The fate of the union was at stake. Follow along as Lincoln goes from country lawyer to U.S. President and then leads the nation to reunification by winning the PR war, finding a general who can win the shooting war, and eventually ending slavery once and for all.Bibliography1. Abraham Lincoln – David Herbert Donald2. Team of Rivals - Do...
2021-05-011h 02[Abridged] Presidential Histories15.A.) James Buchanan's life, legacy, and sexuality; an interview with Thomas BalcerskiWas James Buchanan secretly the nation's first gay president? Join me as I interview historian Thomas Balcerski, author of Bosom Friends, the intimate world of James Buchanan and William Rufus King, on the 150-year-old rumors about Buchanan's sexuality. We'll also dive into Buchanan's presidency and ask, what can we learn from a man widely considered one of the worst presidents we've ever had?Support the show
2021-04-0145 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories15.) James Buchanan 1857-1861In 1857, the debate over slavery had fractured Kansas, national political parties, and even national churches. It's easy to see why the country turned to James Buchanan, a man with one of the strongest resumes ever put in the white house.Unfortunately, he inherited 31 states, and left behind 27, as the pre-civil was secession crisis overwhelmed the nation during his final months in office.Follow along as Buchanan develops an affinity for southern slave culture, then vigorously advances that cause as a congressman, senator, minister abroad, secretary of state, and president, engages in all sorts of corruption...
2021-04-0150 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories14.) Franklin Pierce 1853-1857"We Polked you in 44, we're Pierce you in 52!"Franklin Pierce may have my favorite campaign slogan yet. But in terms of presidencies, wow, this guy is a total disaster. I mean, Millard Fillmore just nuked the only major opposition party into oblivion. Governing should be easy, right? Not when you're Pierce, who do his best to one-up Fillmore and wreck the Democratic party on the bloody shoal known as "Bleeding Kansas."Follow along as Pierce falls hilariously short in his pursuit of military glory in the Mexican-American War, gets elected president anyway when Democratic partisans c...
2021-03-0145 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories13.) Millard Fillmore 1850-1853When Millard Fillmore became president, the country was on the verge of collapse. President Taylor had just died, the Compromise of 1850 appeared dead, and southern secessionist were organizing a convention to plot disunion. The nation looked to Fillmore to save it.And he totally whiffed.Follow along as Fillmore uses the scapegoating of minorities to rise to power, postpones Civil War for a decade with the Compromise of 1850, destroys the Whig party with his overzealous enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act, and runs for president with the Know Nothings - a nativist secret-society-turned-political-party that dreamt...
2021-02-0144 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories12.) Zachary Taylor 1849-1850"Ol' Rough n' Ready" hadn't even been sworn in yet when the discovery of California gold derailed whatever plans he'd held for his presidency. 100,000 Americans flooded west to California In 1849 and quickly began clamoring for statehood - statehood without slavery. The north loved the idea, the south threatened to secede over it, and Zachary Taylor had to bridge the gap or die trying.Follow Taylor as he participates in four wars and becomes a national hero for his generalship in the Mexican-American War, gets pulled into politics by a Whig party desperate to reclaim the White House...
2021-01-0145 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories11.) James K. Polk 1845-1849No president better captures the spirit of Manifest Destiny than James K. Polk. When he entered office, the United States had a disputed claim to Oregon, and that's about it. When he left office, the United States looked like the continent-spanning empire it is today..Follow along as Polk revives his dead-end political career to shock everyone and win the White House, manipulates the United States into war with Mexico to steal the American Southwest, acquires the Oregon Territory from Great Britain through bold negotiation, and accomplishes all of his domestic priorities in a single action-packed term.
2020-12-0150 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories10.) John Tyler 1841-1845President John Tyler was so hated, he was burned in effigy by his own party before being kicked out of the party and made into a political pariah. And that's BEFORE he committed treason.Follow along as John Tyler sneaks into the presidency in a fluke, vetoes his own party's agenda to incur their wrath, engages in some of the most ambitious backroom political plotting so far, and then annexes Texas during his final days in office - lighting a 16-year fuse to Civil War.Bibliography1. John Tyler - Gary May2. William Henry...
2020-11-0154 min[Abridged] Presidential HistoriesA.) Sam Houston, The RavenSam Houston was never president of the United States, but he was the first president of the Independent Republic of Texas, one of the first senators of the state of Texas, and was ejected from the governorship of Texas for refusing to swear loyalty to the confederacy on the eve of the Civil War.Follow Houston as he runs away from home to live with the Cherokee, joins the army to fight under Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812, becomes Jackson's most likely heir as governor of Tennessee, flees Tennessee in disgrace when his first wife abandons...
2020-10-2253 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories09.) William Henry Harrison 1841-1841When William Henry Harrison pledged to only serve one term as president, he probably expected that term to last more than one month, but a disease lurking in the D.C. sanitation system had other plans, and so history knows him as our shortest-serving president. But Harrison is far more than that. He's also the reason England didn't capture the American midwest during the war of 1812, and his presidential campaign introduced the word "Booze" to American culture.So, rock on.Follow Harrison as he joins the army on the frontier, saves midwest from British invasion...
2020-10-0140 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories08.) Martin Van Buren 1837-1841How does Martin Van Buren rise from being an impoverished child with no education to taking over New York State politics, forging the Democratic Party, and creating the modern two-party system? He does it by being sly. Sly as a fox.Follow Van Buren, the "Little Magician," as he outwits and manipulates every foe and ally alike to remake the American political landscape, only for it all to collapse on him just four days after reaching the White House when America's first great depression destroys the economy and any dreams Van Buren might have held for what...
2020-09-0153 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories07.) Andrew Jackson 1829 - 1837How does an uneducated man with a fiery temper, a treasonous past, and a propensity for murder become president? He does it by winning a famous military victory, of course! Andrew Jackson is the Hero of New Orleans, our seventh president, and a pretty terrible person beyond that.From his youth as a Revolutionary War orphan to his military victories, war crimes, cruelty toward Native Americans, disastrous economic policies, and that time he almost fought a civil war against his own former Vice President (really!), we'll follow Jackson as he begrudges his way to the top of...
2020-08-0153 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories06.) John Quincy Adams 1825 - 1829Full disclosure, John Quincy Adams is my favorite early president. Not for anything he did as president - he was a total failure there. But because of what he did after the presidency, when he returned to D.C. as a humble Congressman and became the loudest voice against slavery in Congress. John Quincy will roar so loud, the South will pass a series of unconstitutional gag rules to try and shut him up. They won't succeed.From his first diplomatic mission at the age of 14, to the Napoleonic Wars, to negotiating an end to the War...
2020-07-0453 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories05.) James Monroe 1817-1825James Monroe has been called the Forrest Gump of Founding Fathers - he just keeps showing up everywhere! But that doesn't mean he isn't sharp. Monroe dropped out of college to fight in the revolution, and his life rarely slowed down after that. He'll dine with emperor's, oversee wars, and destroy his political opponents In a globe-trotting career that takes him from nearly being orphaned to the White House.From his service In Washington's army during the Revolutionary War, to Valley Forge, to his vote against ratifying the Constitution, to his signing of the Louisiana Purchase, to...
2020-07-0155 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories04.) James Madison 1809-1817James Madison is known as the father of the Constitution. Unfortunately, he's also the father of the War of 1812 and the Embargo act of 1807. The first was a disastrous conflict that burned down the White House, the second was a well-intentioned policy that totally failed and plunged the American economy into depression.From his time helping create the modern American government to his year's building the Jeffersonian-Republican Party and his two terms in the (badly burnt) White House, we'll follow Madison as he does his best to advance the country with big, bold ideas, and only sometimes...
2020-06-0147 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories03.) Thomas Jefferson 1801-1809Thomas Jefferson was once regarded as the greatest of Founding Fathers, and It's easy to see why. He wrote the Declaration of Independents, founded the nation's first political party, and acquired the Louisiana Purchase. But in recent years, his standing has taken a hit. There's his embrace of partisan politics, his embargo policy that caused the nation's first economic depression, and his long-running affair with Sally Hemings, his dead wife's half-sister who was 30 years younger than him and, oh yeah, also happened to be his slave.A mixed legacy, to say the least....
2020-05-0146 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories02.) John Adams 1797-1801John Adams is the Devil's Advocate of the Founding Fathers. A revolutionary turned international diplomat turned President who was never afraid to stand alone if he was convinced that standing alone was the right thing to do. From the Boston Massacre to the Continental Congresses to the Treaty of Paris and the Quasi War with France, we'll follow Adams as he charts the unique path of a man who refused to be carried by the tides of history, and instead sought to control them.Bibliography1. John Adams - David McCullough2. John Quincy Adams...
2020-04-0542 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories0.) IntroductionWhat can listeners expect from the [Abridged] Presidential Histories podcast? What was the inspiration? And who's hosting it? This brief introduction answers those basic questions.If you don't care about any of that and just want to get to the presidential history, skip ahead to episode 1 on George Washington!https://www.patreon.com/AbridgedPresidentialHistoriesSupport the show
2020-03-3006 min[Abridged] Presidential Histories01.) George Washington 1789-1797Everyone knows George Washington was the first president of the United States. But that little phrase, "First president of the United States," hides a big story. Washington entered an office imbued with few clear powers or expectations and responsible for a young nation surrounded by potential enemies. Luckily for us, Washington had nerves of steel.From his youth as a frontier warrior to his campaigns as a revolutionary general and his two terms in the White House, we'll follow Washington as he learns from his shortcomings and grows into the father of a nation.Bibliography
2020-03-3044 min