History That Doesn't Suck
201 episodes - English - Latest episode: 22 days ago - ★★★★★ - 4.5K ratingsHTDS is a bi-weekly podcast, delivering a legit, seriously researched, hard-hitting survey of American history through entertaining stories. To keep up with History That Doesn’t Suck news, check us out on Facebook and Instagram: @Historythatdoesntsuck; on Twitter: @HTDSpod; or online at htdspodcast.com. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/historythatdoesntsuck.
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Episodes
153: West Virginia’s Mine Wars: From Trouble in Matewan to the Battle of Blair Mountain
April 08, 2024 06:00 - 1 hour“I want to say make no settlement until they sign up that every bloody murderer of a guard has got to go.” This is the story of the largest uprising in the United States since the Civil War. As unions spread across the Progressive-Era United States, West Virginia mine owners manage to keep them out. They have some good reasons (tough margins) and some less savory ones … like their preference for an oppressive “mine guard system” in “company towns” that effectively removes civil government a...
152: The Second Ku Klux Klan: Racism, Anti-Semitism, & Anti-Catholicism in the 1920s
March 25, 2024 06:00 - 1 hour“Every official except one elected yesterday at the first municipal election of this borough had been endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan.” This is the story of the Second Ku Klux Klan. It’s been nearly half a century since the Third Enforcement Act killed off the Klan in 1871. But amid Jim Crow segregation in 1915, the lynching of a Jewish Georgian Leo Frank, coupled with a new film, The Birth of a Nation, inspires William Simmons to resurrect the Klan. This new Klan has a longer list of enemie...
151: The First Red Scare - Bombings, The Palmer Raids, Eugene Debs, and J. Edgar Hoover
March 11, 2024 06:00 - 1 hour“Palmer, do not let this country see red.” This is the story of America’s First Red Scare. On June 2, 1919, Attorney General Mitchell Palmer is just going to bed when the first floor of his home is blown apart. It was a bomb, and part of a larger plot to attack several national leaders. It’s the work of anarchists. Shaken to the core, Mitch is determined to use his position as AG to rid the nation of such extremist, violent leftists–anarchists, Bolsheviks, and the like. Mitch turns to the B...
150: The Great War’s Aftermath: Coming Home, The Spanish Flu, & The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
February 26, 2024 14:09 - 1 hour“I keep wondering if the Unknown Soldier is one of my men.” This is the story of the United States coping with and facing the aftermath of World War I. The American Expeditionary Force in France is breaking up but that means a lot of different things as doughboys occupy Germany, go fight in Russia, convalesce, or just head home. If only going home was so easy–for many, it’s a hard transition back to civilian life. One of the few familiar things they find in the States is a deadly strain of ...
11 (Second Edition): Southern (Dis)comfort & Global Conflict in 1779
February 12, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour“I reject your proposals … and shall defend myself to the last extremity.” This Is the story of the Revolution’s new hot spot: the South. After failing to crush the rebellion in the northern or middle states, British leaders hope to score some quick victories in the South, which they believe to be more loyal. Drawing support from loyalist and enslaved Americans, this new “Southern Strategy” enjoys a strong start as Savannah falls in late 1778. Other events around the world are changing the...
10 (Second Edition): Duels, the Trials of Valley Forge, & the Battle of Monmouth
January 29, 2024 07:00 - 57 minutes“Stand fast, my boys, and receive your enemy!” This is the story of a miserable winter at Valley Forge (1777-78), a possible conspiracy, and George Washington’s last major battle before Yorktown. Continental Commander George Washington is loved by many in Congress and the Army. But he has his enemies too. Some see a path to pushing George out of leadership–but will this so-called “Conway Cabal,” which happens while Continental soldiers are freezing and starving to death, actually work? Eith...
9 (Second Edition): 1777—The Battle of Princeton, the Saratoga Campaign, & the Battles of Brandywine & Germantown
January 15, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour“If old England is not by this lesson taught humility, then she is an obstinate old slut, bent upon her ruin.” - Horatio Gates This is the story of 1777’s Saratoga and Philadelphia campaigns. Playboy and playwright General "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne is leading a Canadian-based invasion of upstate New York–and it's a tale of egos. From Britain’s Gentleman Johnny to America’s Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold, a lot of Generals are looking out for "number one." But Saratoga is more than tha...
149: WWI Epilogue
January 01, 2024 07:01 - 50 minutesThe Episode to end all … World War I episodes. Professor Jackson sits down with Kelsi Dynes to talk through all the things that didn’t make it into the final Great War episodes and go big picture on the Meuse-Argonne, Armistice, and Treaty of Versailles. Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette come see a live show get HTDS merch or become ...
First Christmas Special (Second Edition)! “George Wishes Some Hessians a Merry F’ing Christmas”
December 18, 2023 07:00 - 32 minutes“These are the times that try men’s souls.” This is the story of a Christmas Miracle at Trenton, New Jersey. George Washington’s army is exhausted, disheartened, battered, starving, freezing–all but broken. Sir William Howe’s mighty British Army has chased these American soldiers out of New York, New Jersey, and now, across the ice-filled Delaware River into Pennsylvania. Worse still for the Patriots, the British have captured Continental General General Charles Lee and scared Congress into...
148: Tales of Christmas from World War I (A Truce, Plum Pudding, and Love)
December 04, 2023 07:03 - 38 minutes“The circumstances under which we are spending this particular Christmas are unusual.” This is the story of the Christmases of World War I. Germans and British troops, singing carols together. French and German troops, kicking, playing sports and exchanging treats. It may not last, but for a brief moment–for Christmas of 1914–these opposing armies refuse the orders of their superiors as they temporarily “beat their swords into plowshares and spears into pruninghooks.” In the years ahead, t...
147: Peacemaking in Paris: The Treaty of Versailles
November 20, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour“A Peace which cannot be defended in the name of justice before the whole world would continually call forth fresh resistance” This is the story of peacemaking in 1919–a fraught peacemaking. With the Armistice signed, some 30 nations (led by the major Allied Powers) are gathering in Paris, France, to deliberate on the terms they’ll give to Germany. But the conference is beset with conflicting views. Not only do these various nations and other unofficial representatives have conflicting view...
146: The Armistice of November 11, 1918
November 06, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour“The German delegation has come to receive the proposals of the Allied Powers looking to an armistice.” This is the story of guns falling silent across war-ravaged fronts–the story of the Great War’s armistice between Germany and the Allied Powers. Sailors are mutinying. Soldiers are breaking. A revolution–possibly a Bolshevist revolution–is knocking on the Second Reich’s door. German leaders are coming to accept a painful reality: they can’t carry on this war. They look to the merciful wo...
145: Halloween Special 2023: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
October 23, 2023 06:00 - 49 minutes“If I can but reach that bridge,” thought Ichabod, “I am safe.” This is the story of schoolmaster Ichabod Crane and his ride home after an evening spent trying to woo Katrina Van Tassel at a party hosted by her father at their idyllic farm in rural New York. It’s a terrifying ride–perhaps as deadly as Ichabod’s pursuer is headless. For this third HTDS Halloween special, we “rewind” to one of the oldest ghost stories in American lore: Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Star...
144: A Conversation with Ken Burns - Storytelling and the American Buffalo
October 09, 2023 06:00 - 34 minutesProfessor Greg Jackson sits down with legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns about his latest film The American Buffalo which has a two-part premiere in the US on PBS beginning Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. Some refer to Ken Burns as a historian, but he would be quick to tell you that he considers himself a storyteller. His latest documentary The American Buffalo is a sort of biography of the American bison, or the buffalo as they are more commonly known. The fact is, we would only know of buff...
Introducing: History Daily
October 02, 2023 06:00 - 21 minutesToday, we have a special off-week treat: an episode of History Daily! Hosted by Lindsay Graham (podcaster not Senator), History Daily brings you a tale from the past, on its anniversary, daily. Listen to History Daily on Spotify, Apple, or where you get your podcasts! https://www.historydaily.com/. ___ 3 Ways to dive deeper into History That Doesn’t Suck Join our growing Facebook community Get our monthly newsletter, The HTDS Gazette Become part of the HTDS Patreon family Learn more about...
143: The Meuse-Argonne Offensive (pt.2) – Breaking the Kriemhilde Line
September 25, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour“All right, General. We’ll take it, or my name will head the list.” This is the story of Meuse-Argonne and the Americans’ continued struggles to take the Kriemhilde Line. Tennessean Alvin York hates war, yet he finds himself an unlikely hero when his youthful days of hunting turn him into a prisoner-taking sharpshooter as the US First Army presses forward against the Germans. But this isn’t a battle just for the First Army anymore. A stressed-out, breaking, Black Jack Pershing finally decid...
142: The Meuse-Argonne Offensive (pt.1) – “The Lost Battalion”
September 11, 2023 06:00 - 57 minutes“Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it.” This is the story of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive’s beginnings. “Tout le monde à la bataille.” So says Ferdinand Foch as the Allies hit the Germans from several pressure points at once. For the Americans, that means fighting between the thick woods of the Argonne Forest and the deep waters of the Meuse River. The region is heavily guarded and a “natural fortress.” The attack will have a high cost – includin...
141: Wartime Interlude
August 28, 2023 06:00 - 1 hourTime to review! Greg and Kelsi talk through the main takeaways of the American story in World War I to date, from causes to new inventions and social changes. We get a little behind the scenes on episodes, a few stories that didn’t make in, and set the stage for the last battle of the Great War. ___ 3 Ways to dive deeper into History That Doesn’t Suck Join our growing Facebook community Get our monthly newsletter, The HTDS Gazette Become part of the HTDS Patreon family Learn more about yo...
Introducing: Real Survival Stories from Noiser
August 21, 2023 16:38 - 49 minutesA picturesque paragliding flight becomes a terrifying nightmare when a massive storm rolls in. Sucked into the clouds, Ewa Wiśnierska is pelted by hailstones the size of oranges. With lightning crackling all around her, she is sent hurtling upwards - still clinging to her parachute. Soon, she’ll be higher than Everest and nearing the cruising altitude of a jumbo jet. Covered in ice, approaching the edge of the breathable atmosphere… how on earth does she make it down in one piece? Real Surviv...
140: WWI Aviators: From the Lafayette Escadrille to the Red Baron and More
August 14, 2023 06:00 - 57 minutes“Something has happened to one of the boys.” This is the story of the Great War’s flyboys – particularly, Americans taking to the skies to fight for France. Long before the United States will enter the Great War, hundreds of American men head to Europe to fight for the French Republic. Some drive ambulances. Some fight in the French Foreign Legion. But come 1916, some begin to fly. In 1916, seven pilots (our “Flying Founders,” if you will) start an American squadron within France’s Aéronau...
139: From Yeomen (F) to “Hello Girls:” American Women in World War I
July 31, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour“Is there any regulation which specifies that a Navy yeoman be a man?” This is the story of the United States in the Great War and the role of women in that changing world. Women of the Progressive Era are all about change. They’re fighting for several reforms — including their own right to vote — and as the United States enters the Great War, they’re ready to embrace new responsibilities and opportunities. Women are stepping into all sorts of new roles, be that on a factory floor or by tak...
138: The 15th New York/369th or The Harlem Hellfighters
July 17, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour“My men never retire. They go forward, or they die!” This is the story of the 15th New York, a.k.a, the 369th, or the Harlem Hellfighters. James “Big Jim” Europe is one of the most talented musicians in the world. His ragtime and early jazz sounds electrify New York City. That’s exactly why Colonel William “Big Bill” Hayward, who’s just been named commander of New York’s newly established Black regiment (the 15th) wants the young machine gun officer to step into his rightly earned celebrity...
137: The First Battle of the First American Army: St. Mihiel
July 03, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour“Marshal Foch, you have no authority as Allied Commander-in-Chief to call upon me to yield up my command of the American Army and have it scattered among the Allied Forces where it will not be an American army at all.” This is the story of the first battle of the First American Army. Fresh off of an Allied victory at Amiens, Supreme Commander Ferdinand Foch has new ideas for a combined Allied strategy along the Meuse and in the Argonne forest. But his plan comes at a cost to the Americans,...
136: The German Spring Offensive’s End, or The Second Battle of the Marne
June 19, 2023 06:00 - 57 minutes“Every time I have felt annoyed since then at France, this picture comes to mind and my anger softens.” This is the story of the Great War’s turning point. After a fourth and failed Spring Offensive operation, German General Erich Luddendorf is ready to make a fifth push. He’s making a pincer movement around the city of Reims, and to its west, on the banks of the Marne River, the US 3rd Division finds itself caught in a fight that the French present call worse than Verdun. It’s a slaughter,...
135: Belleau Wood – A Cut Deeper with Captain Mac Caldwell
June 05, 2023 11:15 - 1 hourThe impact of the 1918 Battle of Belleau Wood on the US Marine Corps is hard to overstate. Though in existence since 1775, the Corps was reborn in those woods. Not only did it give rise to new lore, but a whole generation of future leaders. Given its significance, Greg sits down with Captain Mac Caldwell of the US Marine Corps to go several cuts deeper on Belleau Wood and its legacy right into the twenty-first century. ___ 3 Ways to dive deeper into History That Doesn’t Suck Join our growin...
134: (Most of) The German Spring Offensive of 1918 & The Fight for Belleau Wood
May 22, 2023 06:00 - 59 minutesThis is the story of the first real battles of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in World War I. Carrying out his third operation of the German Spring Offensive, General Erich Ludendorff is hoping to distract the French before delivering a KO punch to the Brits farther north in Flanders. But this offensive is going far too well to let up. German troops are advancing rapidly down here. This mere diversion has taken them to Château-Thierry on the banks of the Marne River! Erich can’t help...
133: Heading “Over There:” “Black Jack” Pershing & Creating WWI’s American Expeditionary Force
May 08, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour“Lafayette, nous sommes ici!” (Lafayette, we are here!) This is the story of a nation building an army from nothing. After years of trying to avoid entanglements with and war in Europe, President Woodrow Wilson has asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany. But that’s easier said than done. The US might be the world’s greatest industrial producer and have a large population, but will the nation’s population of heavily first- and second-generation American citizens (or non-citize...
132: The US Enters WWI (RMS Lusitania, Black Tom Island, & The Zimmermann Telegram)
April 24, 2023 06:00 - 59 minutes“I still think I see the struggling of poor passengers in the water.” This is the story of the United States’ path into the Great War. The United States wishes to stay out of the Great War. Woodrow Wilson wins reelection (barely) on that very basis. But as Germany contends with Britain’s blockade, its submarines, or “u-boats,” are attacking merchant and passenger ships (like the RMS Lusitania) without warning. This policy is touch and go, but worse still, the US learns in Februarly 1917 tha...
131: Epilogue on World War 1 before the US
April 10, 2023 06:00 - 1 hourStarting the Great War (World War I) and covering this massive conflict up to 1917 has been a pretty big task unto itself. So, before we go in close on America's role, Greg and Kelsi sit down to digest and talk through a few aspects of the War, as well as share a few additional stories and experiences. ___ 3 Ways to dive deeper into History That Doesn’t Suck Join our growing Facebook community Get our monthly newsletter, The HTDS Gazette Become part of the HTDS Patreon family Learn more a...
130: Russia: From the Great War to Revolution with Deputy Provost Kat Brown
March 27, 2023 06:00 - 1 hourTo say Russia had a difficult go of it during World War I would be a gross understatement. Millions of dead, lost territory, soldiers charging into battle without guns, starvation, a less than savory holy man influencing the Czar and Czarina, and of course, revolution! How do we even begin to wrap our heads around all of that, let alone contemplate the impact on the United States? Simple: we talk it out with Greg’s UVU colleague, Deputy Provost Kat Brown. A historian and expert on Russia, Kat...
129: World War I Before the US (Military Tech, Trenches, Global Armies, Ypres, Verdun & the Somme)
March 13, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour“In Flanders’ fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row.” This is the story of the first two and a half years of the Great War, particularly, of the Western Front. These are the years leading to the United States’ entry. After saving two German warships, the Ottoman Empire joins the Great War as a Central Power. Meanwhile, the work of death is moving forward on a scale unlike any other seen. Improved, or altogether new, weapons—rapid firing repeating rifles, machine guns, gas,...
128: The Causes of World War I (From the Congress of Vienna to Franz Ferdinand & the Marne)
February 27, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour“Sopherl, Sopherl! Don’t die on me. Live for our children.” This is the 99-year story of Europe’s descent into total war. The Napoleonic Wars devastated Europe. The continent’s five great powers responded by meeting in Vienna in 1815 to establish a balance of power between them. In the future, no single power should be able to lead the continent into war. They also agree to meet as a “Concert of Europe” to hash out future developments. The years give way to decades. The Concert endures the...
127: Mr. Wilson Goes to Washington (Progressive Policies & Foreign Affairs in South America)
February 13, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour“It would be the irony of fate if my administration had to deal chiefly with foreign affairs.” This is the story of the lesser-known aspects of Woodrow Wilson’s presidency–the events outside of World War I. The Progressive Era is still in full force as Woodrow Wilson enters the White House. Amid constitutional amendments 16 and 17, Woodrow continues to carry this wave of reform with a new central banking system, income tax, and monopoly-checking regulations. He does so, however, at the expe...
126: Christmas Special 6: Jacob Riis’ “Is There a Santa Claus?”
December 19, 2022 07:00 - 30 minutes“Now, how would you like to be a reporter, if you have got nothing better to do?” This is the story of a reporter–a muckraker–answering a boy who wants to know if Santa Clause actually exists. And somehow, it’s an answer that manages to mention Theodore Roosevelt. This is Jacob Riis’ Is There a Santa Clause? ___ 3 Ways to dive deeper into History That Doesn’t Suck Join our growing Facebook community Get our monthly newsletter, The HTDS Gazette Become part of the HTDS Patreon family Lea...
125: Epilogue: The Progressive Era
December 05, 2022 07:00 - 1 hourSo much to say–it’s been a while! Kelsi and Greg share stories that they wish made it into some episodes, but alas, just couldn’t (looking at you, Ellis Island). Greg expresses his deep sympathy for K-12 teachers that are expected to teach “all” US history in a single year because that’s just an impossible task. And there’s a bit of discussion about newsletters and HTDS LIVE in New York City! ___ 3 Ways to dive deeper into History That Doesn’t Suck Join our growing Facebook community Get o...
124: The “Bull Moose” Election of 1912
November 21, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour“It’s true. But it takes more than that to kill a bull moose.” This is the story of one of the most unique, bitter, impactful, and noteworthy elections in US history: the presidential election of 1912. President William H. Taft is sure that he’s carrying on the progressive legacy of his dear friend and mentor, Theodore Roosevelt. But TR disagrees. Returning from an African safari and European tour, Teddy feels compelled to challenge his old friend for the GOP nomination as he touts his prog...
123: The Wright Brothers Fly at Kitty Hawk
November 07, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour“Not in a thousand years would man ever fly.” This is the story of two brothers and the dream of controlled, sustained, and powered flight in a heavier-than-air flying machine. The Wrights are a tight-knit bunch. A supportive family. So perhaps it’s not surprising that, when Wilbur sinks into a deep, dark depression brought on by a terrible beating, his brother Orville is there for him. Just like Will and their sister Kate are there for Orv when Typhoid nearly takes his life. These siblin...
122: Halloween Special II: H.P. Lovecraft – “The Outsider” & “Dagon”
October 24, 2022 06:00 - 52 minutes“I am writing this under an appreciable mental strain, since by tonight I shall be no more.” This is the story of a lonely, isolated figure who escapes a decaying castle only to have a frightful realization. It is also the story of a WWI sailor meeting unknown terrors in the middle of the Pacific. Welcome to the mind of Edgar Allan Poe’s successor; one whose impact on popular culture defies quantification; an author whom Stephen King has dubbed “the twentieth-century horror story’s dark and b...
121: Henry Ford: The Model T & Mass Production
October 10, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour“Your car is self-contained–it carries its own power-plant … keep at it.” This is the story of the rise of the automobile and mass production. Powerful steam engines. Electric lights and telephones. The Second Industrial Revolution is radically remaking the turn-of-the-century United States. It’s in this world of technological change that a Michigan farm boy finds himself drawn into the growing “horseless carriage” craze, and particularly, to an emerging technology known as the internal combu...
120: From Atlanta to the NAACP, or Booker T. Washington v. W.E.B. Du Bois
September 26, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour“I am not quite sure of the exact place or exact date of my birth, but at any rate, I suspect I must have been born somewhere and at some time.” This is the story of a hardening Jim Crow color line. Lynchings and race riots. Black troops in Brownsville being summarily discharged “without honor.” Black Americans are indeed watching as Reconstruction-Era progress erodes. What can they do? Booker T. Washington has a vision. This Southerner of self-reliance–a former slave who’s gained an edu...
119: Women’s Suffrage & the Passage of the 19th Amendment
September 12, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour“President Wilson, how long must we wait for liberty?” This is the story of women’s suffrage. According to the legal doctrine of coverture, a married woman is “covered” by her husband. Legally, economically, politically—she largely ceases to exist. Yet, does widowed colonial Lydia Taft get to vote? And why does Revolutionary New Jersey buck the system, specifically writing a voting law that describes voters as “he or she,” then later disenfranchise women? Decades pass, but the idea of wom...
118: “The Island of Hope and Tears:” Ellis Island
August 29, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour“That’s the light of freedom! Remember that. Freedom.” This is the story of 40% of modern America’s ancestors—this is the story of Ellis Island. Religious persecution. Economic devastation. Stifling political regimes. Whether fleeing for their lives or simply to improve them, Europeans—especially Eastern and Southern Europeans—are flocking to turn-of-the-century America. But no port is busier than New York City. The journey is no laughing matter. Many immigrants are traveling nearly penniless...
117: Epilogue on Progressive Era Part I (Teddy Roosevelt)
August 15, 2022 06:00 - 48 minutesWith the Presidency of Teddy Roosevelt covered, Greg sits down with Zach and Kelsi to talk favorite stories (especially those that didn’t make it in the episodes) and take in the big picture of this bigger-than-life President. Zach’s settled in. Greg’s owning his botched pronunciation of “Reading, PA.” Kelsi’s landing some jabs. The sarcasm and snark is almost as strong as the history in this one! ___ 3 Ways to dive deeper into History That Doesn’t Suck Join our growing Facebook community G...
116: Teddy Roosevelt’s Foreign Policy: From Big Stick Diplomacy to the Panama Canal
August 01, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour“I [will] be obliged to interfere, by force if necessary, if the Germans [take] any action which look[s] like the acquisition of territory in Venezuela.” This is the story of foreign policy (“Big Stick” Diplomacy) in the Theodore Roosevelt White House. TR loves the West African proverb: “Speak softly and carry a big stick: you will go far.” It defines the Cowboy President’s approach to life—particularly to foreign affairs—and as Germany rattles the saber at indebted Venezuela, Monroe Doctrine...
115: History–Doomed to Repeat It? A Conversation with Lindsay Graham
July 18, 2022 06:00 - 55 minutesThe Legendary podcaster and composer (but not US Senator) Lindsay Graham is a dear friend of HTDS and an integral part of the podcast's sound. Today, he gets behind the mic with the Prof. to interrogate the oft-repeated adage "those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it." So ... is it true? Centering the conversation around our current HTDS period (Gilded Age and into the Progressive Era) while pulling from various philosophers and thinkers (Hegel, Twain, Churchill, Santayana, and m...
8 (2nd ed): Declaring Independence, the Rise of Alexander Hamilton, and the Fall of New York
July 04, 2022 06:00 - 59 minutes"I long to hear that you have declared an independency.” This is the story of independence and crushed hope. Congress is finally declaring independence but it isn’t a straightforward process. Delegates have different perspectives; John Adams and John Dickinson are taking the floor to argue passionately for and against it. The vote will come down to the wire. It’s also time to bring the "$10" Founding Father into the story. That’s right. We’ll meet Alexander Hamilton, get the backstory of his ...
114: A Square Deal (pt. 3): “Leave it as it is” (Teddy Roosevelt & Conservationism)
June 20, 2022 06:00 - 57 minutes“Very well then–I so declare it.” This is the story of the final “C” of President Theodore Roosevelt’s Square Deal: conservationism. Teddy loves the outdoors. He loves to challenge himself in the American wilderness. He also fears the nation’s natural resources and various species are disappearing. And TR won’t let that stand. From Florida’s Pelican Island to the Arizona Territory’s extremely large canyon—perhaps “grand,” you might say—and far beyond, TR is out to create bird reserves, nati...
113: A Square Deal (pt. 2): Consumer Protection–The FDA, & Ida Tarbell muckrakes Standard Oil
June 06, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour“In Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress you may recall the description of the Man with the Muck Rake …” This is the story of another “C” in Teddy’s Square Deal: “consumer protection.” The nation is grappling with new ideas on how involved the Federal Government should be in the lives of US citizens. Earthquake and fire levels San Francisco but no one expects executive action. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is torn on the Constitutionality of New York’s Bakeshop Act and TR’s Chicago meatpacking invest...
112: A Square Deal (pt. 1): Corp. Regulation—a coal strike, a trust, & Teddy’s Frenemy J.P. Morgan
May 23, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour“If we have done anything wrong, send your man to my man and they can fix it up.” This is the first story of President Theodore Roosevelt’s Square Deal: “corporate regulation.” J. Pierpont Morgan hates economic volatility. He’s determined to eliminate that plaguing element from some of his railroad lines by making the competing Union Pacific a friend. He’ll do so by creating a stockholding company called “Northern Securities.” But is this an illegal trust? Or just good business? Teddy and h...
111: The Assassination of Will McKinley & The Strenuous Life of Theodore Roosevelt
May 09, 2022 06:00 - 59 minutes“I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life.” This is the story of (another) presidential assassination and the life of the man it brings to the White House: Theodore Roosevelt. Though a sickly and asthmatic child, “Teedie,” as his family calls the child, works hard to build his physical strength. To take on the bullies who pick on him. Teddy grows up to become a rowing, boxing, and mountaineering athlete with an equally inquisitive mind. Ass...