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
74: Reconstruction Part 2: The Scandals of President Ulysses S. Grant
September 28, 2020 06:00 - 57 minutes - 53 MB"The office has come to me unsought; I commence its duties untrammeled. I bring to it a conscious desire and determination to fill it to the best of my ability to the satisfaction of the people. " This is the story of scandal. Ulysses S. Grant has just been elected as the youngest US President to date. He has great hopes to usher in a new era of civil and political rights for African-Americans and American Indians, as evidenced by the new 15th amendment. But can the honest Civil...
73: Reconstruction Part 1: The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
September 14, 2020 06:27 - 56 minutes - 52.2 MB“You are placed in a position where you have the power to save or destroy us; to bless or blast us--I mean our whole race.” This is the story of the first US Presidency to end in impeachment. This is the story of Andrew Johnson. The post-Civil War government of the United States faces difficult decisions. Should it be lenient to former Confederate states? Or should it take a hard hand? Should the Federal government play a role in reconstructing state governments (Reconstruction)? ...
73: Reconstruction (Part 1): The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
September 14, 2020 06:27 - 1 hour“You are placed in a position where you have the power to save or destroy us; to bless or blast us--I mean our whole race.” This is the story of the first US Presidency to end in impeachment. This is the story of Andrew Johnson. The post-Civil War government of the United States faces difficult decisions. Should it be lenient to former Confederate states? Or should it take a hard hand? Should the Federal government play a role in reconstructing state governments (Reconstruction)? Or should it...
72: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
August 31, 2020 06:00 - 1 hour“Sic semper tyrannis!” This is the story of deception. Conspiracy. Assassination. The handsome, 26-year-old successful actor John Wilkes Booth has sympathized with the Confederacy since the war began. So when Abraham Lincoln wins reelection as President of the United States amid several crucial late-1864 victories, John becomes enraged. He decides to kidnap President Lincoln. But as John’s attempts at kidnapping fail, things go worse for the CSA. By April 1865, it’s over for the Confederac...
71: Revisiting the Hamilton/Burr Duel: An Affair of Honor
August 17, 2020 06:00 - 1 hour"Adieu best of wives and best of women." We’re interrupting our usual chronological walk through US history today to bring you a remastered, new sound design take on Episode 22, “An Affair of Honor: Alexander Hamilton & Aaron Burr.” In these last few months, cellist Buffi Jacobs and violinist Austin Burket, both of whom usually perform with the Hamilton musical’s “Philip” Tour, contributed their talents to the new music you’ve been hearing since Airship took on our sound design. Given that co...
70: Epilogue: The Civil War Comes to a Close
August 03, 2020 06:00 - 1 hourAfter nearly a full year of covering only four years of US history, we are done with the Civil War. It’s time for an epilogue! Greg and Cielle talk big picture and bring in some intriguing stories that just didn’t quite make the cut for regular episodes (including the Civil War origins of Coca-Cola, and the tale of Confederates who immigrate to Brazil, where slavery is still legal). Ready to decompress and gear up for Reconstruction? Here we go. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...
69: Surrender at Appomattox: The Last Days of the Civil War
July 20, 2020 06:00 - 56 minutes“I feel that it is … my duty to shift from myself the responsibility of any further effusion of blood, by asking you to surrender … the army of Northern Virginia. Very respectfully, U. S. Grant.” This is the story of one army surrendering to another. Of foes becoming brothers once more. This is the Surrender at Appomattox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
68: Sherman's March to the Sea and the Thirteenth Amendment
July 06, 2020 06:00 - 54 minutes“I can make the march, and make Georgia howl!” This is the story of the March to the Sea and the 13th Amendment. William Tecumseh “Cump” Sherman describes war as two things: “cruel” and “hell.” Acting under this philosophy, he takes 60,000 of his toughest, most battle-hardened men, and marches from Atlanta to the Peach State’s coast in a show of force meant to break the Confederacy of its will to fight. Cump’s effective--but does he go too far? Americans North and South will debate whether ...
67: Ending 1864: The Battles of the Crater, Mobile Bay, Centralia, and Franklin
June 22, 2020 06:00 - 53 minutes“Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” This is the story of the Civil War in late-1864. Battles of significance are happening all across the country, and many of them are quite odd or unique: Pennsylvania miners are secretly digging under Confederates to blow them up from below; Admiral David Farragut is fighting in the torpedo-filled waters of Alabama’s Gulf Coast; Bushwacker “Bloody Bill” Anderson is fighting the war as a brutal gun-slinger; and one-legged Confederate General John Bell Hoo...
Introducing Truth vs. Hollywood
June 15, 2020 06:00 - 12 minutes - 11.4 MBIntroducing the newest Audioboom original podcast, Truth vs Hollywood. Join Film lovers David Chen and Joanna Robinson as they do a deep dive into well known films and discuss how similar they are to the actual story. Truth vs Hollywood premieres 6/12. Subscribe to Truth vs Hollywood on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/truth-vs-hollywood/id1510582080
66: The Election of 1864: Lincoln's Bid for Reelection
June 08, 2020 06:00 - 1 hour“Johnson is either drunk or crazy,” This is the story of the fight for the presidency in 1864. No US President since Andrew Jackson has seen a second term. Few are even nominated by their party for a second term. Will the Republicans choose Abraham Lincoln again? More to the point--will war-weary Americans voters, including moderates who disapprove of Lincoln making the abolition of slavery a war aim, choose Lincoln again? The Democrats have a strong candidate: General George B. “Little M...
65: Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign & The Free State of Jones
May 25, 2020 05:30 - 59 minutes“War is war, and not popularity-seeking.” This is the story of the fall of Atlanta. William Tecumseh “Cump” Sherman is leading three armies in an attack against this vital city in the Peach State. His forces are formidable, but so are his opponents: Confederate master of defense, Joseph E. “Joe” Johnston; and the far more aggressive Confederate General John B. Hood. The loss of life will be staggering and include prominent figures on both sides. There’s also rebelling brewing within the rebel...
Bonus: A New Sound for HTDS (Farewell to Josh, Hello to Lindsay Graham & Airship)
May 18, 2020 18:30 - 29 minutesAfter more than two years of putting his blood, sweat, and tears into HTDS, Sound Designer Josh Beatty is moving on. We'll miss him! But we're also excited to have history podcasting legend Lindsay Graham and his audio production company Airship (https://airship.fm/) stepping in. Why is Josh leaving? In what ways will this change the sound of HTDS? Join Greg, Josh, Cielle, and Lindsay as they discuss those dynamics, reflect on Josh's time at HTDS, and explain how the four of them met through ...
64: Grant's Overland Campaign: The Battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, & Petersburg
May 11, 2020 06:00 - 1 hour“I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer.” This is the story of hard fights and harder losses. It’s early 1864, and battle-proven, newly promoted Ulysses S. Grant is now over the whole army, and he’s launching an ambitious plan: the Overland Campaign. He’ll wage several battles in Virginia as other generals strike other parts of the Confederacy. The losses are staggering. Not only will tens of thousands of men lose life or limb, but one particularly influential and belo...
Bonus: A Chat about Southern Accents w/ Jeremy Collins from "Podcasts We Listen To"
May 06, 2020 21:56 - 1 hourHistory can touch on present-day issues, and rather than duck away from such discomforts, Greg has always been stupid enough to try to hit them straight on. Indulging that stupidity today, Greg sat down with born-and-bred Southerner Jeremy Collins from the podcast, "Podcasts We Listen To," to discuss the South; particularly, Southern accents. Whether you've never been south of the Mason-Dixon Line or are as Southern as Jeremy, we hope you learn from and enjoy this honest, candid, and jovial c...
63: Wounded and Dying: Nurses, Doctors, and Disease in the Civil War
April 27, 2020 06:00 - 1 hour“I had never severed the nerves and fibers of human flesh.” This is the story of Civil War medicine. At the start of the war, the wounded sometimes lay on the field of battle for days hoping for help. Some die slowly and painfully from exposure and thirst. Others are robbed as their life expires. The divided nation has new, deadlier guns, but medical treatment has changed. It’s a deadly combination. Both sides step up. The Union’s new “Ambulance Corps” sets a new standard for battlefield fi...
62: The War in Tennessee: Chickamauga and Chattanooga
April 13, 2020 06:00 - 1 hour“Gloom and unspoken despondency hang like a pall everywhere.” This is the story of personalities. Union General William “Old Rosy” Rosecrans takes on Confederate General Braxton Bragg out in Tennessee. Their clash at the battle of Chickamauga is among the deadliest of the whole war. The aftermath is anything but straightforward. Short-tempered as ever, Braxton Bragg is clashing with his generals, particularly Nathan Bedford Forest and James “Old Pete” Longstreet. CSA President Jefferson D...
61: The Louisiana Native Guard, the 54th Massachusetts & On: Black Soldiers in the Civil War
March 30, 2020 06:00 - 1 hour“It is hard to believe that Southern soldiers—and Texans at that—have been whipped by a mongrel crew of white and black Yankees … there must be some mistake.” This is the story of Black Soldiers in the Civil War. Black patriots are ready to fight from day one. The Lincoln Administration and Congress, however, are not ready to have them. They fear losing the support of the border states and the Democrats. But as the war drags on, they change their tune. Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclama...
60: Gettysburg
March 16, 2020 06:00 - 59 minutes“I shall lead my division forward, sir.” This is the story of Gettysburg. It’s summer, 1863, and Robert E. Lee is making a bold move; he’s leading his Army of Northern Virginia into Union territory. He hopes a victory up north might be the decisive blow he needs to demoralize the US. Meanwhile, Union leadership is getting shaken up (yet again) as the Army of the Potomac’s command passes from “Fightin’ Joe” Hooker to George Meade. But the two armies won’t clash on either commander’s terms. T...
Crossover w/ A Teacher's History of the United States - Christopher Caldwell
March 11, 2020 06:00 - 1 hourLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
59: Stone’s River, Suspending Habeas Corpus, Vicksburg, & Stonewall’s Death at Chancellorsville
March 02, 2020 07:00 - 1 hour“Grant is my man and I am his the rest of the war.” This is the story of hard fighting—on the battlefield and in the courts. President Abraham Lincoln is making the controversial decision to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. While the Constitution does permit this to be done “in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion” that threaten “the public Safety,” is the executive branch the one to do it? Is it prudent? Meanwhile, battles rage across the nation. Stone’s River claims a higher percentage of c...
58: Conscription & Riots (“A Rich Man’s War, But a Poor Man’s Fight”)
February 17, 2020 07:00 - 50 minutes“Here’s a damned abolitionist! … He’s a Tribune man! Hang the son of a b****!” This is the story of Civil War conscription and riots. Conscription is completely foreign to Americans. They’ve never relied on force to fill the military’s ranks. But the Civil War is changing that. Left with the choice to either give up or draft men in the army, the Confederacy, then the United States, both turn to conscription. When it appears that the burden of fighting will fall disproportionately on the shoul...
57: Recap of The Civil War's First Half (1861-63)
February 03, 2020 07:00 - 46 minutes"Keep the details! We love the stories!" After 11 episodes covering the first half of the Civil War, it’s time to digest a bit. Greg, Josh, and Cielle attend to the usual roundtable business (pronunciation corrections and talking cotton production in Arizona!), then talk through the “who’s who” of our massive cast of characters. Enjoy one last chat before we dive into the final harsh years of the war. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
56: The Battle of Fredericksburg and the First Campaign of Vicksburg
January 20, 2020 07:00 - 47 minutes“If the world had been searched by Burnside for a location in which his army could be best defeated ... he should have selected this very spot.” This is the story of leadership turnover in the Union and total war on the field. US President Abraham Lincoln has had his fill of George B. “Little Mac” McClellan. Little Mac is getting fired. He’s being replaced by the general with the best facial-hair game in the army: Ambrose Burnsides. But Ambrose doesn’t want command. He doesn’t think he’s the...
55: The Road to The Emancipation Proclamation
January 06, 2020 07:00 - 58 minutes“The Proclamation is the drawing of a sword that can never be sheathed again.” This is the story of the Emancipation Proclamation. Anti-slavery, moderate-Republican President Abraham Lincoln has never liked slavery. He wants to prevent it from expanding to new US territories. But he also never intended to go on the offensive against the “peculiar institution” within those states where it already exists. The Illinois Rail-Splitter knows the law; he’s aware that the constitution protects slav...
54: The Best Opening Scenes in HTDS History
December 23, 2019 07:00 - 56 minutes“Our top spot goes to …” This is the story of stories (yeah, super “meta”). You know regular HTDS episodes always start with a cold open. You probably have a favorite. So do we. Today, Greg and Cielle count down their top seven favorite openings, from George Washington’s loss at Fort Necessity to our current point in the Civil War. It’s a peek into the minds behind HTDS, a bit of nostalgia for long-time listeners, and the perfect HTDS introduction for the newly initiated. Enjoy, and Happy N...
53: A Civil War Christmas with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
December 09, 2019 07:00 - 26 minutes“Our dispatches state that Lieut. Longfellow of First Mass. Cavalry was severely wounded.” This is the story of a son nearly lost and a poet in a dark place. Young, idealistic Charley Longfellow loves his country and is ready to fight and die for it. His father—the former Harvard College Professor of English and Literature, celebrated author, and grieving widower, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow—fears losing his son in the Civil War and doesn’t want him to enlist. But Charley does. A bullet rips ...
53: A Civil War Christmas with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
December 09, 2019 07:00 - 26 minutes“Our dispatches state that Lieut. Longfellow of First Mass. Cavalry was severely wounded.” This is the story of a son nearly lost and a poet in a dark place. Young, idealistic Charley Longfellow loves his country and is ready to fight and die for it. His father—the former Harvard College Professor of English and Literature, celebrated author, and grieving widower, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow—fears losing his son in the Civil War and doesn’t want him to enlist. But Charley does. A bullet rips ...
52: From Second Bull Run, or Second Manassas to Antietam, or Sharpsburg
November 25, 2019 07:00 - 58 minutes“Come on God damn you.” This is the story of the Second Bull Run/Manassas Campaign and the Battle of Antietam. Robert “Bobby” E. Lee isn’t content to run George “Little Mac” McClellan down to the James River. With the help of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, James Longstreet, J.E.B. Stuart, and others, Bobby’s ready to use his aggressive, divide and conquer tactics on the Union’s new Army of Virginia. The question is: can the bickering Union generals put their pettiness aside and work together? Or...
51: A Change in Command: Seven Days Battles to the Battle of Cedar Mountain
November 11, 2019 07:00 - 58 minutes“[Malvern Hill] was not war--it was murder.” This is the story of a Confederate comeback. Union General George “Little Mac” McClellan has an army of 100,000 within a few mere miles of the Confederate Capital: Richmond, Virginia. The city’s defending force is significantly smaller. It’s his for the taking. But where “Little Mac” is cautious, the new Confederate Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia Robert E. “Bobby” Lee is ready to fight to the death. They’ll duke it out in the Seven Day...
50: Mississippi Valley 1862: The Battles of New Orleans, Corinth, Memphis, and Vicksburg
October 28, 2019 04:30 - 1 hourThis is the story of the Mississippi Valley in 1862. Navy Secretary Gideon “Father Neptune” Welles is moving forward with an audacious plan. He’s sending a fleet to sack the Confederacy’s largest city, New Orleans, via the Mississippi River. Can this fleet—commanded by a Southerner loyal to the Union—really take out two forts—commanded by a Northerner throwing in with the CSA—and claim the Big Easy? Meanwhile, Union generals are in disagreement as they move on a railroad junction called Cori...
49: From Little Mac McClellan to Stonewall Jackson: The Peninsula and Shenandoah Valley Campaigns
October 14, 2019 04:30 - 58 minutes“In my opinion, Cadet Jackson of Virginia is a complete jackass.” This is the story of daring. On both sides. President Lincoln is tired of waiting for General-in-Chief George “Little Mac” McClellan to act. So he’ll act instead. The President goes to the front on the Old Dominion’s coast, walks on Confederate soil, and oversees the taking of Norfolk, Virginia. But things aren’t going as well for the Union as he’d hope. Little Mac continues to dawdle while the eccentric-yet-brilliant “Ston...
48: The Battle of Shiloh: “Now boys, pitch in!”
September 30, 2019 04:30 - 1 hour“Here boys, is as good a place as any on this battlefield to meet death!” This is the story of the Civil War kicking into a higher gear as two massive armies converge at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee. Jealous Union generals are letting false rumors of Ulysses drinking on the job fly as they hope to benefit from his demise. But Ulys has some good people backing him up: Lincoln’s newest War Secretary Edwin Stanton and his good friend William Temcuseh “Cump” Sherman. But intrigue is the least...
A Final Two-Year Anniversary of HTDS Bonus: The Death of Elmer Ellsworth
September 23, 2019 05:30 - 13 minutesThis is the story of the death of a soldier and friend of Abraham Lincoln: Elmer Ellsworth. This is the second and last bonus episode of our two-year anniversary celebration and Patreon drive. Greg, Cielle, and Josh take just a few minutes to reflect on the past two years, talk future plans and Patreon, then give you a taste of the mini-episodes $10/month patrons get every off week. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Crossover w/ 1865 - Lindsay Graham and Steve Walters
September 19, 2019 19:28 - 58 minutesLindsay Graham and Steve Walters of the highly acclaimed audio drama and historical fiction podcast 1865 join Greg for a robust discussion on events surrounding Lincoln's assassination and the aftermath. We are honored to have them and excited to bring this to you as part of our 2-year anniversary celebration Patreon drive. Hope you enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Crossover with 1865 (Bonus Episode)
September 19, 2019 18:28 - 57 minutes - 92.4 MBLindsay Graham and Steve Walters of the highly acclaimed audio drama and historical fiction podcast 1865 join Greg for a robust discussion on events surrounding Lincoln's assassination and the aftermath. We are honored to have them and excited to bring this to you as part of our 2-year anniversary celebration Patreon drive. Hope you enjoy!
47: Bull Run, Trent Affair, the Merrimack, & Fort Donelson: The Early Days of the Civil War
September 16, 2019 04:30 - 1 hour“There is Jackson standing like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!” This is the story of violence on land and sea. Of violence unlike anything America has ever known. Tens of thousands of Union and Confederate forces clash near Virginia’s Bull Run River and Manassas railroad junction. Naive, young soldiers quickly learn their romantic notions of war are a farce, Thomas Jackson defends “like a stone wall,” and Yankees hear a horrific sound: “the rebel yell.” Things are calmer on the se...
46: The Civil War Begins: Fort Sumter, Secession, & Raising Armies
September 02, 2019 04:30 - 1 hour“I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky.” This is the story of the last, bare thread holding the Union together snapping. This is the start of the Civil War. US President Lincoln is giving Confederate President Jefferson Davis a difficult choice: let a peaceful, unarmed boat deliver supplies to Fort Sumter (and be seen as weak); or attack the unarmed boat (and be seen as the aggressor). Jeff chooses the latter. More states secede. Regiments form by the thousands on both sides...
46: The Civil War Begins: Fort Sumter, Secession, & Raising Armies
September 02, 2019 04:30 - 59 minutes - 68.1 MB“I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky.” This is the story of the last, bare thread holding the Union together snapping. This is the start of the Civil War. US President Lincoln is giving Confederate President Jefferson Davis a difficult choice: let a peaceful, unarmed boat deliver supplies to Fort Sumter (and be seen as weak); or attack the unarmed boat (and be seen as the aggressor). Jeff chooses the latter. More states secede. Regiments form by the thousands on bot...
Volume IV Epilogue
August 19, 2019 04:30 - 1 hour"They are beautiful words, they are beautiful ideals... and there is beauty in seeing others as they make those words shift and close the gap towards reality" Today, we wrap up Volume IV: “Prelude to the Civil War.” Greg acknowledges some more pronunciation failures, the HTDS team mentions two fun emails, then gets to analysis. Particularly, we’re discussing how the Union tried over and over again to compromise on slavery but came to its breaking point in 1860. Listen to Greg, Josh, and Ciel...
44: Abraham Lincoln Becomes President of the Divided States of America
August 05, 2019 04:30 - 1 hour“Mary, Mary, we are elected!” This is the story of the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States … which means it’s also the story of secession. The presidential election of 1860 is split between four men: southerners John C. Breckinridge and John Bell, and northerners Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. Incredibly, Lincoln pulls off enough electoral college votes to win the presidency outright! He does so without a single electoral vote from the south. The election of ...
44: Abraham Lincoln Becomes President of the Divided States of America
August 05, 2019 04:30 - 58 minutes - 66.5 MB“Mary, Mary, we are elected!” This is the story of the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States … which means it’s also the story of secession. The presidential election of 1860 is split between four men: southerners John C. Breckinridge and John Bell, and northerners Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. Incredibly, Lincoln pulls off enough electoral college votes to win the presidency outright! He does so without a single electoral vote from the south. The electi...
43: Honest Abe, the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, & John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry
July 22, 2019 04:30 - 1 hour“Any man who took Lincoln for a simple-minded man would wind up with his back in a ditch.” This is the story of America on the eve of the Civil War. Kentucky-born farmboy Abraham Lincoln has an interesting early life. Between losing his mom as a child, suffering from chronic depression, and receiving little formal education, you might not think he’d become one of the youngest state legislators in Illinois, a successful lawyer, and a US Congressman. But that’s Lincoln. He’s a man who beats the...
42: Solomon Northup’s 12 Years a Slave
July 08, 2019 04:30 - 53 minutes“Master Bass, if justice had been done, I never would have been here.” This is the story of betrayal. Restoration. Human trafficking. Daring selflessness. Oppressive inhumanity. Hope. And Forgiveness. A talented carpenter, driver, and violinist, Solomon Northup lives a happy life with his wife and three kids in upstate New York. The unassuming, kind-hearted man doesn’t think twice when offered good money to fiddle along with a circus act in Washington, DC. If only he’d known this was all a se...
42: Solomon Northup’s 12 Years a Slave
July 08, 2019 04:30 - 54 minutes - 62.9 MB“Master Bass, if justice had been done, I never would have been here.” This is the story of betrayal. Restoration. Human trafficking. Daring selflessness. Oppressive inhumanity. Hope. And Forgiveness. A talented carpenter, driver, and violinist, Solomon Northup lives a happy life with his wife and three kids in upstate New York. The unassuming, kind-hearted man doesn’t think twice when offered good money to fiddle along with a circus act in Washington, DC. If only he’d known this was all...
41: Kansas! (Bleeding Kansas, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, & Caning of Charles Sumner)
June 24, 2019 04:30 - 57 minutes“We can send five thousand--enough to kill every God-damned abolitionist in the Territory.” This is the story of the Civil War’s warm up. The States are increasingly dividing along northern and southern (anti-slavery and pro-slavery) lines, and this tension is coming out in spades in Kansas. Northerners want to see it become a free state; Southerners want it to be a slave state. The 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act is meant to produce a meaningful compromise, but it seems to only make things worse! T...
41: Kansas! (Bleeding Kansas, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, & Caning of Charles Sumner)
June 24, 2019 04:30 - 57 minutes - 65.6 MB“We can send five thousand--enough to kill every God-damned abolitionist in the Territory.” This is the story of the Civil War’s warm up. The States are increasingly dividing along northern and southern (anti-slavery and pro-slavery) lines, and this that tention is coming out in spades in Kansas. Northerners want to see it become a free state; Southerners want it to be a slave state. The 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act is meant to produce a meaningful compromise, but it seems to only make thi...
40: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention & the Explosion of Social Reform
June 10, 2019 04:30 - 45 minutes“In the history of the world, the doctrine of Reform had never such scope as at the present hour.” “Resolved, That woman is man’s equal.” This is the story of social reform. Europe is swept up in calls for reform and greater democracy. France is having another revolution! Those same thoughts are sweeping through the United States, leading to calls for better treatment in prisons, public education, and temperance (cutting back on the alcohol). In this atmosphere of reform, one woman has a part...
39: The California Gold Rush and the Compromise of 1850
May 27, 2019 04:30 - 1 hour“The Union is doomed to dissolution. … I fix its probable occurrence within twelve years or three presidential terms.” This is the story of statehood and compromise. California is booming. The gold rush is in full swing with Americans and immigrants from all over the world hoping to make their fortune. But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Nature and the miners show their violent sides. With such a flood of Americans in California, it also means statehood is needed. But will it be a slave s...
38: The (Early) Life and Times of Frederick Douglass
May 13, 2019 04:30 - 1 hour“I am your fellow man, but not your slave, Frederick Douglass.” This is the story of self-education, self-emancipation, overcoming adversity, bad and good luck, and the abolitionist cause. Born into slavery in Maryland, Frederick is ripped from his mother, never knows his father, but quickly realizes the power of literacy. Against the odds, the Baltimore-living youth teaches himself to read and write behind his master’s back. But despite his evident natural intelligence, he’s soon sent back ...