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We're joined by Bennett Rea of Cookin' with Congress to talk about his historical culinary adventures and our team-up to recreate a massive Yorkshire Christmas pie like the ones George Washington unsuccessfully attacked each year at Mount Vernon.
You can find Cookin' with Congress at https://www.cookinwithcongress.com/ and on Instagram & TikTok @cookinwithcongress — check out the Christmas pie!
Behold our brand new 2025 Presidential Pets wall calendar at https://www.lulu.com/shop/plodding-through-the-presidents/presidential-pets-plodding-through-the-presidents/paperback/product-rmv895m.html
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/PLODDING and get on your way to being your best self.
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We look at the wild life of Rebecca, President Coolidge's pet raccoon. She was sent to the Coolidges to be part of their Thanksgiving dinner, but Calvin and Grace instead fell in love with the critter—and the press couldn't get enough of Rebecca's scandalous behavior.
Our thanks to veterinarian Dr. Jake Levin for his insights on raccoon as pets.
Check out Rebecca and many more furry friends in our 2025 Presidential Pets wall calendar at https://www.lulu.com/shop/plodding-through-the-presidents/presidential-pets-plodding-through-the-presidents/paperback/product-rmv895m.html
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/PLODDING and get on your way to being your best self.
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We plunge into the personalities behind a showdown between President James Monroe and his strong-willed Secretary of the Treasury William H. Crawford, in a moment that truly captures the end of the Era of Good Feelings.
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/PLODDING and get on your way to being your best self.
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Howard joins Kenny Ryan from [Abridged] Presidential Histories, Alycia from Civics & Coffee, and Jerry Landry from Presidencies of the United States for a conversation covering everything from their favorite lesser-known historical figures and the role of historians in the future to who would be the killer in an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery where all the presidents are suspects.
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/PLODDING and get on your way to being your best self.
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Listen to [Abridged] Presidential Histories: https://aph.buzzsprout.com/
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Listen to Presidencies of the United States: https://www.presidenciespodcast.com/
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We're joined by James Early, host of the hit podcast Key Battles of American History, for a look at the devastating military failure of young George Washington and the qualities that later made him so successful in the military and politics.
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/PLODDING and get on your way to being your best self.
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Check out James Early's podcast Key Battles of American History at https://omny.fm/shows/key-battles-of-american-history
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We're sharing the first episode of a new podcast we think you'll enjoy. It's called "Country Over Self: Defining Moments in American History."
In each episode of this miniseries, host Matt Blumberg interviews a different presidential historian about a pivotal moment when a president chose to put their country ahead of their party and themselves.
In this episode, Matt talks with Julian Zelizer about the 36th President, Lyndon B. Johnson, and how Johnson used his detailed knowledge of the legislative process and his unique blend of personal intimidation and charm offensive to bring about what he considered the moral imperative of his day: Civil Rights and Voting Rights.
To learn more about Country Over Self or to check out other episodes head to www.countryoverself.com
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/PLODDING and get on your way to being your best self.
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We’re joined by Savannah Eccles Johnston (savypolitics on Instagram and cohost of the new podcast This Constitution) to talk about the formation of the American presidency, checks and balances, and the death of institutions at the hands of partisanship. First we take a look at what the American presidency might have looked like, if Alexander Hamilton got his way.
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/PLODDING and get on your way to being your best self.
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Vote.
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We're excited to share an episode of the Southern Gothic podcast coproduced by Howard, who also pops up as a guest commentator.
This is the story of "The Thing," a supernatural entity who reportedly terrorized the White House staff in 1911, and the key players involved: chief of staff Archibald Butt, President William Howard Taft, and lady's maid Florence Marsh—the only person to have actually seen the ghost. Southern Gothic host Brandon Schexnayder takes us on a journey through this haunting and explores possible identities of this ghost based on Florence's description.
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We dig into the history of the Freemasons, focusing on the disappearance and alleged murder of William Morgan, the mysterious man who wrote a book exposing their secrets in 1826. The conspiracy to protect those involved and the intense public backlash led to the first third party in America, the Anti-Masonic Party. Though short-lived, they managed to rack up a few electoral votes in the Election of 1832 with William Wirt as their reluctant presidential nominee. It's a tale of two Williams, one missing skull, and a prime example of the Streisand effect.
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We welcome author and human guinea pig A.J. Jacobs to chat about his new book The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning. For a year he tried to put himself in the shoes—and tricorn hat—of the founders, and he shares what he learned from an absurd and enlightening immersion into the document that defines our nation.
NEW: Please send us your Local Lore — hometown histories, interesting historical markers, and weird local claims to fame! Send them to [email protected] and we might feature them in an upcoming series!
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First, we talk about how a day of fasting and prayer in 1798 turned into a night of fear and flying "cockades." Then we’re joined by presidential historian Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky, author of the new book Making The Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged The Republic, for an insightful conversation about how President John Adams was a much savvier politician than he gets credit for—especially considering he was surrounded by saboteurs and jerkfaces.
NEW: Please send us your Local Lore — hometown histories, interesting historical markers, and weird local claims to fame! Send them to [email protected] and we might feature them in an upcoming series!
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We explore Thomas Jefferson's love of mockingbirds, especially his favorite pet mockingbird, Dick. We also look at what this tells us about Jefferson's personality and why mockingbirds are anything but innocent.
NEW: Please send us your Local Lore — hometown histories, interesting historical markers, and weird local claims to fame! Send them to [email protected] and we might feature them in an upcoming series!
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Andrew Jackson’s legacy is forever tied to the Trail of Tears, but what role did he actually play in the controversial Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the atrocities that followed? We look at how much blame Jackson deserves by evaluating 7 of the most common points used to defend him—including the ideas that Indian removal was popular and inevitable, and that Jackson had the best interests of Native Americans at heart.
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We’re joined by Paul M. Sparrow, former director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum, to discuss the subject of his exciting new book “Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR’s War on Words with Charles Lindbergh—and the Battle to Save Democracy” and the ways those struggles are mirrored today.
We look at how Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh were leading voices against American involvement in World War II, believing that democracy’s stint might be over and that totalitarianism was the wave of the future—and how FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt used their voices to inspire a nation to fight for democracy and freedom.
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We explore the final years and legacy of Lyncoya, the Native American child raised at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, focusing on Jackson's attempt to get Lyncoya into West Point Military Academy and the way Lyncoya has been memorialized in Calhoun County, Alabama.
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Key sources for this episode include The Andrew Jackson Papers published by the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Dawn Peterson's "Indians in the Family: Adoption and the Politics of Antebellum Expansion," Christina Snyder's essay “Andrew Jackson’s Indian Son” from the book "The Native South" edited by Tim Alan Garrison and Greg O’Brien, and Melissa Gismondi's dissertation "Rachel Jackson and the Search for Zion, 1760s-1830s"
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The story of Lyncoya, an orphaned Native American child adopted by Andrew Jackson, is often used to soften the image of the man most associated with the Trail of Tears. In this episode, we explore the events that made Lyncoya an orphan, what we know about his childhood at The Hermitage and his role in Jackson's family, and his usefulness as a political tool. This is the first in a two-part series about Lyncoya.
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Key sources for this episode include The Andrew Jackson Papers published by the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Dawn Peterson's "Indians in the Family: Adoption and the Politics of Antebellum Expansion," Christina Snyder's essay “Andrew Jackson’s Indian Son” from the book "The Native South" edited by Tim Alan Garrison and Greg O’Brien, and Melissa Gismondi's dissertation "Rachel Jackson and the Search for Zion, 1760s-1830s"
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The Burr Conspiracy and the most notorious early American scoundrels are the focus of our chat with historians David Head and Timothy Hemmis, co-editors of the new book “A Republic of Scoundrels: The Schemers, Intriguers and Adventurers Who Created a New American Nation.” But first, we look at an anonymous letter sent to John Adams in 1798 warning him that the most dangerous scoundrel in the nation was right under his nose.
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We dig into the story of Attorney General and one-time presidential candidate William Wirt's missing skull, followed by a conversation with historian and author Kurt Deion whose unique journey is chronicled in the book "Presidential Grave Hunter: One Kid's Quest to Visit the Tombs of Every President and Vice President."
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Learn more about Kurt Deion at presidentialgravehunter.com and kurtshistoricsites.com
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We dig into the powerful, hypnotic charisma—the rizz—of Vice President Aaron Burr, specifically two events in March 1805 that showed his mesmerizing effect on those around him.
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Special thanks to Gwen Fries, author of The Beehive blog post Sympathy for the Devil: John Quincy Adams's Brush with Aaron Burr
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We welcome Emmy and Peabody award winning screenwriter and producer Kirk Ellis to the show to talk about his work adapting Apple's new series Franklin as well as HBO's John Adams series. We dig into the rich characters and settings of Franklin, what Michael Douglas brings to the role of Benjamin Franklin, and what it was like adapting David McCullough’s book John Adams and Stacy Schiff’s book A Great Improvisation—including the scenes Ellis and the authors disagreed about.
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