As a listener reminded me, if you do something twice, it becomes a tradition. This however is a tradition I think we can all enjoy. To mark the upcoming holiday season, for the second year in a row, I gathered for a lively conversation and some laughs in

Our partners at Evergreen Podcasts have a great new series that I have no doubt Presidencies listeners will appreciate - Countdown to Dallas. On the sixtieth anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, former White House correspondent P

Year(s) Discussed: 1810-1814Though it took a while, in 1813, news of the war between Britain and the US arrived on the West Coast and would have ramifications for the Americans at the Pacific trading post of Astoria. Meanwhile, President Madison with his

Year(s) Discussed: 1961-2023For this episode, I'm joined by author and journalist Kate Andersen Brower to discuss her research on modern First Ladies from Jackie Kennedy on and how the role of First Lady changed in the modern era and continues to evolve

Tenure of Office: April 21, 1789 - March 4, 1797John Adams had a lengthy, busy career in public service, but it's likely that he would not rank his eight years as the first Vice President of the United States as one of his crowning achievements. Join my

Year(s) Discussed: 1812-1813Though the French Army captured Moscow in the fall of 1812, Emperor Napoleon quickly learned that holding it and forcing the Russians to capitulate would prove to be a tougher prospect. Meanwhile, Russian Tsar Aleksandr, conce

Year(s) Discussed: Prehistory-1954Being in the midst of a war with Great Britain did not stop some Americans in the early 19th century from thinking about territorial expansion into Spanish-held colonies in the Americas including those in the Caribbean.

Tenure of Office: January 19, 1813 - December 1, 1814Starting a new position is never easy, but being put in charge of the Navy in the middle of the war with a shoestring budget meant for a particularly challenging into Madison's Cabinet for the 4th Secr

Year(s) Discussed: 1801-1825In this episode, I am joined by Kevin R C Gutzman, author of The Jeffersonians: The Visionary Presidencies of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe, to discuss this near quarter century where the three titular friends in succession s

Year(s) Discussed: 1773-1815For this episode, I am joined by Peter Stark, author of Gallop Toward the Sun: Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison's Struggle for the Destiny of a Nation. In the course of our conversation, in addition to talking about the two