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Episodes

1.045 – A Proclamation of Thanksgiving
Nov. 22, 2017

1.045 – A Proclamation of Thanksgiving

Year(s) Discussed: 1619, 1621, 1789 To mark the upcoming US holiday of Thanksgiving, I wanted to release this special episode to provide a few thoughts on the holiday and its history and legacy as well as share with you President Washington’s proclamation issued on October 3rd, 1789 calling for …
1.205 – Randolph
Nov. 12, 2017

1.205 – Randolph

Year(s) Discussed: 1753-1789 Though well known in his own day, Thomas Jefferson’s successor at the State Department is little known to modern audiences. Thus, I present this special episode in order to help you understand our second Secretary of State. His name has been brought up in the podcast…
1.20 – Go West, Young Men
Oct. 29, 2017

1.20 – Go West, Young Men

Year(s) Discussed: 1792-1794 Washington and his administration adjusts to the shake-up following Jefferson’s departure from the Cabinet. Meanwhile, attention is turned west due to General Wayne making steps to take his Legion of the United States into action as an attempt at negotiation with nat…
1.19 – Rebellion
Oct. 15, 2017

1.19 – Rebellion

Year(s) Discussed: 1791-1794 As Washington sets wheels in motion for some rather radical changes to his personal way of life, others at home and abroad start working towards some changes of their own. In western Pennsylvania, small-scale distillers and farmers begin to organize against a new fed…
1.18 – Pestilence
Oct. 1, 2017

1.18 – Pestilence

Year(s) Discussed: 1786-1793 Washington, his household, and his administration struggle to deal with an epidemic of yellow fever as it makes its way through the city of Philadelphia, indiscriminately infecting people from all walks of life including a resident at the President’s House. In additi…
1.17 – Genet Must Go
Sept. 17, 2017

1.17 – Genet Must Go

Year(s) Discussed: 1793 Washington returns to Philadelphia to deal with the continued agitations of French Minister Genêt. Meanwhile, Attorney General Randolph goes south on a fact-finding mission, Philip Freneau continues his attacks against Washington and his administration in the pages of the…
1.16 – Don’t Mess With Washington
Sept. 3, 2017

1.16 – Don’t Mess With Washington

Year(s) Discussed: 1793 The new French Minister to the US arrives in Philadelphia and begins causing a stir both within the Washington administration and out in the streets. Meanwhile, Washington has another bout of ill health but recovers just in time to have to rush back to Mount Vernon despit…
1.15 – It’s Not Easy Being Neutral
Aug. 20, 2017

1.15 – It’s Not Easy Being Neutral

Year(s) Discussed: 1791-1793 The British and French are at war, and the Washington administration is caught in the middle. Though the US government had established a Treaty of Alliance with the French back in the Revolutionary War, the administration had to question whether the new French republ…
1.14 – The Second Inaugural
Aug. 6, 2017

1.14 – The Second Inaugural

Year(s) Discussed: 1791-1793 The lead up to Washington’s second inaugural ended up being much more dramatic than anyone could have imagined as personal conflicts threatened the construction of the Federal City, Hamilton’s affair with Maria Reynolds threatened to be made public knowledge, and Rep…
1.13 – Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?
July 25, 2017

1.13 – Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

Year(s) Discussed: 1792 Washington has an important decision to make as the Election of 1792 looms. Should he accede to the wishes of many and stand for reelection or should he take his weary bones back to Mount Vernon for the remainder of his days? The growing factional agitations that were exa…
One Year Anniversary Special Episode
July 16, 2017

One Year Anniversary Special Episode

In honor of my one year anniversary of podcasting, I did this special episode to run simultaneously on the Harrison Podcast to share a little bit about how I got started podcasting, some information about our audience,
1.12 – Slavery in America
July 10, 2017

1.12 – Slavery in America

Content Note: Though not going into graphic detail, I did want to let everyone know upfront that this episode, in discussing slavery, does touch upon the violence associated with slavery including that perpetrated against female enslaved people. Year(s) Discussed: 1490s-1792 European settlers…
1.11 – Mad Anthony and His Legion
June 25, 2017

1.11 – Mad Anthony and His Legion

Year(s) Discussed: 1792-1793 Washington hopes that third time will be the charm as he taps Anthony Wayne, a general who had served under him in the Revolutionary War, to take command of the Army following St. Clair’s defeat and to prosecute military action against native forces in the old Northw…
1.10 – Agitations 2: Foreign Intrigues
June 18, 2017

1.10 – Agitations 2: Foreign Intrigues

Year(s) Discussed: 1789-1792 Numerous foreign relations issues faced Washington’s first administration. In this episode, we examine how the administration dealt with the Anglo-American trade imbalance, the impact of the French Revolution, Spanish attempts to break the lands west of the Appalachi…
1.09 – Agitations
May 28, 2017

1.09 – Agitations

Year(s) Discussed: 1789-1791 Increasingly during the Washington administration, tensions were beginning to build between pro-administration and anti-administration factions which would ultimately culminate in the development of the First Party System. This episode looks at some of the structural…
1.08 – Banking and Drinking
May 14, 2017

1.08 – Banking and Drinking

Year(s) Discussed: 1789-1791 The government is on the move! As the federal government transitions to its new temporary capitol while Washington selects a site for the permanent capitol along the Potomac, it is also forced to deal with the most controversial proposal put forward to date: the crea…
1.07 – Arthur St Clair: Worst. General. Ever.
April 30, 2017

1.07 – Arthur St Clair: Worst. General. Ever.

Year(s) Discussed: 1789-1792 While Congress deliberates on the course of the nation in New York, settlers in the frontier were forging ahead with their own future beyond the Appalachian mountains. In this episode, we look at the development of territories in the west and discuss how the Washingt…
1.06 – Assumption, Presumption, Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off
April 16, 2017

1.06 – Assumption, Presumption, Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off

Year(s) Discussed: 1790 The new government of the United States comes grinding to a halt in the spring and summer of 1790 as Congress reaches an impasse on both Hamilton’s proposed public credit scheme and the decision of where the new government should be permanently located. Ultimately, a deci…
1.05 – Take This Report and File It
April 2, 2017

1.05 – Take This Report and File It

Year(s) Discussed: 1790 Hamilton’s Report on the Public Credit is sent to Congress in January 1790 and immediately causes an uproar. As congressmen divide into pro and anti-administration factions on this issue, I take a closer look in this episode at the report and Hamilton’s proposals on how t…
1.04 – The Dream Team
March 19, 2017

1.04 – The Dream Team

Year(s) Discussed: 1789 After a debate over how much authority Washington would exert over its officers, the executive branch begins to take shape. I examine both the original Cabinet members and the departments as they were at the beginning of the constitutional government. Then, as Washington …
1.03 – Year One
March 5, 2017

1.03 – Year One

Year(s) Discussed: 1789 Washington’s inauguration, while starting up the wheels of the executive branch, leaves many questions to be answered by the first chief executive and the new government. What titles will be used to address the president? How will he make himself available to the public a…
0.02 – Presidential Address
March 1, 2017

0.02 – Presidential Address

To mark the occasion of the 45th president’s first speech to a joint session of Congress, I present to you this special episode on how presidents have communicated with other politicians and government officials as well as with the general public and h...
1.025 – Hamilton
Feb. 20, 2017

1.025 – Hamilton

Year(s) Discussed: c. 1755-1787 In honor of Presidents’ Day, I am releasing this special mini-episode on the life of Alexander Hamilton leading up to the Constitutional Convention. As I am not Lin-Manuel Miranda and would likely drive listeners off if I attempted to sing, this is a spoken summat…
1.02 – Washington Pre-Presidency Part Two
Feb. 19, 2017

1.02 – Washington Pre-Presidency Part Two

Year(s) Discussed: 1764-1789 The colonies along the Atlantic seaboard declare independence and go to war with Great Britain, and George Washington is in the middle of all of the action. The lead up and the prosecution of the revolution would lift Washington from being just another Virginia plant…