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PODCAST

The Road to Now

RTN Productions

Bob Crawford (The Avett Brothers) & Dr. Ben Sawyer (MTSU History) share conversations with great thinkers from a variety of backgrounds – historians, artists, legal scholars, political figures and more –who help us uncover the many roads that run between past and present. For more information, visit TheRoadToNow.com If you"d like to support our work, join us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheRoadToNow

history

All Episodes

54:26

#341 Native Nations w/ Kathleen DuVall

The Road to Now ·

2025/06/23

Kathleen DuVall joins Ben & Bob for a discussion of her Pulitzer Prize-winning book Native Nations: A Millennium in North America (Random House, 2024) and how understanding North American history from both Native and non-Native perspectives helps us better understand our shared story. We also discuss her work with Ken Burns on his upcoming documentary on the American Revolution. Dr. Kathleen DuVall is Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Previous episodes

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54:29

#340 How Charisma Shaped American History from the...

The Road to Now ·

2025/06/16

Bob speaks with UNC-Chapel Hill historian Molly Worthen about her new book Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Trump. Gary Fletcher edited this episode.

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21:53

#339 The Ballad of Marion Zioncheck (Live in DC part 2)

The Road to Now ·

2025/06/11

Ben tells the story of Marion Zioncheck, inventor of the Zioncheck Zipper* and the only sitting member of congress to escape from an insane asylum. This is the second part of our live show featuring guests Major Garrett (CBS News), Margaret Talev (Syracuse University/Axios) & Doug Heye (too many to list). Check out the first part in episode #338 Murder & Mayhem in the Capital City. Special thanks to Rivers Langley of The Goods from The Woods for recommending the Zioncheck story to Ben. If you

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01:05:18

#338 Murder & Mayhem in the Capital City w/ Major...

The Road to Now ·

2025/06/09

Major Garrett (CBS News), Margaret Talev (Syracuse University/Axios) & Doug Heye (too many to list) join Bob & Ben for a conversation about Washington, DC’s long history of scandals and how media has shaped public perceptions of what is/isn’t acceptable in American politics. The conversation was recorded on May 29, 2025 at The Hamilton Live in Washington, DC. A special thanks to Matt Burton and the crew at The Hamilton for hosting us and to everyone who came out to the show! If you enjoy this

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01:03:15

#337 Christian Capitalism in the Early American...

The Road to Now ·

2025/06/02

Few American Christians in the 21st Century question the compatibility of their faith with a capitalist economic system. Two hundred years ago, however, the social and economic changes that came with the rise of a capitalism posed fundamental challenges to Christian practices and beliefs. In this episode, Joseph Slaughter joins us to discuss his book Faith in Markets: Christian Capitalism in the Early American Republic and how Christian responses to the rise of capitalism in the 19th Century laid

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01:05:19

#336 No Elevator to Everest w/ Will Acuff

The Road to Now ·

2025/05/26

Ben & Bob sit down with friend and community builder Will Acuff for a conversation about how to find the good in life. Will founded the non-profit Corner to Corner, which “co-creates economic participation with underestimated Nashvillians,” alongside his wife Tiffany, and recently published his first book No Elevator to Everest: Shift from Survive to Thrive through Spirit-led Self Awareness. This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.

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01:00:31

#335 The Good Friday Agreement and the Future of...

The Road to Now ·

2025/05/19

The Good Friday Agreements of 1998 marked a turning point in Irish history, bringing an end to three decades known as The Troubles and laying a course for a better future for the people of Ireland. In this historian Mark Doyle and Friends of Sinn Féin Executive Director Greg O’Loughlin join us for a conversation about Irish history, the status of Irish unification, and how peace is possible even in the hardest of times. Dr. Mark Doyle is Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University

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57:48

#334 Eurovision Past & Present w/ Paul Jordan

The Road to Now ·

2025/05/12

A lot of Americans only know Eurovision via Will Farrell’s film, “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga,” which capture some of Eurovision’s over-the-top aspects, but the history of the annual event actually shines light on some of the biggest cultural, social and political developments in post-World War II European history. In this episode, Paul Jordan, aka Dr. Eurovision, joins Ben and special guest cohost/his wife Kelly Kolar for a conversation about Eurovision’s origins, how it’s been

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01:05:10

Charisma and American Politics– Live at Cat’s Cradle...

The Road to Now ·

2025/05/05

With our live show in Washington, DC coming up on May 29, we thought it’d be fun to share one of our previous live recordings from Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC w/ guests Molly Worthen, Doug Heye & Rufus Edmisten! Dr. Molly Worthen (Department of History at UNC-Chapel Hill), Doug Heye (CNN/former RNC Communication Director) & Rufus Edmisten (Deputy Chief Council, Senate Watergate Committee/ former NC Secretary of State & Attorney General) join Bob & Ben for a conversation about charisma in American

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53:28

#333 John Cale’s Paris 1919 w/ Mark Doyle

The Road to Now ·

2025/04/28

John Cale is probably best known as a founding member of Velvet underground, but the four years he spent alongside Lou Reed represent a small fraction of the influence Cale has had on modern music. In this episode, recorded live at MTSU’s Center for Popular Music, Ben talks to his friend and colleague Mark Doyle about his new book in the 33 1/3 series, which explores John Cale’s 1973 album Paris 1919 and where it (may) fit within the greater context of his career, the evolution of rock music, and

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56:09

#332 The American Historical Association w/ Sarah...

The Road to Now ·

2025/04/21

The American Historical Association was chartered by Congress in 1884 and has played an essential role in helping foster and spread great historical research. AHA incoming Executive Director Sarah Weicksel and pioneering public historian Ed Ayers join us for a discussion of AHA’s history, its current projects and the damage that recent government policy has done to historians’ ability to create and share an honest history of the United States. Learn more by visiting the American Historical

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01:14:24

#331 The Global Economy Past & Present w/ Jari Eloranta

The Road to Now ·

2025/04/14

America’s role in the world is ‘changing’ and as much as things look new, we’ve seen a lot of this before. Economic Historian Jari Eloranta joins us to put NATO military spending, the looming trade war and other recent global developments in historical context. As always, there’s a lot that history can teach us when we pay attention to those who know it best. Dr. Jari Eloranta is a Professor of History at the University of Helsinki where he specializes in Economic History. He has published

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57:01

National History Day w/ Cathy Gorn & Don Wildman

The Road to Now ·

2025/04/07

Last week the Trump Administration announced it would be cutting more than a thousand grants to the National Endowment for the Humanities, including grants for every state humanities council. In a letter the administration stated that the NEH would be “repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of President Trump’s agenda.” One major organization suffering from these cuts is National History Day, a brilliant program that has inspired young Americans for decades. To remind

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55:24

Country Capitalism w/ Bartow Elmore

The Road to Now ·

2025/03/31

RTN is coming to Washington DC on May 29! Join us for a night of stories of murder and mayhem with guests Major Garrett, Margaret Talev, and Doug Heye at the Hamilton Live! You can get tickets and details at RTNpod.me/liveindc – hope to see you there! The “Amazon economy” seems like something new, but it rests on the physical and intellectual infrastructure built by those who came long before the age of the internet and leaves many of the same marks on the environment. Prominent in this story are

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51:50

#330 Blank Checks w/ Ben & Bob

The Road to Now ·

2025/03/24

With tariffs, the Enemy Alien Act, and politically driven calls for judicial impeachment in the headlines, Ben & Bob decided to sit down and put these developments in historic context. We’ve never been so disappointed to have such a great reason to discuss the history we love! Some recommended readings: The US Constitution Scott Bomboy, “A Brief History of the Constitution and Tariffs,” National Constitution Center, Feb. 07, 2025 Lindsay Chervinsky, “Why the Last Supreme Court Impeachment was

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49:48

The Corruption of Libertarian Philosophy w/ Andrew...

The Road to Now ·

2025/03/17

Libertarianism has had a tremendous influence on American politics, but according to Andrew Koppelman, its most prominent adherents have stripped libertarian philosophy of its more humane intentions. In this episode, Andrew joins Bob and Ben for a discussion about his book, Burning Down the House: How Libertarian Philosophy Was Corrupted by Delusion and Greed (St. Martin’s Press, 2022) and why he contends that libertarian philosophers such as Friedrich Hayek have been stripped of their original

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54:16

#329 Necropolis: Disease, Power & Capitalism in 19th...

The Road to Now ·

2025/03/10

Come see us May 29th at the Hamilton Live in DC! Click here for tickets. Kathryn Olivarius joins Bob & Ben to explain the powerful role that Yellow Fever played in shaping all aspects of life in New Orleans during the 19th century. Kathryn is Associate Professor of History at Stanford University and the authorNecropolis: Disease, Power & Capitalism in the Cotton Kingdom, (Harvard University Press, 2022). This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.

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51:10

#328 Protect Democracy w/ Anne Tindall

The Road to Now ·

2025/03/03

Our next live show is in Washington, DC on May 29! Click here for tickets. Anne Tindall is Special Council at the non-partisan group Protect Democracy, where she works to ensure that elections are free and fair, to prevent political violence, and to secure accountability for abuses of power at the federal and state level. In this episode she joins us to talk about the still unsettled results of North Carolina’s Supreme Court election from November, and Republican Jefferson Griffin’s attempt to

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52:35

The Civilian Conservation Corps w/ Neil Maher

The Road to Now ·

2025/02/24

Just announced: The next Road to Now Live is May 29 at The Hamilton Live in Washington, DC! Click here to get your tickets! Between 1933 and 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps enlisted more than three million young men in a project that planted two billion trees, slowed soil erosion on forty million acres of farmland, and enjoyed support across political and geographic divides. In this episode we talk with Neil Maher, author of Nature’s New Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Roots

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47:12

Women & American Slavery w/ Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers

The Road to Now ·

2025/02/17

Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers’ is a historian whose work has shed new light on the roles that women played in American slavery. In this episode, she joins Ben and Bob to share some of the significant findings of her work, the sources she’s used to learn more about enslaved people and female slaveowners, and her new project, which reorients our understanding of the British Atlantic slave trade by centering the story on the lives of both free and captive women. Dr. Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers is Associate

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435 results

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