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PODCAST

Plodding Through The Presidents

Howard & Jessica Dorre

Join history blogger Howard Dorre and his wife Jessica Dorre for a deep irreverent dive into lesser-known stories of the early American presidents. They dig into the myths, mysteries, scandals, and drama of the founders and their families, with a dash of marital banter.

history improv

All Episodes

60:20

Adapting Franklin & John Adams with Kirk Ellis

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2024/04/23

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.Find out more at

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43:03

Mount Vernon's Stone of Secrets

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2024/04/09

We dig into the centuries-old mystery of a cornerstone in Mount Vernon’s cellar that inspired a pivotal prop in the film National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Then we hunt for the truth behind that prop’s role in a battle between Hollywood and historical accuracy. Along the way we explore The War of Jenkins’ Ear, what the War of 1812 smelled like, and what happened when air conditioning came to Mount Vernon.Find out more at plodpod.com. Consider joining our Patreon family at

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41:55

Joe versus Mount Vernon

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2024/03/26

This is the story of one man with big dreams who wanted to turn George Washington's Mount Vernon into a stop on his massive proposed theme park—a Disneyland on the Potomac named "The Spirit of America." In the 1960s and 70s, Joseph I. Goldstein was called the greatest threat to Mount Vernon since the British navy, and we dig into his wild plot and how the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, his neighbors, the government, and all the elements of nature joined forces to stop him.Find out more at

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42:59

Saving Mount Vernon and Everything the Light Touches

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2024/03/12

We explore two women responsible for preserving George Washington’s Mount Vernon: the "Southern Matron" Ann Pamela Cunningham, who dedicated her life to saving the mansion from ruin in the 1850s, and the eccentric Congressperson Frances Payne Bolton who used her wealth and power to save Mount Vernon's pristine view from becoming an industrial wasteland in the 1950s. It's a story of perseverance, partnership, and different kinds of power—economic, political, and even psychic.Visit plodpod.com for

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51:46

Party Time with H. W. Brands

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2024/02/27

We welcome historian and author H. W. Brands to the show to talk about the subjects of his new book, Founding Partisans: Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Adams and the Brawling Birth of American Politics. Topics include why everybody hated Hamilton, James Madison's political metamorphosis, and the founders' fear of election-stealing demagogues.Show notes and sources at plodpod.com Enter to win a copy of "Founding Partisans" at https://basicfront.easypromosapp.com/p/971239 You can subscribe to H. W

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35:21

The John Adams Diet

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2024/02/13

We bring you The John Adams Diet, a revolutionary new lifestyle based on the documented personal habits and diet of America's second president. From chocolate for breakfast to hard cider and long walks, the John Adams Diet can unlock the big sassy founder within you. (Results not typical or likely.) Visit JohnAdamsDiet.com for more details. Consider joining our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents Check out our merch store

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1:14

Season 5 Trailer

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2024/02/06

Plodding Through The Presidents returns Tuesday, February 13th as an ongoing biweekly podcast! Visit our website at www.plodpod.com Check out our merch store at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/plodding-through-the-presidents?ref_id=24294 Join our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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58:31

Friendsgiving Spectacular 2023

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2023/11/20

In a special bonus episode, Howard joins Kenny Ryan from [Abridged] Presidential Histories, Jerry Landry from The Presidencies of the United States, and Alycia from Civics & Coffee for a fascinating Friendsgiving conversation about their podcasts and shared passion for history. We'll be back soon! Find more info and sign up for our mailing list at plodpod.com Consider joining our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for bonus content and fun perks! Check out our

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54:32

The Shipwrecked Ring of John C. Calhoun

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2023/07/11

This episode's deep dive takes us to the bottom of the Pacific where a relic belonging to the family of John C. Calhoun was discovered 61 years after it was lost. We explore how it was lost during the tragic Honda Point Disaster and the story of the man who discovered it—and the target it put on his back. And it all starts with a little street in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles named Calhoun Avenue. Find show notes, sources, and more at plodpod.com Consider joining our Patreon family

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65:27

Living Monuments of the Lost Cause with Karen L. Cox

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2023/07/04

We explore the Lost Cause narrative—the myth that the South didn't actually secede from the Union and fight the Civil War over slavery. First, we focus on Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens' chilling "Cornerstone Speech" defining the cause of the Confederacy, and then Howard talks with Dr. Karen L. Cox about her fascinating book "No Common Ground: Confederate Monuments and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice." Please note: the interview with Dr. Cox was recorded in October 2022 and

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70:36

Assassinating Andrew Jackson

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2023/06/20

In 1835 a man ambushed Andrew Jackson outside the Capitol and fired at him with two different pistols from less than 10 feet away—yet Jackson was unharmed. We dig into this failed assassination attempt, the wild trial of would-be assassin Richard Lawrence, and the conspiracy theories that started circulating immediately. Then we welcome guest David S. Brown, author of The First Populist: The Defiant Life of Andrew Jackson, for a chat about Jackson's image, personality, and his crusades against the

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66:05

Washington & Madison's Founding Fracture

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2023/06/13

How did James Madison go from being one of George Washington's best friends to someone Washington went to his grave despising? We look at the rise and fall of Washington and Madison's friendship, from their partnership to create the Constitution to their bitter breakup amidst the birth of America’s two-party system. Of all the rifts, rivalries, and betrayals that shaped the nation, this one might be the most personal. After digging into Madison's ratlike behavior, we read some listener responses

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68:37

Populism in The Wizard of Oz

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2023/05/23

We go on a bimetal-curious adventure over the rainbow to dig into the history of L. Frank Baum's American fairy tale The Wizard of Oz and its alleged connections to William Jennings Bryan and the Populist movement of the 1890s. Then, Howard talks with author Peter Shea about Bryan and other presidential candidates who never made it to the presidency—including Aaron Burr and John C. Calhoun—all featured in Shea's book "In The Arena: A History of American Presidential Hopefuls." Special thanks to

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61:57

John Quincy vs. The Sun, The South & The Mole People

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2023/05/16

Guest Bob Crawford tells us about his new podcast "Founding Son: John Quincy's America" and John Quincy Adams's epic post-presidential battle against the Southern slavocracy and the Gag Rule. Before that, we dig into JQA's battle with solar eclipses and cover some exciting updates about JQA and the mole people—a myth we first discussed in our Season 1 episode "John Quincy Adams vs. The Internet." Find show notes and more at plodpod.com Consider joining our Patreon family at

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64:00

The Rise and Fall of Billy Possum

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2023/05/09

Fearing the Teddy Bear was just a fad, some folks started looking for a successor toy. They settled on the Billy Possum. We dig into the birth of Billy Possum at a lavish Atlanta banquet for William Howard Taft in 1909, the innovative and disturbing promotional efforts of Susie W. Allgood to make Billy Possum happen, and the series of unfortunate events that led to the stuffed marsupial's downfall. Show notes and more at plodpod.com Check out our brand new "Hello Billy Possum!" shirt at our

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64:01

Teddy Bear's Creation Myths

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2022/12/20

We dig into the truth behind the chaotic 1902 Mississippi bear hunt that forever linked Teddy Roosevelt to a cute little bear and we explore the competing versions of the teddy bear's origin—and the clear winner. Then we look at the bizarre religious backlash against the teddy bear craze in 1907. Show notes and sources at plodpod.com—special thanks to "Holt Collier: His Life, His Roosevelt Hunts, and the Origin of the Teddy Bear" by Minor Ferris Buchanan and "Margarete Steiff, Morris Michtom and

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65:52

Treasures of Healthcare History with Tegan Kehoe

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2022/12/06

Guest Tegan Kehoe—medical historian and author of the fascinating new book "Exploring American Healthcare Through 50 Historic Treasures"—joins Howard for an enlightening and personal discussion about George Washington's dentures, Vitamin D beer, the tragic story of the Kennedy baby, and our firsthand experiences with lifesaving advancements in preemie care. But first, Howard and Jess talk about a medical treatment gone wrong with Thomas Jefferson's nightmarish trip to Warm Springs, Virginia in

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41:31

The Passion of Benjamin Franklin

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2022/11/29

We dig into the stories behind Benjamin Franklin's notoriously naughty reputation on a quest to determine whether he was a flirt, a feminist, or the philandering father of dozens of children. And we dive into a letter of Franklin's that was considered too obscene to print until 150 years after his death. Show notes and sources at plodpod.com Consider joining our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents Check out our merch store

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61:56

Friendsgiving Spectacular

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2022/11/21

It's a Thanksgiving supergroup of history podcasters when Howard joins Kenny Ryan of [Abridged] Presidential Histories, Alycia from Civics & Coffee, and Jerry Landry from Presidencies of the United States for a special Friendsgiving spectacular to talk about some of their favorite things. Check them out: [Abridged] Presidential Histories Civics & Coffee Presidencies of the United States Consider joining our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents where you can view

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41:52

Why John Adams Hated Benjamin Franklin

Plodding Through The Presidents ·

2022/11/15

We delve into the reasons behind John Adams's intense loathing of Benjamin Franklin, from their time as strange bedfellows in the Second Continental Congress to their time in France as diplomats with wildly different methods and work ethics. Even long after Franklin's death, Adams held a grudge against the man he considered a phony, glory-stealing sloth. Visit plodpod.com for more information. Key source: Evans, William B. “John Adams’ Opinion of Benjamin Franklin.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of

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92 results

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