American History Hotline

Why did a French-born aristocrat volunteer (without pay) to fight for the Americans during the Revolutionary War? And what happened when the Marquis de Lafayette returned to France to fight in its revolution?And is his name really Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette?! This episode is all about Lafayette, including his Era's Tour return to America decades after the revolution. GUEST: Lloyd Kramer, historian and author of the book Lafayette in Two Worlds: Public Cultures and

"War is 99 parts diarrhea and one part glory." Walt Whitman had a point when he wrote this. Diseases like dysentery, typhus, and malaria were responsible for 2/3 of the deaths in the Civil War. So, how did illness kill more soldiers on the battlefield than cannons and bayonets? It helps to look at the living conditions and atrocious medical practices in field hospitals during the deadliest war in American history. And it didn't help that sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis were rampant among

Sir Mix-a-Lot can't lie about liking big butts. And George Washington can't lie about cutting down cherry trees. Or can he? According to Washington biographer Alexis Coe, this is "the greatest fan fiction ever told" (the tree thing! Mix-a-Lot truly loves big butts). It turns out America's first president is a lightning rod for myths and misinformation. So, we're putting in our wooden teeth (or are they not wood?) and taking a bite of the reality sandwich as we sort truth from fiction in George

It's Lincoln's party and he'll cry if he wants to. We trace the evolution of America's major political parties to understand how they've changed since Honest Abe was the Republican standard-bearer. And if he were running for election in 2028, which party would he belong to? GUEST:Julian Zelizer, New York Timesbest-selling author and Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University. Hepublishes a Substack newsletter calledThe Long View. Check out his book: In Defense of Partisanship.

The Roaring Twenties was a period of tremendous financial growth in America — punctuated by a stock market crash and the highest poverty and unemployment the nation has ever seen. The question is, can this happen again? Looking back, we explore what was happening in the country during the boom years that led to the bust years. GUEST:Gabriel Mathy, associate professor of economics at American University. His area of expertise is macroeconomics of the Great Depression.See

How does the U.S. Constitution protect our country from being taken over by a power-hungry dictator? You may not like the answer. President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, Jeffrey Rosen, explains how much of our federal government is based on political norms and precedents that are vulnerable to the whims of the masses. Still, our Constitution has weathered some of the most serious political storms of the past 250 years and held strong. The key to success, Rosen explains, is an informed

American history is full of folklore and tall tales, so it's hard to believe that Founders Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4th, 1826 — exactly 50 years after signing the Declaration of Independence. But it's all true! Historian Lindsay Chervinsky tells the stories of these patriotic deaths, including Adams' belief that "Jefferson still lives." Interestingly enough, James Madison actually tried to AVOID dying on the 4th of July. It turns out, Independence Day is rife with

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