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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

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All Episodes

53:00

#379 The Elections of 1874 (Midterm Elections Series #2)

The Road to Now ·

2026/10/05

Most histories mark the 1876 Presidential election as the end of post-Civil War reconstruction, but the end of that era might have already been signaled when Democrats took control of the House of Representatives in the 1874 midterms. Why was the party of secession able to regain so much power in the federal government less than a decade after the end of the Civil War? And how did the outcome of these elections lay the groundwork for the Compromise of 1877 and the restoration of white supremacy in

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48:28

#378 The Elections of 1858 (Midterm Elections Series #1)

The Road to Now ·

2026/09/28

Would Kansas be admitted as a slave state? Would the US purchase Cuba from Spain (and perhaps admit it as another slave state)? And what could be done in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling in Dredd Scott vs. Sanford, that Congress could not regulate slavery in the territories? These questions make 1858 one of the most consequential midterm elections in American history, as well as a great place to kick off RTN's midterm election series. In this 4-part series, Ben and Bob, along with a few

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Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny w/ Jeff Bieber

The Road to Now ·

2026/09/21

Hannah Arendt witnessed the rise of Nazism in Germany and her groundbreaking works, including The Origins of Totalitarianism, sought to understand how regular people could be seduced by horrendous ideologies such as antisemitism and fascism. In this episode, Ben speaks with documentarian Jeff Bieber, whose new film Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny, documents Adendt's life as an intellectual, refugee and, eventually, an American citizen whose concerns about power remain as relevant today as they were

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54:49

#377 The Hindenburg w/ Catherine Grace Katz

The Road to Now ·

2026/09/14

Catherine Grace Katz joins us to talk about her new book, Shadow Before the Flame: The Hindenburg Disaster and the Prelude to War, and just how much the story of the ill-fated German Zepplin can tell us about the world in the years between World War I and World War II. You can pre-order your copy of Shadow Before the Flame at Catherine's website, CatherineGraceKatz.com. This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.

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54:28

George Carlin's American Dream w/ Michael Bonfiglio &...

The Road to Now ·

2026/09/07

George Carlin had a comedy career that spanned half a century, and his take on the US remains relevant more than a decade after his death in 2008. The HBO documentary George Carlin's American Dream tells Carlin's story as he evolved from a clean-cut comic in the 1950s into the edgy critic who remains one of the most influential comedians of all time. In this episode, Michael Bonfiglio, who directed the film (along with Judd Apatow) and Kliph Nesteroff, a historian of comedy who is featured in the

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56:59

#376 Miracle Road: The Story of Research Triangle...

The Road to Now ·

2026/08/31

North Carolina's Research Triangle has been a hub of innovation and economic growth for more than half a century, but the most remarkable invention in the area's history might be the park itself. In this episode, Mack Paul explains how residents of one of the poorest states in the union found a way to reimagine their future and transform the 'Old North State' into a global leader in scientific advancement. Mack's new book, which he coauthored with his father, Allen, is Miracle Road: The Story of

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51:39

The Pursuit of Happiness w/ Jeffrey Rosen

The Road to Now ·

2026/08/24

The inalienable right to "the pursuit of happiness" is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, but what exactly does that phrase mean? While Americans today may associate it with the right to own land, opulence or some other act of acquisition, many prominent founders understood it to mean something quite different. In this episode National Constitution Center President & CEO Jeffrey Rosen returns to the show to give us the full story and discuss his new book The Pursuit of Happiness: How

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54:03

#375 The Road to Venecky w/ Ben & Bob

The Road to Now ·

2026/08/17

Ben & Bob catch up for a conversation about bad Ai textooks, new discoveries about precolonial American societies and a new take on the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. Make sure to catch Bob at his endless book tour for America's Founding Son! Dates available by following him on Instagram at @bobcrawfordbass. Sources discussed in this episode: · John Green, Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of our Deadliest Infection, (Penguin, 2025). · Pärssinen, M., Kalliola,

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53:22

#374 The Senate's Hard Summer

The Road to Now ·

2026/08/10

Ben & Bob talk about the history of the US Senate and why the august body is now under attack from both the Freedom Caucus and the Democratic Socialists of America. For readings discussed in this episode, check out Michael Trotti's "The Troubling Roots of Off-Year Gubernatorial Elections" from Made By History (Oct. 29, 2025) and Article 5 of the US Constitution, which states: "The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution,

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58:20

#373 Good Government w/ Lindsey Cormack

The Road to Now ·

2026/08/03

In an era of cynicism towards politics, Lindsey Cormak wants you to focus on what government has gotten right and to raise your kids to be active citizens. And as the host of the new podcast Government That Doesn't Suck (alongside History That Doesn't Suck's Greg Jackson), and the author How to Raise a Citizen (And Why It's Up to You To Do It), she has evidence and a framework for how to get there. In this conversation we cover all this, as well as Lindsey's research on Veterans and her work to

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52:57

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

The Road to Now ·

2026/07/27

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 author of Necropolis: Disease, Power & Capitalism in the Cotton Kingdom, (Harvard University Press, 2022). She was also a 2024 recipient of the Dan David Prize. This is a rebroadcast of #329, which originally aired on March 10, 2025. This episode was edited by Ben

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51:46

The Civilian Conservation Corps w/ Neil Maher

The Road to Now ·

2026/07/20

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 of the American Environmental Movement (Oxford University Press, 2008) about how the CCC helped solidify FDR's New Deal and

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53:04

Mitch McConnell: The Price of Power w/ Michael Tackett

The Road to Now ·

2026/07/13

Journalist Michael Tackett joins Ben & Bob to discuss his book The Price of Power: How Mitch McConnell Mastered the Senate, Changed America and Lost his Party (Simon & Schuster, 2024). Tackett, who wrote the biography with McConnell's consent, was granted unprecedented access to McConnell's vast personal archives, his staff, and even the Senator himself, who sat for about 50 hours of interviews. If you've ever wondered how Mitch McConnell rose to power, how he's stayed there despite challenges from

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58:35

Citizen Coke: The History of Coca-Cola w/ Bartow Elmore

The Road to Now ·

2026/07/06

Coca-Cola is one of the most well-known products on planet earth, but did you ever wonder how a brown fizzy drink fueled the rise of a corporate juggernaut? The answer, says Ohio State historian Bartow Elmore, has everything to do with its business structure. In this episode, Bart offers his take on how Coke went from Atlanta soda parlors in the late 19th century to markets across the globe in less than a century, all along reaping tremendous benefits from public infrastructure while passing the

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09:39

The Declaration of Independence

The Road to Now ·

2026/07/02

On July 2nd, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted a resolution stating that "that these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states." Two days later, on July 4, they adopted the Declaration of Independence, read here for you by (in order of appearance): Bob Crawford, The Road to Now Lindsay Graham, History Daily Greg Jackson, History That Doesn't Suck Lindsey Cormack, Government That Doesn't Suck Ben Sawyer, The Road to Now Colleen Shogan, In Pursuit With final

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51:14

Benjamin Franklin w/ Dayton Duncan and David Schmidt

The Road to Now ·

2026/06/29

This week, as we approach the 250th anniversary of American independence, we shine a light on one of the founding generation's greats: Benjamin Franklin It's difficult to fathom how Franklin accomplished so much in a single lifetime. It's equally difficult to imagine how to take such an incredible life and consolidate it into four hours of documentary film. In this episode, we cover both feats with writer Dayton Duncan and producer David Schmidt, two of the great minds behind Ken Burns'

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01:00:57

#372 Obstinate Daughters: Women in the American...

The Road to Now ·

2026/06/22

The American Revolution touched the lives of everyone living in the American colonies, and though the focus is often on the battlefields and political debates, those who were excluded from those places nevertheless played a crucial role in gaining independence. In this episode, Denise Kiernan joins us to discuss her new book, Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers and Renegade Women Who Ignited the Revolution and how looking at the revolution through women's lives gives us a more perfect

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01:02:12

#371 Been There, Done That w/ Greg Jackson

The Road to Now ·

2026/06/15

If you feel like America is facing hard times right now, you've got a lot in common with your forebearers. Greg Jackson of History That Doesn't Suck joins Ben for a live conversation to discuss his new book Been There, Done That: How Our History Shows What We Can Overcome, and why he thinks highlighting some of America's hardest moments can strengthen us as we work to preserve the American Republic on the eve of its 250th anniversary. If you enjoy this conversation, come join us in Nashville on

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01:04:40

#370 The Declaration of Independence: A Biography of...

The Road to Now ·

2026/06/08

The Declaration of Independence has a story that is much bigger than July 4th, 1776. From its origins in enlightenment thought to its evocation by modern politicians, the document has had a life that can teach us a lot about who we are and have been. In this episode, Ted Widmer joins us to discuss his new book, The Living Declaration: A Biography of America's Founding Document, which brings together an impressive set of documents that demonstrate the Declaration's impact on people in the US and

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54:25

A Forgotten History of Long Island w/ Tim Keogh

The Road to Now ·

2026/06/01

The suburbs have long been a symbol of American prosperity in the post-WWII era. Yet the contrast between suburban wealth and "inner city" poverty overlooks the stories of those living in suburbia who were unable to reach "the good life." In this episode Ben & Bob talk with Tim Keogh, whose new book In Levittown's Shadow: Poverty in America's Wealthiest Suburb (Univ. of Chicago Press, 2023), explores the history of suburbanization in Long Island, New York, and argues that post-WWII prosperity

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