Imperfect Men

On this episode, Cody and Steve discuss the dark legacy of Christopher Gadsden and how he still affects us to this very day. Podcast to recommend: Grand Dukes of the West ( Grand Dukes of the West – A History of Valois Burgundy ) Sources ·        Butler, Nic. “The Story of Gadsden’s Wharf.” Charleston County Public Library . 2 Feb 2018. <https://www.ccpl....

On this episode, Cody and Steve continue their discussion on the so-called First American, Benjamin Franklin, and try to parse legend and myth from the cold, hard truth. Podcast to recommend: Disastrous History ( Disastrous History ) Sources ·        Brands, H. W. The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin . New York City, NY: Doubleday, 200...

On this episode, Cody and Steve finally tackle one of the giants of the American Revolution, Poor Richard himself, Benjamin Franklin. Sources ·        Brands, H. W. The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin . New York City, NY: Doubleday, 2000. ·        Gupton, Nancy. “Benjamin Franklin and the Kite E...

On this episode, Cody and Steve talk about the exploits of the Granite State’s favorite son, Nathaniel Folsom. Podcast to recommend: Civics 101 ( Civics 101: A Podcast ) Sources ·        Bell, J.L. “General Folsom and Colonel Stark.” Boston 1775 . Blogspot. 23 Jun 2011. < https://boston1775.blogspot.com/2011/06/general-folsom-and-colonel-stark.html>. R...

On this week’s episode, Cody and Steve talk about William Floyd and decide whether or not silence earns you a place as a Founding Father. Podcast to recommend: Blowback ( Blowback ) Sources ·        Maxwell, William Q. A Portrait of William Floyd of Long Island . Setauket, NY: Society of the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities, 1956. ·   &...

On this episode, Cody and Steve talk about Joseph Galloway, the Founding Father who committed the ultimate sin. Podcast to recommend: Assassinations ( Assassinations Podcast ) Sources ·        Ferling, John. The Loyalist Mind: Joseph Galloway and the American Revolution . College Station, PA: Pennsylvania State U. Press, 1977. ·     ...

On this episode, Steve and Cody discuss another Revolutionary immigrant from the Emerald Isle, Thomas Fitzsimons. Podcast to recommend: Anglo-Saxon England ( Anglo-Saxon England (evergreenpodcasts.com) ) Sources ·        Flanders, Henry. “Thomas Fitzsimmons.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 2, no. 3 (1878): 306–14. <http://www.jstor.org...

On this episode, Cody and Steve discuss the few and far between details of the Constitutional Convention’s man of few words, William Few. Podcast to recommend: American Revolution ( http://blog.amrevpodcast.com/ ) Sources Wright, Jr., Robert K., and Morris J. MacGregor, Jr. Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution . Washington, DC: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1987. See pinned post on Bluesk...

On this episode, Cody and Steve talk about another important dude who didn’t sign anything, Oliver Ellsworth. Podcast to recommend: Parkography ( Parkography | National Parks Podcast ) Sources Abraham, Henry J. Justices and Presidents: A Political History of Appointments to the Supreme Court . Oxford, UK: Oxford U. Press, 1992. Brown, William Garrott. The Life of Oliver Ellsworth . New York City,...

On this episode, Steve and Cody discuss one of those rarest of creatures, a Rhode Islander, William Ellery. Podcast to recommend: America’s Secret Wars ( https://redcircle.com/shows/america-secret-wars ) Sources Fowler, Jr., William M. William Ellery: A Rhode Island Politico and Lord of Admiralty . Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1973. Hand, Tom. “William Ellery of Rhode Island: Merchant, Lawyer, a...

On this episode, Cody and Steve discuss weird biblical names and John Adams’ opinions about people as they discuss Eliphalet Dyer. Podcast to recommend: History of Byzantium ( https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/ ) Also... be sure to check out our friends at the Ancient and Esoteric Order of the Jackalope! ( https://order-of-the-jackalope.com ) Sources Dexter, Franklin B. Biographical Sketches of th...

On this episode, Steve and Cody discuss William Duer, the man almost single-handedly responsible for America’s first financial crash. Podcast to recommend: The Hellenistic Age ( https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/ ) Sources Brown, Abram. “The High Crimes And Misadventures Of William Duer, The Founding Father Who Swindled America.” Forbes . 4 Jul 2019. <https://www.forbes.com/sites/abra...

On this episode, Steve and Cody discuss James Duane, the blueblood post-Revolution Mayor of New York City. Podcast to recommend: The Explorers ( https://explorerspodcast.com/ ) Sources Alexander, Edward. Revolutionary Conservative: James Duane of New York . New York City, NY: AMS Press, 1978. Burrows, Edwin G. and Wallace, Mike. Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 . New York City, NY: Oxfor...

On this episode, Steve and Cody follow up on the special episode on the Lee Resolution from a year ago and discuss its author, the six-fingered Senator, Richard Henry Lee. Podcast to recommend: The Civil War & Reconstruction ( https://civilwarpodcast.org/ ) Sources McGaughy, J. Kent. Richard Henry Lee of Virginia: A portrait of an American Revolutionary . Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield,...

On this episode, Steve and Cody discuss Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, six time Grammy nominee, and lovelorn reality TV subject, William Drayton…wait, no, that’s not right… Podcast to recommend: The Almost Forgotten ( http://almostforgotten.squarespace.com/ ) Sources Dabney, William M. and Marion Dargan. William Henry Drayton and the American Revolution. Albuquerque, NM: U. of New Mexico Press, 1962...

On this episode, Steve and Cody discuss the “Penman of the Revolution,” John Dickinson. Podcast to recommend: Age of Napoleon ( https://ageofnapoleon.com/ ) Sources Calvert, Jane E. “Liberty Without Tumult: Understanding the Politics of John Dickinson.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography , vol. 131. Philadelphia, PA: Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 2007. Dickinson, John. Letter...

On this episode, Steve and Cody discuss Silas Deane, America’s first diplomat. Podcast to recommend: Rejects and Revolutionaries ( https://americanhistorypodcast.net/ ) Sources Covart, Elizabeth M. “Silas Deane, Forgotten Patriot.” Journal of the American Revolution . 30 Jul 2014. <https://allthingsliberty.com/2014/07/silas-deane-forgotten-patriot/>. Retrieved 2 May 2024. Drury, David. “The...

On this episode, De Steve and De Cody discuss their second straight subject (and fourth overall) from Elizabeth, New Jersey, John De Hart. Podcast to recommend: Passed ( https://shows.acast.com/passedpod ) Sources See pinned post on Bluesky for general sources Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Cody and Steve bring the podcast home as they discuss the man whose name adorns the city that the show is recorded in, Jonathan Dayton. Podcast to recommend:  Lafayette, We Are Here! ( https://www.lafayettepodcast.com/ ) Sources “Brief History of Dayton.” City of Dayton, City Commission Office . <http://www.cityofdayton.org/cco/Pages/BriefHistory.aspx>. Retrieved 9 Apr...

On this episode, Cody and Steve discuss their first subject who didn’t sign any of the founding documents, the hero of Charlotte and the original Tar Heel, William Richardson Davie. Podcast to recommend: Flatpack History of Sweden ( https://aflatpackhistoryofsweden.com/ ) Sources Anderson III, William L. “William Richardson Davie.” Charlotte History Museum . <https://charlottemuseum.org/learn/a...

On this episode, Comrade Cody and Comrade Steve venture into the gulag of American diplomacy as they discuss Francis Dana, the first ambassador from the United States to the once and future adversary, Russia. Podcast to recommend: History of Persia ( https://history-of-persia-pod-cast.com/ ) Sources Bolkhouitinov, Nikolai N. Russia and the American Revolution . Tallahassee, FL: The Diplomatic Pres...

On this episode, Steve and Cody discuss a guy who would probably get picked last for dodgeball, Thomas Cushing. Podcast to recommend: History of the Germans ( https://historyofthegermans.com/ ) Sources Monk, Will. “Thomas Hutchinson and His Letters.” Journal of the American Revolution . 1 Aug 2023. <https://allthingsliberty.com/2023/08/thomas-hutchinson-and-his-letters/>. Retrieved 21 Feb 20...

On this episode, Steve and Cody hash out whether Revolutionary martyrdom is enough to be a Founding Father, as they discuss Stephen Crane (and his fivehead). Podcast to recommend: History in the Bible ( https://www.historyinthebible.com/ ) Sources Fleming, Thomas. “The Battle of Springfield.” New Jersey’s Revolutionary Experience . Trenton, NJ: New Jersey Historical Commission, 1975. See pinn...

On this episode, Cody and Steve complete the collection of states as they talk about Rhode Island’s John Collins, and why the little state caused such had such a big problem with the Constitution. Podcast to recommend: Historium ( https://historium.buzzsprout.com/ ) Sources Kaminski, John, et. al., ed. The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution . Madison, WI: Wisconsin Histori...

On this episode, Cody and Steve tackle the ethics of making money off a war as they discuss George Clymer. Podcast to recommend: Age of Victoria ( https://ageofvictoriapodcast.com ) Sources “George Clymer.” Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence . <https://www.dsdi1776.com/signer/george-clymer/>. Retrieved 9 Jan 2024. Grundfest, Jerry. George Clymer: Phi...