In Pursuit with Colleen Shogan

When the Japanese cherry trees bloom each spring in Washington, D.C., the nation's capital is awash in vibrant pink and white hues. That's due to the efforts of First Lady Nellie Taft, who helped journalist Eliza Skidmore realize her dream for a more colorful capital in the first decade of the 20th century. Colleen Shogan talks with John M. Bridgeland about Taft's vision for a shared civic culture...

James Garfield was a soldier, preacher, and polymath who rose through the ranks of the Republican Party to become President of the United States. So how did this self-described "poor hater" end up in the White House? Colleen Shogan talks with C.W. Goodyear about Garfield's radical politics, even temper, and the reform efforts that led to his assassination after less than a year in office. Read Goo...

In 1868, Ulysses S. Grant faced his greatest challenge since the end of the Civil War when President Andrew Johnson appointed him Acting Secretary of War. How did Johnson's actions put Grant squarely in the middle of a Constitutional crisis? Colleen Shogan talks with General Stanley A. McChrystal (ret.) about Grant's sense of duty, his commitment to the rule of law, and the controversy that led to...

The story of Mary Lincoln's life is often a tale of mental illness, frivolous spending habits, and a rocky marriage to husband, Abraham. But what if we have Mary all wrong? Colleen Shogan talks with author Lois Romano about Mary's difficult childhood, her tenure as First Lady during the Civil War, and her fight to reclaim her own life in widowhood.  Read Lois Romano's essay on Mary Lincoln .  Host...

How did Abraham Lincoln redefine the American Union amidst the horrors of the Civil War? Colleen Shogan talks with historian Harold Holzer about Lincoln's early life, his emergence as a leader of the Republican Party, and his vision for a new birth of freedom in the United States. Harold Holzer is the Jonathan F. Fanton Director of The Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College in N...

Franklin Pierce had all the makings of a successful president - the experience, the military service, the charm - and yet he is often remembered as one of America's worst chief executives. So how did a man with such a fine resume plunge the nation deeper into crisis over the expansion of slavery? Colleen Shogan talks with Pulitizer Prize-winner author David W. Blight about Pierce's pedigree, the N...

Vice President Millard Fillmore never expected to be president, but Zachary Taylor's death in 1850 thrust him into the White House and the national spotlight. So how did the "man of hesitation and double opinions" confront the growing crisis over slavery? Colleen Shogan talks with former congressman Steve Israel about Fillmore's surprising rise, his contradictory opinions, and the compromises that...

By some measure, James K. Polk is among the most successful presidents in American history. But what were the costs of his many achievements? Colleen Shogan talks with Matthew Costello about the nation’s first dark horse presidential candidate, his ambitions for western expansion, and the triumphs that set the United States on a path toward civil war.  Featuring Matthew Costello, Ph. D., is Chief...

As a special treat for In Pursuit listeners, we're thrilled to bring you an episode of History Daily from our friends at Noiser and Air Ship. Hosted by public historian Lindsay Graham, the series tells fascinating stories about what happened “on this day” in history.  Today, we're going back to July 12, 1804, when American founding father, Alexander Hamilton, died from a fatal wound he suffered du...

Why did William Henry Harrison fear for the nation's future? Colleen Shogan talks with Sharon McMahon about Old Tippecanoe's life as a soldier and politician, the ominous message of the longest inaugural address in American history, and the choices that cut short Harrison's time as president. Featuring Sharon McMahon, Civic Educator and author. Read McMahon's essay on William Henry Harrison . Host...

What are the principles at the heart of the American experiment? How have those ideals guided us in the past? And how do they speak to us now as we commemorate 250 years of American independence? On this special live episode of In Pursuit recorded at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Colleen joined Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham, Harvard University Professor Danielle...

Why did Louisa Catherine Adams feel like a bird trapped in a cage during her time in the White House? Colleen Shogan talks with Louisa Thomas about Adams's dangerous journey from Russia to Paris during the Napoleonic Wars, her complicated marriage to John Quincy, and the freedom she found in writing.  Featuring Louisa Thomas, Staff Writer, New Yorker.  Read Thomas's essay on Louisa Catherine Adams...

What role did John Quincy Adams believe the United States should play on the world stage? Colleen Shogan talks with Lindsay Chervinsky about Adams the master diplomat, his life in Congress after his term as president, and a career that spanned from the Battle of Bunker Hill to the rise of Abraham Lincoln.  Featuring Lindsay Chervinsky, Ph. D., Executive Director of the George Washington Presidenti...

How did Dolley Madison create bipartisan possibilities under the glow of candle light? Colleen Shogan talks with Catherine Allgor about Mrs. Madison’s famous “Wednesday nights,” the turbulent politics of the early American republic, and the burning of the White House during the War of 1812.  Featuring Catherine Allgor, Ph. D., President Emerita, The Massachusetts Historical Society.  Read Catherin...

Should James Madison rightly be called the “Father of the Constitution”? Colleen Shogan talks with Jack Rakove about why we ought to see Madison as the Constitution’s chief strategist, how the diminutive politician got his start, and why he resisted a Bill of Rights.  Featuring Jack Rakove, Ph. D., William Robertson Coe Professor of History and American Studies and professor of political science a...

What faith did Thomas Jefferson place in future Americans to accomplish what the revolutionary generation could not? Colleen Shogan talks with Andrew Davenport about Jefferson’s Virginia, the contradictions in the Declaration of Independence, and the Sage of Monticello’s abiding belief in the generations to come.  Featuring Andrew Davenport, Ph. D., Vice President for Research and Saunders Directo...

How did Martha Washington create an office before women could hold one? Colleen Shogan talks with Karin Wulf about the first First Lady, the struggle to throw off monarchy in the new republic, and the search for Martha Washington herself.  Karin Wulf, Ph. D., Librarian and Director, the John Carter Brown Library, and Professor of History at Brown University. Read Dr. Wulf's essay on Martha Washing...

Why did George Washington willingly give up power at the end of the Revolutionary War? Colleen Shogan talks with Douglas Bradburn to explore the man who would not be king, Washington’s extraordinary copy of the Constitution, and the formative moments that shaped the nation’s first president. Featuring Douglas Bradburn, Ph. D., President and CEO of George Washington’s Mount Vernon.  Read President...

We call it the American experiment, and over the last 250 years, we've learned a lot about what's worked .....and what hasn't. From George Washington's willingness to surrender power to Mary Lincoln's fight for her own independence, we've aspired to the highest ideals and sometimes fallen short of them.  So what can we learn from Americans' quest to form a more perfect union? Join Colleen Shogan,...