Presidencies of the United States

Year(s) Discussed: 1807-1812 With changes happening in the nation's capital and abroad, the Madison administration worked as 1811 gave way to 1812 to navigate through new circumstances. In the House of Representatives, new leadership came to the forefront with an expansionist agenda. Around the same time, the nascent independence movements in Spanish America continued apace and Tecumseh traveled t...

Tenure of Office: August 7, 1805 - December 14, 1806 After a few initial fits and starts, John Breckinridge propelled himself to become a prominent leader in the state of Kentucky before moving on to the national scene and ultimately into the Cabinet of Thomas Jefferson as the 5th US Attorney General. Join me and my special guest, Nick from the 10ish Podcast, as we explore his life and career and...

Year(s) Discussed: 1810-1811 As a new British Minister made his way to the US, a naval engagement off the Eastern Seaboard further complicated relations between the United States and United Kingdom. In Washington, President Madison had to figure out how to approach the situation with the French as he and his administration began to plot on how to foment rebellion in East Florida as they had succes...

Tenure of Office: July 27, 1801-March 4, 1809 (as Secretary of the Navy); March 6, 1809-April 1, 1811 (as Secretary of State) Propelled to national office by circumstance, Robert Smith's time in the Cabinet would be a tale of two presidencies. While achieving much success as Jefferson's Secretary of the Navy, he would become embroiled in political controversy as Madison's first Secretary of State....

Year(s) Discussed: 1810-1811 As President Madison struggled to fill various vacant positions in both the executive and judicial branches, the administration's enemies in Congress gathered their forces to take on an institution that had been in the cross hairs of some Democratic-Republican leaders for the twenty years since its original inception - the Bank of the United States. Meanwhile, Treasury...

Tenure of Office: May 14, 1801 - February 8, 1814 After being forced out of his post as Treasury Secretary, Albert Gallatin spent the next few decades serving in numerous diplomatic postings abroad, writing essays on various topics, being nominated as Vice-President, and even challenging the policies of Andrew Jackson. With my special guest, Andy of the History of Africa podcast, we explore the re...

Tenure of Office: May 14, 1801 - February 8, 1814 A descendant of a leading Genevese family, Albert Gallatin made his way across the Atlantic and rose to prominence as a Democratic-Republican leader before being recruited by Thomas Jefferson to serve as his Secretary of the Treasury. With my special guest, Andy of the History of Africa podcast, we explore his early career and his tenure of office...

Year(s) Discussed: 1809-1811 As news of Macon's Bill No. 2 reached Europe, US Minister John Armstrong worked to take advantage of the increasingly precarious situation for the French in order to secure a deal with the government of Emperor Napoleon that would restore open trade with that nation. Back in the US, President Madison struggled to address the worsening relations with Great Britain while...

Tenure of Office: May 2, 1801 - March 3, 1809 Picking up where we left off in Part One, join me and my special guest, Kenny Ryan from [Abridged] Presidential Histories, as we examine the remainder of James Madison's tenure as Secretary of State as well as touch on the highlights of his post-Cabinet career (Spoiler alert: He made it to an office even higher than Secretary of State) before bringing...

How better to celebrate the upcoming holiday season than by getting together with some podcasting friends! I hope you'll take some time to check out this conversation that I had with Alycia from Civics & Coffee, Howard from Plodding Through the Presidents, and Kenny from [Abridged] Presidential Histories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tenure of Office: May 2, 1801 - March 3, 1809 Regular listeners of the podcast may have heard of this guy a time or two thus far, but there's still so much more to know about the career of James Madison leading up to his becoming the fifth Secretary of State. In this episode, I and my special guest, Kenny Ryan of [Abridged] Presidential Histories, explore his life up to his taking charge of the St...

Year(s) Discussed: 1810-1811 With the Spanish government on the Iberian peninsula in disarray, people in their colonial holdings in the Americas had to figure out what to do in the meantime. Some decided to stay the course with current leadership while others used the opportunity to try to bring about political change on the ground. While also feeling the impact of decisions being made in other pa...

Tenure of Office: March 5, 1801 - March 3, 1805 For every figure in American history who is in the spotlight, there is someone who is behind the scenes making it happen. For Thomas Jefferson, one of those folks was Levi Lincoln Sr of Massachusetts. With my special guest, Steve of the Speakcies Show, we explore the life and legacy of the 4th US Attorney General in order to better understand his rol...

Year(s) Discussed: c. 1764-1810 In the latter decades of the 18th and the first decade of the 19th century, native peoples in the old Northwest found themselves under threat from a westward push from Europeans wishing to settle on their lands and being treated as pawns in conflicts between European powers and the US. Out of this chaotic time, two key leaders emerged - Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa - wh...

Year(s) Discussed: 1809-1810 In the wake of the failed negotiations with British Minister to the US Francis James Jackson, the Madison administration and Congress had to determine next steps to address the tensions with both Great Britain and France. Meanwhile, a new diplomat arrived from Spain as some American officials began to consider ways to secure the Floridas for the US. Sources used for th...

Tenure of Office: March 5, 1801 - March 4, 1809 Revolutionary War veteran, US Representative, Secretary of War, War of 1812 General, US Minister to Portugal - with that accumulation of offices, one would imagine that Henry Dearborn would be better remembered. With my special guest, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy and Beyond the Big Screen podcasts, we explore Dearborn's life and career t...

Year(s) Discussed: 1795-1810 For fifteen years, one controversy popped up time and again to disrupt the public arena - the Yazoo Land Controversy. From newspaper essays to debates in Congress, this issue involved some of the biggest leaders of the time including Alexander Hamilton, John Randolph of Roanoke, John Quincy Adams, and James Madison. Finally, in 1810, the Supreme Court took up a case th...

Year(s) Discussed: 1808-1810 Despite achieving a victory in the War of the Fifth Coalition, French Emperor Napoleon's hold on control over the European continent was looking increasingly shaky. This would make the reception received by the new US Minister to Russia John Quincy Adams a warm one as Russia was on the hunt for new allies. Meanwhile, wealthy American businessman and merchant John Jacob...

Year(s) Discussed: 1755-1835 As a follow-up episode focused more on John Marshall's lengthy tenure as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, I am joined by Ben Lovelace and Matthew Nichol of the John Marshall House for a discussion on his historical and legal legacy as well as to get a better sense of Marshall as an individual. Our conversation ranged across a variety of topics including his role in...

Tenure of Office: June 13, 1800 - March 4, 1801 John Marshall is a name much better known for where his career led him after serving in the administration of John Adams, but there was still much to discuss with my special guest, Alycia from Civics & Coffee, about his brief tenure as Secretary of State. Join us as we explore Marshall's life and legacy and determine whether his impact at the State D...

Year(s) Discussed: 1817-1858 James and Dolley Madison left Washington, DC in 1817 anticipating a peaceful retirement in Montpelier. Little did they know what life had in store for them or that Dolley would end up returning to the social circles of the leading politicians in the nation's capital. Learn more about the triumphs and tribulations faced by the former Lady Presidentress in her later year...

Year(s) Discussed: 1768-1849 We continue our examination of the life and legacy of Dolley Madison with a discussion with Hilarie Hicks, Senior Research Historian at James Madison's Montpelier. In this episode, we talk about Dolley's role in the social circles of the nation's capital during James's presidency, her management of the household, her views on slavery, and whether she was responsible fo...

Year(s) Discussed: 1768-1809 Born in a Southern log cabin, the woman who would go on to be the center of social life in the nation's capital developed her skills of charm and entertainment through formative years filled with uncertainty, turmoil, and tragedy. Join me as I explore the early life of Dolley Payne Todd Madison up to her husband's election as the fourth President of the United States....

Tenure of Office: June 12, 1800 - March 4, 1801 (as Secretary of War); January 1, 1801 - May 13, 1801 (as Secretary of the Treasury) Samuel Dexter may have come into the Cabinet towards the end of John Adams's tenure as president, but there was still a good bit for my special guest, Shawn from the American History Podcast, and myself to discuss about his life and career. Join us as we determine ju...

Content Note: This episode mentions the topic of suicide. Year(s) Discussed: 1807-1810 The Madison administration experienced numerous setbacks and embarrassments in the latter part of 1809. The President's private secretary, Isaac Coles, committed an egregious breach of privilege while on official business. Around the same time, Dolley Madison's brother-in-law, Rep. John Jackson, got into an alte...