Reframing America

What events led to the Civil War? How could America's leaders have allowed things get so out of control? Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen explore 1853-1861, the eight years immediately preceding America's Civil War, to determine the cause of America's bloodiest crisis. How much blame can be attributed to Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan, two of America's most obscure presidents (a...

Despite having next to nothing in common, Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore rose through the American political system to become President and Vice President in 1849. Upon Taylor's untimely death in 1850, Fillmore took the reins of power himself. Overseeing massive migration due to the California Gold Rush and trying to mitigate hostilities between Northern and Southern factions, Taylor and...

In four short years, James K. Polk transformed the United States into a coast-to-coast behemoth. Through diplomacy, war, and relentlessness, Polk achieved every major agenda item he set out to accomplish, and yet somehow he has fallen short of the mythical status of other presidents -- even less accomplished ones. Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen explore the administration of James K. Polk, a presi...

Just when America began to expect eight-year presidencies, the country stumbles from 1837 to 1845 with not one, not two, but three presidents. In quick succession, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, and John Tyler took their shot at the top spot -- and if you think they came out of it battered and bruised, you should see what they did with the nation.

He was a self-made American hero. He was also the catalyst for one of the nation's greatest sins. A beacon for the common man, he was also an owner of enslaved people. Andrew Jackson's life of polarizing contradictions comes into focus as Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen tackle eight of the most tumultuous years in American history: the reign of "Old Hickory."

John Quincy Adams served the United States from his teens to his 80s. So, why did his presidency go so pear-shaped? Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen explore the elusive and enigmatic administration of America's sullen Founding Son.

In this appetizer to the Thanksgiving feast, Tony Rydberg is serving up a hotdish made of hot takes - including Tony's idea for a new Constitutional amendment! Dish yourself a heaping helping of hot takes and share them with your relatives - especially when conversations get tricky. Happy Thanksgiving!

America was feelin' good with James Monroe as its fifth president, but was Monroe's "Era of Good Feelings" really as good as it sounds? Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen explore the administration of one of the coolest cats ever to be president.

James Madison is remembered as the "Father of the Constitution" and America's first wartime president - but is his place in America's history as secure as one would assume? In this Season 2 premiere, Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen burn through Madison's administration like it was Washington, D.C. (too soon?), and they decide once and for all if this pocket-sized President should stay on the walls...

We're so excited to return to Reframing America for season 2, where we will reframe 1809 to 1865. We'll be covering, discovering, and uncovering some of the most consequential, controversial and downright bizarre moments in our nation's history. Subscribe now -- and don't forget to brush up on Season 1!

In the Season One finale, Tony Rydberg, Ryan Rasmussen and Matt Urbanek grapple with the immense contradictions between the soaring idealism of Thomas Jefferson and the far more troublesome reality of his life. Will Jefferson's battered legacy withstand a frontal assault in order to keep his portrait on the wall of presidents?

Is John Adams the most under appreciated and unfairly remembered President of all time? Tony Rydberg, Ryan Rasmussen, and Aaron Gorath make the case that the Adams presidency is vastly underrated and that Adams himself deserves much more honor and esteem than he’s received from the country he helped create.

Does Washington-the-Man hold up against Washington-the-Mythical-Hero? Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen break down the first presidency in US history and assess whether the man lives up to the hype. Get your oven mitts ready, because there are some pipin' hot takes coming your way!

Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical masterpiece Hamilton: An American Musical can be found on Broadway, on tour, on Dinsey+... but should it be found in American classrooms? In this episode, Tony offers his perspective on the role  Hamilton  should (or shouldn't) have as high school curriculum. Plus -- because, apparently, he thinks he knows better than Lin-Manuel Miranda, -- Tony shares his &q...

What would America be like without a president? Just check out the years prior to George Washington's election. In this episode, Tony Rydberg, Ryan Rasmussen, and Jeff Vizenor settle the question of which American is the best symbol for the pre-Washingtonian era of American history.