The Professor Liberty Podcast

In this episode of the Professor Liberty Podcast, Mr. Palumbo explores the provocative idea that American politics often resembles professional wrestling. Using wrestling terminology and history as a framework, he explains how sports entertainment evolved from legitimate competition into a carefully crafted spectacle built around characters, rivalries, and storytelling. The episode examines concep...

In this Father’s Day episode of the Professor Liberty Podcast, host Mr. Palumbo reflects on the role and importance of fathers in family life and society, emphasizing everyday acts of responsibility, sacrifice, and consistency that often go unrecognized. He argues that involved fathers positively influence children’s educational outcomes, behavior, and emotional well-being, and he extends this to...

This episode of the Professor Liberty Podcast opens with Mr. Palumbo returning to a “Motivational Monday” format after a long stretch of pirate-themed episodes, shifting the focus from historical storytelling back to direct personal advice for listeners feeling overwhelmed or mentally stuck. At the center of the episode is a practical framework for what to do when life feels unmanageable—when work...

In this second episode of our pirate series we explore the brutal realities of life during the Golden Age of Piracy and why so many sailors abandoned imperial service for outlaw life on the open sea. Far from romantic adventure, the Atlantic world of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was shaped by mercantilism, rigid trade monopolies, violent naval discipline, and extreme inequality. Mr. Pa...

This episode explores how the rise of global trade in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries unintentionally created the conditions for piracy to flourish. As European empires like Spain, England, France, and the Dutch Republic expanded across the Atlantic, they built vast systems of trade connecting sugar plantations, silver mines, colonial ports, and merchant fleets into one emerging global ec...

In this episode of the Professor Liberty Podcast, we step back from the headlines and trace the evolution of war itself, asking a deeper question: what happens when overwhelming force no longer produces clear victory? From the restrained “gentlemen’s wars” of early modern Europe, where conflicts were limited and civilians largely stood apart, to the industrial-scale destruction of the American Civ...

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, unwanted pets and relatives! It’s your favorite obscure social studies teacher, Mr. Palumbo, back with the Professor Liberty Podcast. In this episode, a continuation of the discussion started in Episode 93, “The Citizen and the War Machine,” we zoom in from society at large to the commander-in-chief, exploring how U.S. presidents navigate the pr...

In this episode of the Professor Liberty Podcast, we saddle up and ride through history to explore the true origins of the American cowboy. From Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s shout-out at the Munich Security Conference to Spain’s role in bringing horses, ranching, and the vaquero tradition to the New World, to the Comanche’s legendary mastery of the horse that reshaped the Plains, to Black cowb...

From hand-cranked wooden death traps to steel predators stalking the depths, this episode of the Professor Liberty Podcast dives deep into the deadliest submarines of World War II and the men who dared to serve aboard them. Mr. Palumbo traces the origins of submarine warfare from the American Revolution to the Atlantic and Pacific battlefields, explains why submarines are still called “boats,” and...

​​In this episode of the Professor Liberty Podcast, Mr. Palumbo kicks off 2026 by exploring whether the United States may be drifting toward a political structure similar to the Holy Roman Empire, using history as a lens to analyze modern American diversity, federalism, and national identity. After defining the concept of the nation-state, he examines the Holy Roman Empire as a long-running but fr...

In this special Christmas episode of the Professor Liberty Podcast, we explore the history behind December 25th and challenge the claim that Christmas is merely a pagan holiday in disguise. Drawing from biblical accounts, Roman history, early Christian writings, and astronomical evidence, your favorite social studies teacher examines when Jesus was likely born and why December 25th became the trad...

With today’s growing conversation about the lost young men of this generation and their gravitation toward controversial online influencers, Mr. Palumbo offers a powerful and timeless alternative. In this episode, “The Roman Road to Masculinity,” Mr. Palumbo takes listeners on a journey back to ancient Rome to rediscover what it truly meant to be a man in a world that demanded courage, discipline,...

At the dawn of the twentieth century, Europe believed it was marching toward heaven guided by reason, faith, and progress. Within a decade, that confidence drowned in the trenches of the Somme. In this episode, we trace how the First World War didn’t just end empires; it ended belief itself. We explore how the same industrial power that built modern civilization became the engine of its destructio...

From the steam engines of the Industrial Revolution to the rise of artificial intelligence, every technological leap has forced humanity to redefine work, purpose, and fairness. But this time, the machines aren’t just replacing muscle, they’re replacing minds. As AI begins to write, create, and decide, we’re confronting questions that strike at the heart of identity itself: What happens when work...

In this powerful episode of the Professor Liberty Podcast, Mr. Palumbo explores why George Washington was, as historian James Thomas Flexner called him, “The Indispensable Man” in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. With a mix of humor, reverence, and historical insight, the episode traces Washington’s critical role from his reluctant acceptance of military leadership in...

In this episode, A Tribute to Charlie and Free Speech, we explore the powerful origins, philosophical foundations, and modern-day challenges surrounding one of humanity’s most essential liberties. From Voltaire’s Enlightenment ideals and the bold defiance of American colonists to the work of the late Charlie Kirk on college campuses, Mr. Palumbo traces how free speech became the cornerstone of dem...

In this provocative episode of The Professor Liberty Podcast, Mr. Palumbo, your favorite "undocumented conservative social studies teacher" pulls back the curtain on one of the most mysterious and powerful institutions in America: the Federal Reserve. With his signature mix of humor, skepticism, and historical insight, he traces the Fed’s shadowy origins from the secretive 1910 Jekyll Island meeti...

In this episode of the Professor Liberty Podcast, Mr. Palumbo dives into the complex and controversial legacy of President Andrew Jackson, focusing on one of the most debated policies of his presidency: the Indian Removal Act. Through historical context and Jackson’s own reasoning, the episode explores how a man once hailed as a champion of the “common man” also presided over one of the darkest ch...

In this episode, Mr. Palumbo breaks down a powerful but often overlooked concept in global politics: the defense dilemma (also known as the security dilemma). It’s a paradox where actions meant to increase a country’s security—like building up military forces—can actually make other nations feel threatened, prompting them to do the same. The result? A dangerous cycle of mistrust and escalation.

In this episode of the Professor Liberty podcast, we continue our series on the ancients with a deep dive into the fearsome Assyrian Empire—so brutal, they earned condemnation in the Bible. From their ruthless kings like Sennacherib to their cutting-edge siege warfare and forced population relocations, the Assyrians didn’t just conquer—they terrorized. With fortified capitals like Nineveh and icon...

In this episode of The Professor Liberty Podcast, Mr. Palumbo takes listeners on a journey through the early life of Abraham Lincoln, tracing his transformation from a poor frontier boy in Kentucky to a rising political force. Born into hardship, Lincoln’s character was shaped by loss, manual labor, and a relentless hunger for knowledge, which he fed through books like the Bible and Aesop’s Fables...

Join us on the Professor Liberty Podcast as we delve into the chilling history of Vlad the Impaler, the man behind the Dracula legend. Unravel the complex narrative of Vlad III, the ruler of Wallachia, whose brutal methods and defiance against the mighty Ottoman Empire positioned him as a controversial yet pivotal figure in Europe during the 15th century. Was Vlad III a cruel monster or a divine w...

Welcome to the Professor Liberty Podcast, where your favorite slightly libertarian social studies teacher, Mr. Palumbo, dives into the life and legacy of Adam Smith, the father of modern economics. Discover how Smith's groundbreaking ideas during the Enlightenment era continue to influence economic thought and practices today.  

Join Mr. Palumbo, your favorite social studies teacher, in this engaging mailbag episode of the Professor Liberty Podcast. Dive into the intriguing question of whether a return to the gold standard could restore economic stability and control inflation. Explore the evolving role of the Vice President, from constitutional duties to diplomatic responsibilities. Finally, examine the parallels and dif...

Join Mr. Palumbo, your favorite obscure social studies teacher, in this episode of the Professor Liberty Podcast as he explores the fascinating story behind the Panama Canal and its significance for global trade and diplomacy. From the historical attempts to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to the current geopolitical tensions involving China, Mr. Palumbo takes you on a journey through time...