Dave Does History

In the context of “the United States,” what exactly is a “State?” Today, it seems obvious to us, but remember that in 1776 there were “States” that shared their governor. At least one of the “States” technically wasn’t a State at all, but rather a dubiously area of leased lands, that while it had its own legislative body, it was only because the State that “owned” the land didn’t like the people w...

A few weeks ago, I asked the question, exactly which Framers’ values and principles should we “be getting back to?” As the Convention lurched into the sixth week, and the heat in Philadelphia grew hotter, the delegates were – at least verbally – at each others throats. while the myth of unity still held in the media and even in sermons, the truth was that the convention was literally held together...

There came a time when the political system was unable to deal with the pressures brought on it by the political differences which divided the nation. By April of an election year, there were men who had decided that the moderate course which had guided the nation for four score and four years was no longer acceptable to them. In the arena of politics, calculations were made, votes were counted, a...

As the summer begins to warm the streets of Philadelphia, the temperatures inside the State House begin to rise. While most believe that the convention delegates are “united,” the truth is much, much darker. The “small” States are horrified at the Virginia Plans implications. They see it as nothing less than their compete and utter annihilation. In fact, the ONLY unity among the delegates, is a wi...

One of the things that I have wanted to do for some time is a complete revision of  the Convention Episodes of Constitution Thursday . This summer, except for the three weeks I will be gone, Dave Does History gives me the chance to do just that. For the next few months we will take a weekly look at the things that happened in the Philadelphia in the Summer of 1787. This will not be a word for word...

Once upon a time, NYC was the leader in American dislike for the British. What you gotta understand is that Great Britain and the US were almost thinking about going to war against each other… again. The whole  “Fifty-four Forty or Fight” thing , among other disputes. This time though, it wasn’t the national governments that stopped it.  Still, it the common opinion in America to dislike all thing...

For what seems to be basically an American drinking festival, Cinco de Mayo has become “a lightening rod for controversy*.” A few years ago in California, white students began wearing American Flag t-shirts to school on the day. Of course, this was met with outrage, because… that’s what high school students have learned is the “proper” response to a perceived insult. When t-shirts aren’t the issue...

Admiral Irosuku Yamamoto, the leader of the Imperial Japanese Navy, was reputed to have once said that he personally would dictate the peace terms to the United States in the Oval Office. As the mastermind behind the the attack on Pearl Harbor, Yamamoto was seen as the evil genius behind the successes of the Japanese Navy up through the end of the Guadalcanal Campaign in early 1943. Now, in a desp...

Today, April 11, is the anniversary of the founding of the US Navy’s Submarine Fleet! for one hundred and twenty-three years, US Navy Submariners have carried on the traditions and training of the worlds finest underwater warriors. When the Battleships were stuck in the mud of Pearl Harbor, the Submarines carried the attack to the Empire of Japan. when Missiles piled up on Cuba, US Submarines made...

In 44bce, the world was stunned on the Ides of March as a group of Roman Senators mercilessly attacked and murdered the sitting roman Dictator, Julius Cæsar. Over the next two thousand years, the story achieved legendary status in literature, theater and film. We watch as Elizabeth Taylor weeps over his death. Shakespeare brings us Marc Anthony’s rhetorical masterpiece, “Friends! Romans, Country m...

Some Technical Notes from today’s episode: (1) Dave has had zero sleep. He was up all night for a family activity. (2) The WMMB computer failed, necessitating the show be done by telephone rather than the normal method via computer. (3) Bill and Dave decided to leave their off air discussions on the podcast version. This is unusual but the conversations were germane to the subject (which...

Last week President Joe Biden was asked about his read of China’s intention vis-à-vis Russian and Ukraine. He said that he did not see” China helping Russia with weapons and/or ammunition. This was, of course, after his Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken said that China was planning to do exactly that. And China, said that they were not considering it. Then for good measure Blinken threatened to...

On February 21, 1945, the newly upgraded aircraft carrier USS Saratoga was supporting the landings on Iwo Jima. The night before she was detached with a small escort to bomb Japanese forces on Chichi Jima. The next day is overcast with very low cloud cover. Out of the low clouds screamed six Japanese planes, who manage to hit the Sara’s forward end, causing heavy damage and killing one hundred and...

Look, nothing happens in a vacuum. Whether it’s a Papal Bull that results in the eradication of cats that seems to lead to millions of human deaths, or a grain shortage in the middle of a violent revolution that leads to a Economist and Reverend watching what is going on and coming up with what will become one of the most impactful theories in human history…

The first American Civil War was every bit as vicious and hate-filled as the second. And… like the second, it eventually resulted in amending the US Constitutional to try and make things better. It all started when the state of Georgia decided that it wasn’t going to pay the guy who sold their militia supplies during the war. It led to an intense debate during ratification over the concept of Stat...

In January of  1944, the Allies thought that they had found a way to crack the Gustav Line south of Rome. The bloody battles in Italy had the Allies stalled and desperate to move around the entrenched Nazi forces. From December of 1943 to June of 1944, almost 100,000 allied soldiers were casualties. Most of them, from two assaults intended to break the Gustav Line. On January 22nd, the Allies...

Some months back a caller asked me what I thought was the “worst” Constitutional Amendment. He postulated that it was the 17th, which moved the election of US Senators from the State Legislature to the popular vote of a given State. Look, from a purely strict constructionist viewpoint – which by the by – NOBODY holds – every amendment from the progressive era has been “devastating.” Some more than...

Before the middle of the 19th century, the most famous American in the world was Benjamin Franklin. He was – as most people know – a scientist, an inventor, a printer, a writer, a socialite, a diplomat, a fashion icon and a humorist. Today we celebrate his birthday, with some of the things that you might not know about the man who some call “the First American…”

In many ways, the United States always resembled republican Rome. By the last half of the first century bce, the republic was teetering on the edge. Corrupt politics,  mounting debt to fund foreign wars, societal breakdowns that left long held traditional values in disrespect and disregard left the every day Roman wondering if the world had gone completely mad? As we look around our nation to...

George Santos is the most infamous man in America today. In case you’ve been under a rock, he was just elected to Congress, but… it turns out that HE LIED ON HIS CV! In more than two centuries of congressional candidates running to serve the nation out of a sense of duty and honor, this has NEVER EVER , happened before! Right?

It’s a cold snowy day up here in the Pacific Northwest. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s spend it talking history! Some months ago we had a caller to BML complaining that “only three or four guys actually did anything” with regard to the Revolution and the Constitution. It’s a common misconception, but why we think that way is a bigger question. Is it simply ignorance, or is it something… else? Ther...

NOTE: iHeart had computer issues this morning, forcing the show to be done via telephone with the attendant reduced audio quality. One week after the assassination of President Kennedy, now President Lyndon Johnson issued an Executive Order which announced the formation of the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. It would carry the nickname “the Warren Commission,” and...

November 22nd, 1963, was a seminal day in American history. Every American alive that day can tell you about their own experience of it, and even those born long after can – and do – discuss and debate it. For myself, November 22nd represented a trajectory change in my own future and passions. The day led directly to my own career behind a microphone, which continues to this day. for others it rep...

Back in August when we left the story, the US Navy had just suffered its worst ever blue water defeat. More than a thousand Allied sailors were dead. Four Heavy Cruisers had been lost, with a fifth disabled. The Navy, along with the American public, had been stunned by the loss, less than a year after the disaster at Pearl Harbor. Just three months later, on the night of November 13/14, 1942, the...

Happy Election Day! Although it is a midterm election, which are every bit as important as the Presidential Elections, we’re going to take a look at the Top 5 Most Heated Presidential Elections in the history of our country…