Stay ConnectedJoin history blogger Howard Dorre and his wife Jessica Dorre for a deep irreverent dive into lesser-known stories of the early American presidents. They dig into the myths, mysteries, scandals, and drama of the founders and their families, with a dash of marital banter.
Best History Podcast, Discover Pods Awards, 2025.
Copyright: © Copyright 2024 Plodding Through The Presidents
First, we talk about how a day of fasting and prayer in 1798 turned into a night of fear and flying "cockades." Then we’re joined by presidential historian Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky, author of the new book Making The Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged The Republic, for an insightful conversation about how President John Adams was a much savvier politician than he gets credit for—especially considering he was surrounded by saboteurs and jerkfaces.
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We explore Thomas Jefferson's love of mockingbirds, especially his favorite pet mockingbird, Dick. We also look at what this tells us about Jefferson's personality and why mockingbirds are anything but innocent.
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Andrew Jackson’s legacy is forever tied to the Trail of Tears, but what role did he actually play in the controversial Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the atrocities that followed? We look at how much blame Jackson deserves by evaluating 7 of the most common points used to defend him—including the ideas that Indian removal was popular and inevitable, and that Jackson had the best interests of Native Americans at heart.
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We’re joined by Paul M. Sparrow, former director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum, to discuss the subject of his exciting new book “Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR’s War on Words with Charles Lindbergh—and the Battle to Save Democracy” and the ways those struggles are mirrored today.
We look at how Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh were leading voices against American involvement in World War II, believing that democracy’s stint might be over and that totalitarianism was the wave of the future—and how FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt used their voices to inspire a nation to fight for democracy and freedom.
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We explore the final years and legacy of Lyncoya, the Native American child raised at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, focusing on Jackson's attempt to get Lyncoya into West Point Military Academy and the way Lyncoya has been memorialized in Calhoun County, Alabama.
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Key sources for this episode include The Andrew Jackson Papers published by the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Dawn Peterson's "Indians in the Family: Adoption and the Politics of Antebellum Expansion," Christina Snyder's essay “Andrew Jackson’s Indian Son” from the book "The Native South" edited by Tim Alan Garrison and Greg O’Brien, and Melissa Gismondi's dissertation "Rachel Jackson and the Search for Zion, 1760s-1830s"
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The story of Lyncoya, an orphaned Native American child adopted by Andrew Jackson, is often used to soften the image of the man most associated with the Trail of Tears. In this episode, we explore the events that made Lyncoya an orphan, what we know about his childhood at The Hermitage and his role in Jackson's family, and his usefulness as a political tool. This is the first in a two-part series about Lyncoya.
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Key sources for this episode include The Andrew Jackson Papers published by the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Dawn Peterson's "Indians in the Family: Adoption and the Politics of Antebellum Expansion," Christina Snyder's essay “Andrew Jackson’s Indian Son” from the book "The Native South" edited by Tim Alan Garrison and Greg O’Brien, and Melissa Gismondi's dissertation "Rachel Jackson and the Search for Zion, 1760s-1830s"
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The Burr Conspiracy and the most notorious early American scoundrels are the focus of our chat with historians David Head and Timothy Hemmis, co-editors of the new book “A Republic of Scoundrels: The Schemers, Intriguers and Adventurers Who Created a New American Nation.” But first, we look at an anonymous letter sent to John Adams in 1798 warning him that the most dangerous scoundrel in the nation was right under his nose.
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We dig into the story of Attorney General and one-time presidential candidate William Wirt's missing skull, followed by a conversation with historian and author Kurt Deion whose unique journey is chronicled in the book "Presidential Grave Hunter: One Kid's Quest to Visit the Tombs of Every President and Vice President."
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Learn more about Kurt Deion at presidentialgravehunter.com and kurtshistoricsites.com
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We dig into the powerful, hypnotic charisma—the rizz—of Vice President Aaron Burr, specifically two events in March 1805 that showed his mesmerizing effect on those around him.
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Special thanks to Gwen Fries, author of The Beehive blog post Sympathy for the Devil: John Quincy Adams's Brush with Aaron Burr
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We welcome Emmy and Peabody award winning screenwriter and producer Kirk Ellis to the show to talk about his work adapting Apple's new series Franklin as well as HBO's John Adams series. We dig into the rich characters and settings of Franklin, what Michael Douglas brings to the role of Benjamin Franklin, and what it was like adapting David McCullough’s book John Adams and Stacy Schiff’s book A Great Improvisation—including the scenes Ellis and the authors disagreed about.
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