Stay ConnectedBob Crawford (The Avett Brothers) & Dr. Ben Sawyer (MTSU History) share conversations with great thinkers from a variety of backgrounds – historians, artists, legal scholars, political figures and more –who help us uncover the many roads that run between past and present.
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On November 6, 2018, the people of Florida voted to amend their state's constitution to restore voting rights to an estimated one and a half million citizens who had lost this right due to a prior felony conviction. In recognition of this significant restoration of rights, we're re-airing our interview w/ Pippa Holloway on the history of felon disfranchisement and citizenship in America (originally aired Oct. 10, 2016) along with an additional interview w/ Pippa recorded Nov. 10, 2018 on the Florida amendment's implications and the path to ratification. Bob and Ben support the voters of Florida, and believe that understanding the history of felon disfranchisement laws is an important step in restoring voting rights to the more than 4 million citizens in other states who have fulfilled their debt to society yet continue to be denied their right to vote.
To better understand the origins of felon disfranchisement laws, we invited Dr. Pippa Holloway of Middle Tennessee State University's Department of History to join us for a discussion about her most recent book Living in Infamy: Felon Disfranchisement and the History of American Citizenship (Oxford University Press, 2013). Pippa explains the ways that these laws were developed as a strategy to prevent black Americans from voting in the post-Civil War-era. This strategy was later exported to other states such as Idaho and Hawaii for the purpose of excluding groups whose interests were in opposition to the ruling party. Pippa also discusses the current impediments to Americans' right to vote, and offers suggestions to ensure that Americans are not denied a voice in our political process.
The Road to Now is part of the Osiris Podcast Network. For more on this episode and all others, visit our website: www.TheRoadToNow.com.
What does it mean to be American? This isn't just a question for us in 2018 -- it was an unanswered question for the country in the late 19th century when it came to musical identity. And of all the people to try to answer it, it may have been the Czech composer Antonin Dvorak who came closest, while living in New York City and a small town in Iowa during the 1890s. Dvorak harnessed what he experienced -- African-American folk tunes, Native American culture, sounds of nature -- and worked them into four pieces including his most famous, the symphony "From the New World." In this episode, Bob Crawford and Matt Negrin (neither of whom are experts on Dvorak but who did play viola like Dvorak) sit in the Russian Tea Room next to Carnegie Hall where the New World symphony debuted to discuss their favorite classical music composer, and what it must have been like to be Dvorak in America.
Note: Gerry Adams will be giving a public talk in the Civil Rights Room of the Nashville Public Library on Saturday, November 3rd at 10:00am. The talk is open to the public and Gerry invites you to come say hello! For more information, contact Greg O'Loughlin at 615-887-7547 or oloughlin@gmail.com.
Gerry Adams has dedicated most of his life to finding an end to the conflict that has engulfed Northern Ireland since his youth. As the President of Sinn Féin, he played a crucial role in facilitating the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which brought about an end to a three decade-long period of violence known as "The Troubles." In doing so, he built connections with civil rights leaders from around the world, including Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela, and learned some valuable lessons about the humanity that connects all people regardless of their race, religion or national origins. In this episode of The Road to Now, Gerry shares his story of struggle and how he found a road to peace at a time when few believed it was possible.
Also joining us on today's episode is Ben's friend and colleague, Dr. Mark Doyle, who was kind enough to help explain the history of Northern Ireland and why Gerry Adams was such a crucial figure in that country's history. Mark specializes in Irish history at Middle Tennessee State. His most recent book, Communal Violence in the British Empire: Disturbing the Pax (Bloomsbury, 2016) was joint winner of the 2017 Stansky Book Prize for the best book on British Studies since 1800.
To learn more about Gerry Adams, pick up his autobiography, Before the Dawn. His new book of recipes, The Negotiators Cookbook, is out soon, and you'll know why it's worth picking up when you listen to the episode!
A special thanks goes to Greg O'Loughlin for putting us in touch with Gerry and facilitating this interview!
The Road to Now is part of the Osiris Podcast Network. For more on this episode, including links to more information on Gerry Adams and Mark Doyle, visit our episode page.
RTN Theology now is now on its own podcast feed! Subscribe anywhere you get The Road to Now for RTN Theology episodes 12-19 and more!
Discussing the relationship between faith and the public sphere has been a part of America's story since its beginning. Over the past decade, the presence of Christian faith in public policy and politics has been questioned and challenged in new and unique ways. How are citizens, Christian and non-Christian alike, to respond to issues of faith in politics? Join former Obama staffer Michael Wear and Josiah C. Trent Professor of Medical Humanities at Duke University Farr Curlin for a conversation moderated by musician and The Road to Now podcast host Bob Crawford to hear Christian perspectives on these enduring questions.
Recorded live at the Center for Christianity and Scholarship at Duke University in collaboration with the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy.
The Road to Now is part of the Osiris Podcast Network. For more on this and all our other episodes, visit our website: www.TheRoadToNow.com.
Bob and Ben speak with Jeffrey Engel about the history of Presidential impeachment and how understanding the past can inform the debates surrounding the impeachment of current and future Presidents. Jeff explains the reasons the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention in 1787 chose to enshrine impeachment in the Constitution, how the process works, and what they meant by "other high Crimes and Misdemeanors" (it turns out that last part isn't as vague as you might think). He also talks about the reasons for the impeachments of Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, why Richard Nixon was so close to being removed from office when he resigned on August 9, 1974, and why Nixon and Clinton's decisions in the face of impeachment might have a lasting effect on American politics today. Jeff's new book Impeachment: An American History, which he co-authored w/ Peter Baker, Jon Meacham, and Timothy Naftali is out from Modern Library on October 16, 2018.
Dr. Jeffrey A. Engel is an award-winning American history scholar and director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. He is an expert on the U.S. presidency and American diplomatic history. You can follow him on twitter at @JeffreyAEngel.
This episode was recorded on October 9, 2018 and was edited by Gary Fletcher. A special thanks to Dr. Brandon Miller of SMU's Department of History for connecting us with Jeffrey Engel.
Henry & Rupert Stansall (aka The Ruen Brothers) began their musical careers playing in the Working Men's clubs of Scunthorpe in Northern England at a time in life when most of us were only beginning to discover music. In the almost two decades since, their road has led them to London, Los Angeles, and finally to Brooklyn, NY, where they currently reside. In between, the duo now known as The Ruen Brothers has covered thousands of miles, playing for tens of thousands of people. Along the way, they've been celebrated by the BBC, signed by Dolphus Ramseur, and recorded an album with famed producer Rick Rubin. In today's episode, Ben Sawyer speaks with Henry and Rupert about how they discovered the music that influenced their sound, the victories and losses that come with abandoning the security of home for the uncertainty of the outside world, and the lesson they've learned about what matters in building a successful career in music.
The Road to Now is part of the Osiris Podcast Network. For more on this episode and all others, visit our website: www.TheRoadToNow.com
Henry & Rupert Stansall (aka The Ruen Brothers) began their musical careers playing in the Working Men's clubs of Scunthorpe in Northern England at a time in life when most of us were only beginning to discover music. In the almost two decades since, their road has led them to London, Los Angeles, and finally to Brooklyn, NY, where they currently reside. In between, the duo now known as The Ruen Brothers has covered thousands of miles, playing for tens of thousands of people. Along the way, they've been celebrated by the BBC, signed by Dolphus Ramseur, and recorded an album with famed producer Rick Rubin. In today's episode, Ben Sawyer speaks with Henry and Rupert about how they discovered the music that influenced their sound, the victories and losses that come with abandoning the security of home for the uncertainty of the outside world, and the lesson they've learned about what matters in building a successful career in music.
The Road to Now is part of the Osiris Podcast Network. For more on this episode and all others, visit our website: www.TheRoadToNow.com
Bob and Ben speak with Jon Waterlow about his new book It's Only a Joke Comrade! Humor, Trust and Everyday Life Under Stalin and the role humor plays in helping humans make sense of the world in even the darkest times. Jon also shares his take on humor's role in politics under Stalin and today, the process he went through to uncover these jokes, and how the artistic technique of crosshatching helps us understand what it was like to live under the Stalinist system. He also discusses his decision to forego publishing his book with an academic publisher and why he decided to leave a bright future in the academy to purse fulfillment elsewhere.
Dr. Jonathan Waterlow received his Doctorate in History from the University of Oxford and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at St. Anthony's College (Oxford) and the University of Toronto. He is also the cohost of the Voices in the Dark podcast, which is available anywhere you get The Road to Now.
This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher. Our intro also features Solomon Sawyer's world podcast debut. Solomon is Ben Sawyer's son. He is 3 years old.
The Road to Now is part of the Osiris Podcast Network. For more on this episode and all others, visit our website: www.TheRoadToNow.com.
National Voter Registration Day is Tuesday, September 25th, and Bob and Ben are doing their part to get the word out. In this episode we speak with HeadCount Executive Director Andy Bernstein to talk about the work HeadCount has been doing to get people registered to vote, the importance of staying on top of local and national politics, and why your vote counts. Since 2004, HeadCount has registered more than half a million voters by working with bands (including The Avett Brothers) to use their concerts as a forum for reaching out to young voters.
If you're not registered to vote, go to HeadCount.org and learn how to make sure your voice is heard in the 2018 elections and beyond!
The Road to Now is part of the Osiris Podcast Network. For more on this an all other episodes, visit our website: www.TheRoadToNow.com.
National Voter Registration Day is Tuesday, September 25th, and Bob and Ben are doing their part to get the word out. In this episode we speak with HeadCount Executive Director Andy Bernstein to talk about the work HeadCount has been doing to get people registered to vote, the importance of staying on top of local and national politics, and why your vote counts. Since 2004, HeadCount has registered more than half a million voters by working with bands (including The Avett Brothers) to use their concerts as a forum for reaching out to young voters.
If you're not registered to vote, go to HeadCount.org and learn how to make sure your voice is heard in the 2018 elections and beyond!
The Road to Now is part of the Osiris Podcast Network. For more on this an all other episodes, visit our website: www.TheRoadToNow.com.
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