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.
For more information, visit TheRoadToNow.com
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Anita McBride is one of the foremost experts on the legacy of American first ladies. Colleen Shogan served as the 11thArchivist of the United States. Together, they're bringing forward a new project called In Pursuit, which offers up a series of essays on Presidents and First Ladies by some of today's most accomplished historians and political leaders. In this episode, Anita and Colleen join Ben and Bob for a discussion about how the project came together, the exciting (and surprising) list of authors and subjects they've assembled, and why the format they envision holds a lot of promise for public engagement.
In Pursuit's first essay- a piece on George Washington written by George W. Bush – will launch on substack on February 16, 2026. Make sure to sign up by clicking here!
This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.
John Adams' single term as President has long been cast as a low point in his political career, but Lindsay Chervinsky sees it differently. "George Washington created the Presidency," she writes in her new book Making the Presidency, "but John Adams defined it."
In this episode, Lindsay joins us to share why she sees Adams as a crucial figure in transforming an office that had been established for, and created by, George Washington, into a position with the customs and practices that could be passed down through generations. Along the way, Lindsay explains why she thinks we've gotten Adams so wrong (hint: both Jefferson and Hamilton disliked his politics), the crucial role he played in establishing a peaceful transition of power, and how the January 6th insurrection might help us all have a greater appreciation for President John Adams.
Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky is the Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library and author of the new book Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic, which is out September 5th, 2024 from Oxford University Press. You can find out more about her work at her website: lindsaychervinsky.com
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to check out Lindsay Chervinsky's previous RTN appearances on The Road to Now:
· #184: The President's Cabinet
· #263: Mourning the Presidents
· #296: The Election of 1824 (Part 1 in our Third Party Elections Series)
This episode originally aired as RTN #313 on Sept. 2, 2024. This rebroadcast was edited by Ben Sawyer
What is Americana music? Is it a genre? A community? A refuge? Twenty four years after the founding of the Americana Music Association and thirteen years since the first Grammy was awarded for Best Americana Album, defining "Americana" remains tricky. In our experience, the most common answer has been "you know it when you hear it."
However you define it, however, there is one thing everyone agrees on: Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell are Americana legends.
In this episode, recorded in front of a live audience in Nashville, TN, Emmylou and Rodney discuss their musical careers, how they became associated with Americana music, and what Americana means to them. Bob too shares his musical journey both before and after joining the Avett Brothers and the ways that genre (Americana and otherwise) has been part of that story.
This episode originally aired as RTN #284 on Sept. 25, 2023. This episode was originally edited by Gary Fletcher. Live audio recording and mixing by Adam Botner. This reair was edited by Ben Sawyer.
A decade after Ken Burns decided it was time to take on the American Revolution, the film is finished and premieres on your local PBS station on Sunday, November 16! In this episode, we talk with Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, who directed the six-part series alongside Burns, to find out more about the stories and process that they used to construct this remarkable look at one of history's most fascinating and consequential events.
Click here to find out more about The American Revolution: A Film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein & David Schmidt at PBS.com and make sure to tune in for the premiere on Sunday, November 16!
This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.
Wakara was a Ute leader whose power stretched across western North America long before the US claimed the land on which he lived. In this episode, Max Perry Mueller joins us to discuss his new book, Wakara's America: The Life & Legacy of a Native Founder of the American West, and how a story of the west that excludes Native peoples leaves us with an incomplete and often dishonest account of US history.
Dr. Max Perry Mueller is Associate Professor in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. You can find out more about Max and his work at his website, MaxPerryMueller.com.
This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.
America's bookstores have always been about more than just books, but the role they play in American society has changed over the years. In this episode, Evan Friss joins us for a conversation about his New York Times Bestseller, The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore (Viking, 2023), and the unique place that bookstores – and those who operate them – have held in American society from the colonial era to our own.
Dr. Evan Friss is Professor of History at James Madison University and the author of multiple books, including On Bicycles: A 200 Year History of Cycling in New York City (Columbia University Press, 2019). You can find out more about his work at his website, EvanFriss.com.
A special thanks to our friend, Dane Honeycutt, for recommending that we invite Evan on the show to discuss The Bookshop.
This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.
National Constitution Center President & CEO Jeffrey Rosen returns to the show to discuss his new book The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America, and the ways that the contrasting visions of the founders live on in our political debates today.
Make sure to check out the National Constitution Center's website for links to the Interactive Constitution and the many excellent resources they offer for free.
If you enjoyed this episode, you can hear more from Jeffery Rosen in episode 295 (The Pursuit of Happiness) and episode 211 (The Constitution).
This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.
Teaching history to a middle schooler is a very different task than teaching a university student, but those doing the teaching have a lot in common (and could probably learn a lot from each other). In this episode, recorded as part of a live event sponsored by the Tennessee Council for History Education, Ben is joined by his MTSU colleague (and friend of the show) Andy Polk, 6th grade teacher Rupa Charles, and high school teacher Brandon Eldridge, for a conversation about what it's like to teach history in 2025, the highs and lows of the profession, and what we wish those in our communities knew about the work we do to better our students' lives.
A special thanks to Kira Duke at TNCHE for organizing this event and to Will Ackerman at Metro Nashville Public Schools for handling the a/v.
If you enjoy this episode, make sure to check out our conversation with Andy Polk about his book, Faith in Freedom: Propaganda, Presidential Politics, and the Making of an American Religion in RTN episode number 216.
This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.
The War on Terror that followed the 9/11 attacks took place on battlefields across the globe, but it also took place in our legal system. In this episode, CNN's Jake Tapper joins us to discuss his new book, Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War, and how dedicated public servants saved countless lives by bringing a terrorist to justice.
This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.
The American Civil War and the end of slavery in the US may seem like one and the same from our modern perspective, but for those living through the conflict, the abolition of human bondage was anything but certain. Even into the last days of the war, slave traders in Confederate-held cities continued to auction off human beings, realizing handsome profits as they imposed violence and family separation on their subjects.
In his new book, An Unholy Traffic: Slave Trading in the Civil War South, Robert K.D. Colby brings together a wide variety of sources to offer up a never-before seen look into the slave trade during the American Civil War. In this episode, he joins Ben and guest co-host Tim Talbott to explain how the slave trade evolved, why slave traders remained confident in the future of slavery even during the Civil War, and how the combined trauma of slavery and war impacted enslaved Americans long after their freedom had been secured.
Robert K.D. Colby is Assistant Professor of History at Ole Miss who specializes in the Civil War and the history of slavery. His newest book, An Unholy Traffic was published by Oxford University Press in April 2024 and is available in both print and audiobook.
Tim Talbott is the Chief Administrative Officer for the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust in Fredericksburg, Virginia and founding member and President of the Battle of New Market Heights Memorial and Education Association. Tim holds a MA in Public History from Appalachian State University, where Ben had the great fortune to study alongside him.
Relevant Links:
· The Smithsonian Digital Volunteers Transcription Center website
· RTN Episode 270: Women & American Slavery w/ Stephanie E. Jones Rogers
· RTN Episode 117: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism w/ Edward Baptist
This is a rebroadcast of RTN #308, which originally aired on June 17, 2024. Edited by Ben Sawyer.
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