Monthly Archives: February 2022

4.02 – Source Notes



Special thanks to Nicki of As the Money Burns for providing the intro quote for this episode and to Christian of Your Podcast Pal for his audio editing work on this episode!

The transcript for this episode can be found at this link.

  • Allgor, Catherine. A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation. New York: Henry Holt & Co, 2006.
  • Chambers, Douglas B. Murder at Montpelier: Igbo Africans in Virginia. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2005.
  • Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton. New York: Penguin Press, 2004.
  • Chernow, Ron. Washington: A Life. New York: Penguin Press, 2010.
  • DeRose, Chris. Founding Rivals: Madison vs. Monroe, The Bill of Rights and the Election That Saved a Nation. New York: MJF Books, 2011.
  • Feldman, Noah. The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President. New York: Random House, 2017.
  • Gutzman, Kevin R C. James Madison and the Making of America. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2012.
  • Hicks, Hilarie M. “Where Have All the Papers Gone?” Montpelier’s Digital Doorway. 1 Aug 2018. https://digitaldoorway.montpelier.org/2018/08/01/where-have-all-the-papers-gone/. [Last Accessed: 22 Jan 2022]
  • Kearse, Bettye. The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President’s Black Family. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020.
  • Ketcham, Ralph. James Madison: A Biography. Charlottesville, VA and London: University Press of Virginia, 1994 [1971].
  • Landry, Jerry. The Presidencies of the United States. 2017-2022. http://presidencies.blubrry.com.
  • Madison, James. “To James Monroe, 7 August 1785,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-08-02-0178. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 8, 10 March 1784 – 28 March 1786, ed. Robert A. Rutland and William M. E. Rachal. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1973, pp. 333–336.] [Last Accessed: 17 Jan 2022]
  • Madison, James. “To James Madison, Sr., 1 November 1786,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-09-02-0063. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 9, 9 April 1786 – 24 May 1787 and supplement 1781–1784, ed. Robert A. Rutland and William M. E. Rachal. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1975, pp. 153–155.] [Last Accessed: 17 Jan 2022]
  • Madison, James. “To George Washington, 8 November 1786,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-09-02-0074. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 9, 9 April 1786 – 24 May 1787 and supplement 1781–1784, ed. Robert A. Rutland and William M. E. Rachal. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1975, pp. 166–167.] [Last Accessed: 17 Jan 2022]
  • Madison, James. “To Thomas Jefferson, 24 October 1787,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-10-02-0151. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 10, 27 May 1787–3 March 1788, ed. Robert A. Rutland, Charles F. Hobson, William M. E. Rachal, and Frederika J. Teute. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1977, pp. 205–220.] [Last Accessed: 22 Jan 2022]
  • Madison, James. “To Thomas Jefferson, 28 February 1801,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-17-02-0318. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 17, 31 March 1797–3 March 1801 and supplement 22 January 1778–9 August 1795, ed. David B. Mattern, J. C. A. Stagg, Jeanne K. Cross, and Susan Holbrook Perdue. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1991, pp. 474–476.] [Last Accessed: 23 Jan 2022]
  • Pole, J.R., ed. The Federalist. Indianapolis, IN and Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Co Inc, 2005.
  • Reardon, John J. Edmund Randolph: A Biography. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co, 1974.
  • Signer, Michael. Becoming Madison: The Extraordinary Origins of the Least Likely Founding Father. New York: PublicAffairs, 2015.
  • Stahr, Walter. John Jay: Founding Father. New York: Hambledon & Continuum, 2006 [2005].
  • Stewart, David O. Madison’s Gift: Five Partnerships That Built America. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2016 [2015].
  • Washington, George. “To James Madison, 7 December 1787,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/04-05-02-0432. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Confederation Series, vol. 5, 1 February 1787 – 31 December 1787, ed. W. W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1997, pp. 477–481.] [Last Accessed: 22 Jan 2022]
  • Washington, George. “Undelivered First Inaugural Address: Fragments, 30 April 1789.” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-02-02-0130-0002. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 2, 1 April 1789 – 15 June 1789, ed. Dorothy Twohig. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1987, pp. 158–173.] [Last Accessed: 17 Jan 2022]

Featured Image: “An Advertisement of The Federalist,” courtesy of Wikipedia


4.02 – Madison Pre-Presidency Part Two



Year(s) Discussed: 1785-1809

After scoring some key political victories in Virginia, Madison decided to lead an effort to reform the government of the United States. However, he would find that getting the Constitutional Convention to agree on a new federal structure was only half the battle, and he would soon acquire some powerful enemies in the ratification campaign. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Scene at the Signing of the United States Constitution” by Howard Chandler Christy [c. 1940], courtesy of Wikipedia

Intro and Outro Music: Selections from “Jefferson and Liberty” as performed by The Itinerant Band


SATT 007 – Oliver Wolcott Jr



Tenure of Office: February 3, 1795 – December 31, 1800

Oliver Wolcott, Jr had big shoes to fill when he assumed office as the second Secretary of the Treasury. With my special guests, Lucy and Michelle from Tudoriferous, we explore his life and career to determine whether this member of the Washington and Adams administrations was truly up to the task of running the largest Cabinet department in the early republic.

Featured Image: “Oliver Wolcott Jr” by Gilbert Stuart [c. 1820], courtesy of Wikipedia


4.01 – Source Notes



Special thanks to Shawn from the American History Podcast for providing the intro quote and for Christian at Your Podcast Pal for his audio editing services for this episode!

The transcript for this episode can be found at this link.

  • Chambers, Douglas B. Murder at Montpelier: Igbo Africans in Virginia. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2005.
  • Feldman, Noah. The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President. New York: Random House, 2017.
  • Gutzman, Kevin R C. James Madison and the Making of America. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2012.
  • Ketcham, Ralph. James Madison: A Biography. Charlottesville, VA and London: University Press of Virginia, 1994 [1971].
  • Madison, James. “Commonplace Book, 1759–1772,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-01-02-0002. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 1, 16 March 1751 – 16 December 1779, ed. William T. Hutchinson and William M. E. Rachal. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1962, pp. 4–32.] [Last Accessed: 21 Dec 2021]
  • Madison, James. “To Reverend Thomas Martin, 10 August 1769,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-01-02-0004. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 1, 16 March 1751 – 16 December 1779, ed. William T. Hutchinson and William M. E. Rachal. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1962, pp. 42–44.] [Last Accessed: 9 Dec 2021]
  • Malone, Dumas. Jefferson the Virginian: Jefferson and His Time, Volume One. Boston: Little, Brown and Co, 1948.
  • Signer, Michael. Becoming Madison: The Extraordinary Origins of the Least Likely Founding Father. New York: PublicAffairs, 2015.
  • Stewart, David O. Madison’s Gift: Five Partnerships That Built America. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2016 [2015].

Featured Image: “Nassau Hall at Princeton University” [c. 1760], courtesy of Wikipedia


4.01 – Madison Pre-Presidency Part One



Year(s) Discussed: 1653-1785

As part of a family that had been on a steady rise in society since its earliest days in the Virginia colony, James Madison, Jr. was expected to do great things from the time of his birth, but his family could scarcely have imagined the heights to which he would rise. After an accelerated collegiate career and a few initial stumbles as a young man, Madison gradually worked his way into becoming a force in state and national politics. However, as someone not content with ignoring issues in the status quo, Madison would soon find his calling as a champion for innovation. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “James Madison, Class of 1771” by James Sharples [c. pre-1811], courtesy of Wikipedia

Intro and Outro Music: Selections from “Jefferson and Liberty” as performed by The Itinerant Band