Tag Archives: Benjamin Rush

3.40 – Jefferson Post-Presidency

January 9, 202203 - Thomas JeffersonBenjamin Rush, Edward Livingston, James Madison, James Monroe, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John Randolph of Roanoke, John Wayles Eppes, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Sally Hemings, Samuel Harrison Smith, slavery, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mann Randolph, Virginia, William Branch Giles, Wilson Cary Nicholaspresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1809-1826

After leaving the presidency, Thomas Jefferson found himself kept quite busy with both public business and personal matters. While striving to be a doting grandfather and fretting over his family’s life struggles, the former president worked in vain to escape the vicious cycle of debt in which he had become trapped. Meanwhile, he used his retirement to take on the task of improving public education in Virginia which inevitably landed him in the middle of political struggles once more. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Thomas Jefferson” by Thomas Sully [c. 1821], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

3.16 – Up River, Down River

April 26, 202003 - Thomas JeffersonAlbert Gallatin, Benjamin Hawkins, Benjamin Rush, Georgia, Henry Dearborn, Indiana Territory, James Madison, Levi Lincoln, Louisiana, Meriwether Lewis, Mississippi Territory, Native Americans, New Orleans, slavery, Spain, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mann Randolph, William C C Claiborne, William Clark, William Henry Harrisonpresidencies

Content Note: This episode mentions the topic of suicide.

Year(s) Discussed: 1802-1803

As the Jefferson administration awaited word on the outcome of Monroe’s mission to France, the territorial governors and government agents in the western US dealt with various issues including labor shortages, troubled relations with neighboring indigenous nations, and the economic chaos caused by the port of New Orleans being closed to American shipping. To the east, the President and his Cabinet worked with Meriwether Lewis to prepare him for the planned transcontinental expedition as news came from across the Atlantic that would reshape the United States forever. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “William C. C. Claiborne, Governor of Louisiana” [c. early 19th century], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

2.25 – Adams Post-Presidency

July 4, 201902 - John AdamsAbigail Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Stoddert, Charles Francis Adams, Democratic-Republican Party, Federalists, James Madison, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Louisa Catherine Adams, Mary Cranch, Richard Cranch, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, William Smithpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1801-1826

After leaving the presidency, John Adams searched for a path ahead. In the process, he dealt with emotions that had been building for years, rebuilt some bridges that had been burned in political battles, suffered numerous personal heartaches, and bore witness to a quarter century more of the nation’s history. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Portrait of John Adams” by Samuel Morse [c. 1816], courtesy of Wikipedia

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

2.03 – The New Sheriff in Town

August 26, 201802 - John AdamsAbigail Adams, Benjamin Franklin Bache, Benjamin Rush, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Elbridge Gerry, France, George Washington, James Madison, James Monroe, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Oliver Ellsworth, Oliver Wolcott Jr, Pierre Auguste Adet, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mifflin, Timothy Pickeringpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1796-1797

The election of 1796 results in John Adams becoming the nation’s second chief executive, but he quickly finds more questions than answers awaiting him on the path to taking the oath of office. Adams is immediately faced with the need to make decisions about who to keep from the previous administration, what if any policy changes to make, and even where he and his family will live. It’s a transition unlike any other in American history to that point, and with various pressing issues waiting on the desk, the honeymoon for the new President promised to be short-lived. Source information for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Congress Hall,” unknown artist, courtesy of the US Senate Historical Office

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

1.18 – Pestilence

October 1, 201701 - George WashingtonAlexander Hamilton, Benjamin Rush, Congress, Edmund Randolph, epidemic, Gazette of the United States, George Washington, Haitian Revolution, Henry Knox, James Madison, John Adams, John Fenno, National Gazette, Oliver Wolcott Jr, Philadelphia, Philip Freneau, Thomas Jefferson, Tobias Lear, US Supreme Courtpresidencies

The Arch Street Wharf by William Birch [c. 1800] (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Year(s) Discussed: 1786-1793

Washington, his household, and his administration struggle to deal with an epidemic of yellow fever as it makes its way through the city of Philadelphia, indiscriminately infecting people from all walks of life including a resident at the President’s House. In addition to the loss of life, the epidemic brings up questions about how best to utilize medical knowledge to the public good, the role of the press, the relationship of individuals to their environment, and the ability and role of the government in a crisis management situation. Source information for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

1.12 – Slavery in America

July 10, 201701 - George WashingtonAmerican Revolution, Benjamin Rush, Connecticut, Constitutional Convention, Daniel Custis, David Humphreys, Delaware, George Mason, George Washington, Georgia, Harriet Jacobs, James Otis, John Adams, Martha Washington, Maryland, Massachusetts, Native Americans, North Carolina, Ona Judge, Pennsylvania, Sally Hemings, slavery, South Carolina, Thomas Jefferson, Tobias Lear, Vermont, Virginiapresidencies

Content Note: Though not going into graphic detail, I did want to let everyone know upfront that this episode, in discussing slavery, does touch upon the violence associated with slavery including that perpetrated against female enslaved people.

Year(s) Discussed: 1490s-1792

European settlers in the Western Hemisphere began practicing slavery in the lands that they found on the other side of the Atlantic in the late 15th century. In this episode, we examine the institution of slavery in what would become the United States as it developed up to the end of Washington’s first term in office. From its beginnings to its codification, we also look at some of the living conditions of enslaved peoples and early efforts to end the practice of slavery. The episode finishes off with bringing the focus back to Washington and how he approached slavery as he participated in the Constitutional Convention and then took office as president. Source information for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Presidencies of the United States

A journey through presidential history from the beginning to the present day

Tag Archives: Benjamin Rush

3.40 – Jefferson Post-Presidency

3.16 – Up River, Down River

2.25 – Adams Post-Presidency

2.03 – The New Sheriff in Town

1.18 – Pestilence

1.12 – Slavery in America