Tag Archives: Dolley Madison

4.05 – In the Arena

April 10, 202204 - James MadisonAustria, Congress, Cuba, Dolley Madison, France, Isaac Coles, James Madison, James Wilkinson, John Quincy Adams, John Wayles Eppes, Louisa Catherine Adams, Napoleon Bonaparte, New Orleans, US Senate, West Florida, William Eustis, Zebulon Pikepresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1808-1809

A new congressional session provided an opportunity for the President and his wife to make their mark on the Washington political and social scene as they invited guests into the refurbished President’s House. Meanwhile, General James Wilkinson continued with his intrigues down in New Orleans, but rather than establishing a pseudo-dictatorship again, his affairs were more of a personal nature. Over in Europe, Austria rose up once more against the French Empire, and Napoleon had to scramble to avoid defeat. Sources used in this episode can be found at https://www.presidenciespodcast.com.

Featured Images: “Portrait of Dolley Madison, First Lady of the United States” [c. 19th century], courtesy of Wikipedia and “George Canning” [pre-1827], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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4.03 – The Call of My Country

March 13, 202204 - James MadisonAlbert Gallatin, Benjamin Latrobe, Caesar Rodney, Dolley Madison, Election of 1808, George Clinton, Gideon Granger, Henry Dearborn, Isaac Coles, James Madison, John Marshall, Margaret Bayard Smith, Paul Hamilton, Robert Smith, Samuel Smith, Thomas Jefferson, US House, US Senate, US Supreme Court, Washington DC, William Branch Giles, William Duane, William Eustis, Wilson Cary Nicholaspresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1809

Though James Madison was seen as being Thomas Jefferson’s successor, it became clear starting with his inauguration that his presidency would be different from his predecessor’s, for better or worse. While the public got to see a more festive social tone as set by Dolley Madison, behind the scenes, the president struggled to get political support for a key Cabinet nomination. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “James Madison” by David Erwin [c. 1809-1817], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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4.02 – Madison Pre-Presidency Part Two

February 27, 202204 - James MadisonAlexander Hamilton, Articles of Confederation, Benjamin Franklin, Constitutional Convention, Dolley Madison, Edmund Randolph, Elbridge Gerry, Federalists, George Mason, George Washington, Gouverneur Morris, Henry Lee, James Madison, James Monroe, John Jay, Patrick Henry, Richard Cutts, Robert Morris, Rufus King, slavery, Thomas Jefferson, Virginiapresidencies

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

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3.29 – A Winter to Remember

May 2, 202103 - Thomas JeffersonAaron Burr, Albert Gallatin, Andrew Jackson, Benjamin Latrobe, Burr Conspiracy, Charles Pinckney, Dolley Madison, East Florida, Edward Livingston, France, Great Britain, Indiana Territory, James Madison, James Monroe, James Wilkinson, John Breckinridge, Jonathan Dayton, Louisiana Territory, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Meriwether Lewis, Michigan Territory, New Orleans, Robert Smith, Spain, Talleyrand, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mann Randolph, West Florida, William Clark, William Henry Harrison, William Hullpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1804-1805

President Jefferson had much to celebrate in the latter half of 1805 as he finally secured a new Attorney General, envoys arrived from distant lands in the east and the west, and his daughter and her family joined him in the President’s House for the winter. Little did he know, though, that difficult negotiations in Madrid and the machinations of the former Vice President, Aaron Burr, would soon lead to difficulties for his administration. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Images: “Tchong-tas-sáb-bee, Black Dog, Second Chief” by George Catlin [c. 1834], courtesy of Wikipedia and “John Breckinridge” [c. 1891], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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3.285 – The Two Marthas

April 4, 202103 - Thomas JeffersonAlbert Gallatin, Andrew Jackson, Dolley Madison, James Madison, Margaret Bayard Smith, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Martin Van Buren, Nicholas Trist, Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, Thomas Mann Randolph, Washington DCpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1748-1836

Studies of Thomas Jefferson’s life often discuss the impact of the two Marthas – his wife, Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, and his daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph – on him, but few studies examine matters with the focus on the lives of the two women. While our knowledge of Martha Jefferson is limited, in this episode, we sift through the fragments of what we know about her before shifting to her daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph. In addition to the narrative, part of the episode features an interview with a special guest, Dr. Cynthia A. Kierner, whose biography of Martha is an invaluable resource for learning more about a person who was educated in Paris and mingled with presidents and political leaders but is far too often relegated to the background of history. Her life has much to tell us about the role of women and families in the early republic as well as in US presidential history. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Images: “Martha Jefferson Randolph” by Thomas Sully, courtesy of Wikipedia, and “Silhouette of Martha Jefferson,” courtesy of Wikipedia

Transition Intro and Outro Music: Samples from “Bread,” prod. by LuKremBo

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3.26 – Present but Absent: The Hemings Family of Monticello

January 31, 202103 - Thomas JeffersonDolley Madison, France, James Callendar, James Madison, James Monroe, John Wayles Eppes, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Sally Hemings, slavery, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mann Randolph, Virginiapresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1735-1873

Throughout Jefferson’s life and career, he was surrounded and served by various enslaved individuals of three generations of the same family. In this episode, we examine the lives of the Hemings family as some worked to attain their freedom, other Hemingses disappeared from the historical record without a trace, and one became the most famous enslaved individual in the United States for bearing the third President’s children. Sources used for this episode can be found at https://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “View of the West Front of Monticello and Garden” by Jane Braddock [c. 1825], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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3.19 – The Not So Merry Merry

July 3, 202003 - Thomas JeffersonAaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, Anthony Merry, Chancellor Robert Livingston, De Witt Clinton, Dolley Madison, France, Francis James Jackson, George Clinton, Great Britain, Henry Addington, Henry Dearborn, James Madison, James Monroe, James Wilkinson, Josiah Quincy, Louisiana, Napoleon Bonaparte, Nathaniel Macon, Rufus King, Spain, Thomas Jefferson, William C C Claibornepresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1802-1803

The new British Minister to the US, Anthony Merry, arrived in Washington, DC in late 1803, and though his arrival was initially seen as a strengthening of British-American relations, it would soon prove to be quite the opposite. Meanwhile, the end of the year saw representatives of the Jefferson administration on both sides of the Atlantic assume new roles as well as Louisiana officially brought into the United States. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Dänische Post” by Johann Wilhelm Cordes [c. 1859], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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3.11 – Making Plans for Monroe

January 20, 2020UncategorizedCharles Pinckney, Dolley Madison, France, Haitian Revolution, Henri Christophe, James Madison, James Monroe, James Wilkinson, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, John Jay, John Randolph of Roanoke, John Wayles Eppes, Louisiana, Manuel de Godoy, Margaret Bayard Smith, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Meriwether Lewis, Napoleon Bonaparte, New Orleans, Samuel Harrison Smith, Spain, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mann Randolph, Thomas McKean, Tobias Lear, William C C Claibornepresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1801-1803

As continued resistance in Saint-Domingue threatens French First Consul Napoléon Bonaparte’s plans to take control of Louisiana, President Jefferson works to keep tempers cool on the domestic front while turning to a trusted ally, James Monroe, to find a permanent solution to the New Orleans situation. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Engraved BEP portrait of U.S. President James Monroe,” courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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3.10 – We Need to Talk

December 30, 201903 - Thomas JeffersonBarbary States, Chancellor Robert Livingston, Dolley Madison, East Florida, France, Haitian Revolution, Henri Christophe, James Madison, Louisiana, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Meriwether Lewis, Morocco, Napoleon Bonaparte, New Orleans, slavery, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mann Randolph, Toussaint L'Ouverture, Washington DC, West Floridapresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1801-1803

As French First Consul Napoléon Bonaparte begins to shift the balance of power in the Western Hemisphere in his favor, President Jefferson works to counter these ambitions through diplomatic efforts in both Washington and Paris. Meanwhile, a Mediterranean power declares war on the US, and Jefferson’s powers of persuasion are put to the test when dealing with family matters. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool” by Thomas Lawrence [c. 1790s], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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3.05 – Affairs, Foreign and Domestic

October 13, 201903 - Thomas JeffersonAlbert Gallatin, Barbary States, Dolley Madison, France, Great Britain, Haitian Revolution, Henry Addington, Ireland, James Callender, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Levi Lincoln, Manuel de Godoy, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Meriwether Lewis, Napoleon Bonaparte, Spain, Talleyrand, Thomas Jefferson, Toussaint L'Ouverture, William Pitt the Younger, William Vans Murraypresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1799-1801

The beginning of Jefferson’s administration coincided with changes in other parts of the world including France, Great Britain, Spain, and Saint-Domingue that would ultimately come to impact the United States. Meanwhile, as Jefferson continued to assemble his Cabinet, he and his administration also had to deal with a new round of negotiation with Napoléon’s government and appeasing an irate office seeker who threatened to expose the President to public scandal. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Le général Toussaint Louverture” [c. 19th century], courtesy of Wikipedia

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Presidencies of the United States

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

Tag Archives: Dolley Madison

4.05 – In the Arena

4.03 – The Call of My Country

4.02 – Madison Pre-Presidency Part Two

3.29 – A Winter to Remember

3.285 – The Two Marthas

3.26 – Present but Absent: The Hemings Family of Monticello

3.19 – The Not So Merry Merry

3.11 – Making Plans for Monroe

3.10 – We Need to Talk

3.05 – Affairs, Foreign and Domestic