Tag Archives: James Wilkinson

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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3.39 – Sunset and Sunrise

December 13, 202103 - Thomas JeffersonAlbert Gallatin, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Democratic-Republican Party, East Florida, Election of 1808, Federalists, France, George Campbell, George Clinton, Great Britain, Harrison Gray Otis, James Madison, James Monroe, James Wilkinson, John Adams, John Armstrong Jr, John Jacob Astor, John Quincy Adams, John Randolph of Roanoke, Manuel de Godoy, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Michael Leib, Napoleon Bonaparte, New York, Pennsylvania, Pierre du Pont, Portugal, Rufus King, Sally Hemings, Samuel Harrison Smith, Samuel Smith, Spain, Thomas Jefferson, Timothy Pickering, West Florida, William Branch Giles, Wilson Cary Nicholaspresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1807-1809

As the end of Jefferson’s second term neared, the Embargo Act came under increasing criticism at home, Napoleon’s plans for conquest continued apace in Europe, and the nation chose the man who would become the fourth President of the United States. Though the clock had not struck on his presidency, his last months in office would find the man who had been a leader for decades take a step back as his thoughts turned increasingly to his life once he left the President’s House. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States” by Pendleton’s Lithography [c. 1828], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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3.35 – And Everything Else

September 19, 202103 - Thomas JeffersonCaesar Rodney, France, Great Britain, James Monroe, James Wilkinson, John Breckinridge, Louisiana Territory, Napoleon Bonaparte, Native Americans, Orleans Territory, Spain, US Supreme Court, William C C Claiborne, William Pinkneypresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1806-1807

Concurrent with the events of the Burr conspiracy, the Jefferson administration and its agents were engaged in other work on multiple fronts. Lt. Zebulon Pike was leading an expedition westward while Gen. James Wilkinson took questionable measures in the name of national security in New Orleans. In London, James Monroe and William Pinkney worked against all odds to finalize a treaty with Great Britain. Meanwhile, the President had to decide upon a new Attorney General as well as not one but two Supreme Court justices. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Zebulon Pike” by Charles Willson Peale [c. 1808], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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3.34 – Conspiracy

September 5, 202103 - Thomas JeffersonAaron Burr, Andrew Jackson, Anthony Merry, Henry Clay, James Wilkinson, Mississippi Territory, Ohio, Orleans Territory, Spain, Thomas Jefferson, Virginia, William Duanepresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1806-1807

Aaron Burr’s plans were finally starting to come to fruition, but little did the former Vice President know that he had a turncoat in his midst. Meanwhile, as the Jefferson administration struggled to get a grasp of the scope of the conspiracy, it was forced to action, and the haphazard nature of it would have consequences on down the line. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Blennerhassett Island Home,” courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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3.33 – Glimmers of Hope

August 8, 202103 - Thomas JeffersonAaron Burr, Albert Gallatin, Anthony Merry, Barbary States, David Erskine, Edward Preble, Francisco de Miranda, Gideon Granger, Henry Dearborn, James Madison, James Wilkinson, Jonathan Dayton, Meriwether Lewis, New Orleans, Orleans Territory, Robert Smith, Samuel Smith, Samuel Swartwout, Spain, Stephen Decatur, Texas, Thomas Jefferson, William C C Claiborne, William Clark, William Eaton, William Smith, Zebulon Pikepresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1805-1806

With American and Spanish military forces amassing along the western US border and with the commanding general of the Army potentially involved in a secession and/or filibustering plot with the former Vice President, late 1806 was a time of trepidation for President Jefferson and his administration. Before long, though, a few hopeful prospects started to appear including the return of Jefferson’s protege turned continental explorer, Meriwether Lewis. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “James Wilkinson” by Charles Willson Peale [c. 1797], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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3.32 – Time Draws Short

July 11, 202103 - Thomas JeffersonAaron Burr, Anthony Merry, Burr Conspiracy, Connecticut, Democratic-Republican Party, Federalists, Francisco de Miranda, Great Britain, Henry Dearborn, James Madison, James Monroe, James Wilkinson, John Randolph of Roanoke, Native Americans, Orleans Territory, Spain, Texas, Thomas Jefferson, William Armistead Burwell, William Pinkney, Zebulon Pikepresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1805-1806

As Jefferson reflects upon the unexpected death of his mentor, various situations at home and abroad in 1806 imperil the future of the nation. A British ship unintentionally kills an American sailor, threatening the peace negotiations being conducted in London. Around the same time, expeditions to explore the west provoke Spanish forces already gathered on the border. Meanwhile, the President receives word of a domestic plot involving not only the former Vice President but also the commanding general of the US Army. Sources used in this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Map of the 1806 Red River Expedition” by Nich. King [c. 1806], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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3.31 – Waves on the Horizon

June 30, 202103 - Thomas JeffersonAaron Burr, Albert Gallatin, Andrew Jackson, Anthony Merry, Barnabas Bidwell, Burr Conspiracy, Federalists, France, Francisco de Miranda, George Clinton, Gideon Granger, Great Britain, Haitian Revolution, Henry Dearborn, James Madison, James Monroe, James Wilkinson, John Armstrong Jr, John Quincy Adams, John Randolph of Roanoke, Jonathan Dayton, Levi Lincoln, Louisiana, Mississippi Territory, Nathaniel Macon, Orleans Territory, Robert Smith, Samuel Smith, Spain, Texas, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mann Randolph, US House, US Senate, West Florida, William C C Claiborne, William Henry Harrison, William Pinkneypresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1804-1806

As tensions between the US and Spain increase over West Florida and the border with Tejas, Aaron Burr travels to the west and back again to meet with folks across the nation as his plot progresses. Meanwhile, supporters of Jefferson in Congress attempt to move against Rep. John Randolph of Roanoke, and a House Ways and Means Committee meeting gets so raucous that a duel seems to be in the making. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “A new chart of the Atlantic or Western Ocean” by William Heather [c. 1797], 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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3.27 – Second Term, Same as the Worst

February 27, 202103 - Thomas JeffersonAaron Burr, Albert Gallatin, Anthony Merry, Barbary States, France, George Clinton, Gideon Granger, Great Britain, Henry Dearborn, Indiana Territory, Isaac Coles, James Wilkinson, John Breckinridge, Levi Lincoln, Louisiana Territory, Mexico, Native Americans, Orleans Territory, Robert Smith, Spain, Texas, Thomas Jefferson, William Armistead Burwell, William Henry Harrisonpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1803-1805

Jefferson’s second inauguration may have been a non-event, but on numerous fronts, various tensions were building in early 1805 that threatened to make his second term one to remember. Cabinet members plotted to further their own ambitions while Aaron Burr schemed with foreign powers and domestic discontents in order to return to prominence. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the president, one of his appointments would put a double agent in place to potentially break the recently acquired Louisiana Purchase away from the US. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Thomas Jefferson” by Matthew Harris Jouett, courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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3.24 – Truth and Consequences

November 15, 202003 - Thomas JeffersonAaron Burr, Andrew Jackson, Chancellor Robert Livingston, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Democratic-Republican Party, East Florida, Election of 1804, Federalists, France, Great Britain, James Madison, James Monroe, James Wilkinson, John Armstrong Jr, Louisiana, Marquis de Lafayette, Rufus King, slavery, Spain, Thomas Jefferson, US Army, US Supreme Court, West Florida, William C C Claiborne, William Pitt the Youngerpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1803-1805

With a presidential election looming, the Jefferson administration had to consider how to wrap up the first term and transition to the second. For some, that meant moving into new positions. For others, retirement was in their future. As the campaign worked to rally the public, the decisions of 1804 made at home and abroad would have far-reaching consequences. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Images: “Thomas Jefferson” by Rembrandt Peale [c. 1800], courtesy of Wikipedia and “George Clinton” by Ezra Ames [c. 1814], courtesy of Wikipedia

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

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: James Wilkinson

4.05 – In the Arena

3.39 – Sunset and Sunrise

3.35 – And Everything Else

3.34 – Conspiracy

3.33 – Glimmers of Hope

3.32 – Time Draws Short

3.31 – Waves on the Horizon

3.29 – A Winter to Remember

3.27 – Second Term, Same as the Worst

3.24 – Truth and Consequences