Tag Archives: Martin Van Buren

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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S006 – It’s Convention Time!

August 2, 2020UncategorizedAbraham Lincoln, Al Smith, Alton B Parker, Andrew Jackson, Anti-Masonic Party, Anti-Saloon League, Champ Clark, Democratic Party, Edwin T Meredith, Franklin D Roosevelt, Frederick Douglass, Henry Clay, James A Garfield, James G Blaine, James K Polk, James M Cox, John C Breckinridge, John C Frémont, John W Davis, Ku Klux Klan, Lewis Cass, Martin Van Buren, National Republican Party, Oscar Underwood, Republican Party, Robert La Follette, Samuel Ralston, Stephen Douglas, Tammany Hall, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Walsh, Ulysses S Grant, Victoria Woodhull, Whig Party, William Howard Taft, William Jennings Bryan, William McAdoo, Woodrow Wilsonpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1824-1992

Since the first national party convention in the United States in September 1831, party conventions have played a key role in American politics. In this episode, we explore the role of these gatherings in determining presidential nominees as well as setting agendas through the party platform and examine a few notable conventions in detail. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Eleanor Roosevelt addresses Democratic National Convention, Chicago, Illinois. July 18, 1940,” courtesy of Wikipedia

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V004 – Interview with Zacharie Kinslow

July 21, 2019UncategorizedAndrew Jackson, Civil War, Democratic Party, Dolley Madison, Elias Polk, James K Polk, Martin Van Buren, Paul Jennings, Reconstruction, Sarah Polk, slaverypresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1795-1891

On the anniversary of James K Polk’s death, I spoke with Zacharie Kinslow of the President James K Polk Home and Museum in Columbia, TN about the 11th President and his wife Sarah Childress Polk. Zach also shares his research on the life of Elias Polk, an enslaved individual whose life after attaining freedom following the Civil War provides insight into life for African-Americans in the Reconstruction Era and the Gilded Age. Images used for this episode as well as links to Zach’s article on Elias and video of a presentation at a conference on Polk can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Images: “Zacharie Kinslow” and “Elias Polk”, courtesy of Zacharie Kinslow

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Presidencies of the United States

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

Tag Archives: Martin Van Buren

3.285 – The Two Marthas

S006 – It’s Convention Time!

V004 – Interview with Zacharie Kinslow