Tag Archives: US Senate

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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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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S008 – Transition Gone Wrong

December 31, 202019 - Rutherford B HayesAbram Hewitt, Allan Thurman, Benjamin Bristow, Boss Tweed, Carl Schurz, Chester A Arthur, Daniel Sickles, Democratic Party, Election of 1876, Florida, Hamilton Fish, James G Blaine, Liberal Republican Party, Louisiana, Marshall Jewell, Morrison Waite, Oliver P Morton, Oregon, Reconstruction, Republican Party, Roscoe Conkling, Rutherford B Hayes, Samuel J Tilden, Simon Cameron, South Carolina, Thomas Hendricks, Ulysses S Grant, US House, US Senate, US Supreme Court, William Chandler, Winfield Scott Hancock, Zachariah Chandlerpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1875-1877

Though the US takes pride in the regular practice of peaceful transitions of power from one presidency to the next, sometimes the transition is not quite so peaceful, especially when the results are in dispute. Such was the case in the aftermath of the presidential election of 1876 where, for months, allegations flew back and forth, political leaders across the nation exerted their influence in favor of their chosen candidate, members of both parties prepared for armed confrontation, and no one could predict whether Samuel J Tilden or Rutherford B Hayes would end up being the nineteenth president of the United States. Source notes for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Images: “Rutherford B Hayes” [c. 1865-1880], courtesy of Wikipedia and “Samuel Jones Tilden” [c. 1860-1886], courtesy of Wikipedia

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Interview with Thomas Balcerski (Bosom Friends)

April 12, 202015 - James BuchananAbel Upshur, Bedford Brown, Clement Comer Clay, Harriet Lane, James Buchanan, John C Calhoun, John Catron, John Pendleton King, Robert Carter Nicholas, US Senate, William Henry Roane, William Rufus Kingpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1786-1868

Political partnerships are nothing new to American politics, but what happens when the domestic world and the political realm overlap? To examine that question and learn more about one of the most significant political partnerships in American history, I recently spoke with Thomas Balcerski, author of Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King. In our conversation, Tom shared some great insights about the politics, ideologies, and society of antebellum America and not only how Buchanan and King fit in to all of that but what studying their lives and their relationship can tell us in turn about larger historical themes. Additional resources for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Images: Dr. Thomas Balcerski, courtesy of the author, and “James Buchanan” by George Peter Alexander Healy [c. 1859], courtesy of Wikipedia

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2.24 – The 36th Ballot

June 15, 201902 - John AdamsAaron Burr, Abigail Adams, Albert Gallatin, Alexander Hamilton, Austria, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Democratic-Republican Party, Election of 1800, Federalists, Fisher Ames, France, James A Bayard, James Madison, James McHenry, James Monroe, John Adams, John Jay, John Marshall, John Quincy Adams, Napoleon Bonaparte, Oliver Wolcott Jr, Rufus King, Samuel Dexter, Samuel Smith, Spain, Theodore Sedgwick, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas McKean, Timothy Pickering, US House, US Senate, William Cranch, William R Davie, William Smithpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1800-1801

The nation had little time to process the news that Adams was defeated in his bid for reelection as a constitutional crisis developed regarding who would succeed him to the post. Meanwhile, the outgoing president only had a few weeks remaining to secure the ratification of the Convention of Mortefontaine, get several federal judges confirmed including a new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and get a new Treasury Secretary in place. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Front View of the President’s House, in the City of Washington” [c.1807], courtesy of Wikipedia

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1.03 – Year One

March 5, 201701 - George WashingtonAlexander Hamilton, George Washington, Henry Knox, James Madison, John Adams, John Jay, US Senate, US Supreme Courtpresidencies

First Inauguration of George Washington (c. 1899), courtesy of Wikipedia

Year(s) Discussed: 1789

Washington’s inauguration, while starting up the wheels of the executive branch, leaves many questions to be answered by the first chief executive and the new government. What titles will be used to address the president? How will he make himself available to the public and to the other branches of government? What does seeking “the Advice and Consent of the Senate” really mean anyway? So much of what we take for granted with the presidency nowadays is established in Washington’s first few months on the job, and these precedents that he established in the early part of his administration are the focus of this episode. Source information for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

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Presidencies of the United States

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

Tag Archives: US Senate

4.05 – In the Arena

4.03 – The Call of My Country

3.31 – Waves on the Horizon

S008 – Transition Gone Wrong

Interview with Thomas Balcerski (Bosom Friends)

2.24 – The 36th Ballot

1.03 – Year One