History That Doesn't Suck

06/06/2024

If you would like to learn more about Prohibition in America, HTDS recommends "Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition" by Daniel Okrent.

Get it here: https://amzn.to/3wV7UnN

05/06/2024

The Selective Service Act (Selective Draft Act) was enacted on May 18, 1917. On June 5, 1917 the first young men (ages 21-30) began registering. You can hear about America's involvement in WW1 beginning with Episode 132 of HTDS.



photo: Bain News Service

03/06/2024

“Farewell, you good-for-nothing, God-forsaken, iniquitous, bleary-eyed, bloated-faced old imp of perdition, farewell!”

This is the story of the path to prohibition.

Early America drinks a lot – I mean, A LOT. Alcohol doesn’t give you dysentery, it’s used as a medicine, and in the first decades of the Republic, whiskey is cheaper than coffee or tea. But some are starting to think that maybe Uncle Sam needs an intervention. First it's the American Temperance Society, then the Washingtonians, and by the late-nineteenth-century, it’s the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. These ladies are particularly keen to see the nation lay off the bottle, particularly as drunk men are laying their paychecks on saloon bars and fists on their wives and children. But no one is perhaps more invested or influential than the Anti-Saloon League’s Wayne B. Wheeler.

From Founding Father Luther Martin’s likely drunken appearance before the Supreme Court, to Carrie Nation busting up saloons with a hatchet, and Wayne Wheeler proving himself a master lobbyist and king-making in Congress, this is the “how” and “why” behind the US Constitution’s 18th Amendment.

Listen now!

01/06/2024

New episode drops Monday! Find it where you get your podcasts!

Sign up for our newsletter to receive more stories and a video from Prof. Jackson. Go to www.htdspodcast.com to sign up!

31/05/2024

Here is a hint for our new episode coming out Monday!

30/05/2024

Remember Grace Banker and the Hello Girls from Episode 139, From Yeomen (F) to “Hello Girls:” American Women in World War I? Well, her granddaughter is in the news, working to pass legislation to honor Grace and all her fellow multilingual telephone operators! It's always cool to see subjects from the podcast in our news today.

Learn more about American women joining in war efforts in Episodes 139, 63, and 10 of HTDS!

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1572

28/05/2024

On May 28, 1830 President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act which led to the forced removal of Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole tribes from the Southeastern US to what is now Oklahoma. This paved the way for the "Trail of Tears". Rewind to HTDS Episode 28 to learn more about President Jackson and his support of Indian removal.

27/05/2024

Remembering and honoring all of the brave Americans who paid the ultimate price for our freedoms; Men and women that we have been introduced to in the last 156 episodes of HTDS.

Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day originated after the Civil War -- the deadliest conflict in US history -- as a way to honor the fallen soldiers. Memorial Day as we know it now was established in 1971. Take a moment today to remember the sacrifice of all who have fallen for our country.

21/05/2024

“I believe I can swing it.”

This is the story of the Coolidge Administration.

Calvin Coolidge isn’t the most talkative guy–he’s painfully shy, to be frank–but “Silent Cal” does care deeply about public service. Over the years, the thrifty, hard-working New Englander moves up the ranks, from municipal offices to state offices, until, as Massachusetts Governor, he’s asked to join Warren G. Harding’s run for the White House. When the scandalous, pl***oy President meets an untimely end, family man Cal suddenly finds himself President of the United States.

Cal slashes government spending and taxes while pursuing peace abroad. He also sees terrible heartache with the loss of loved ones. Meanwhile, the nation is debating if evolution should be taught in schools, the Mississippi floods, and the sculpting of Mount Rushmore begins. Cal might not be a hands-on president, but much is happening during his time in office that will reverberate into the years ahead.

Coolidge is pictured here with his wife and two sons. His younger son, Calvin Jr., tragically died at age 16 from blood poisoning caused by a blister on his toe that became infected.

Listen to the new episode now!



Photo: Coolidge Family LOC

17/05/2024

Here is a little hint at our upcoming episode. Who am I?

13/05/2024

On May 13, 1846 President James K. Polk convinced Congress to vote in favor of declaring war against Mexico. The request came from Polk after tensions rose over territory disputes with Mexico. Here, Polk is pictured with his Cabinet in the White House. This is the first ever photo taken in the White House and the first photo of a Presidential Cabinet. Rewind to episodes 33-36 of HTDS to learn more about the Mexican-American War.

09/05/2024

If you would like to learn more about the topic of our most recent episode (Episode 155), HTDS recommends "The Teapot Dome Scandal: How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House and Tried to Steal the Country" by Laton McCartney.

07/05/2024

"Is this really the 'worst election ever'?"

This year's election is already bringing out the fear and "worst ever" language. While still not getting partisan, my goal with this talk is to help us gain some historical perspective–to help us remember (or learn) that it's pretty bold if not down right hubristic to think that past generations had it easier. I don't say this to excuse or dismiss our present concerns, but actually to give a bit of hope: if they could overcome their challenges and pass the torch of American democracy down to us, then we should be able to do the same.

Hope you enjoy it:

Political passions run hot in an election year. What can we learn from the past about partisanship and electioneering? A lot. History is complicated. It requ...

06/05/2024

“If you knew of a great scandal in our administration, would you for the good of the country and the party expose it publicly or would you bury it?”

This is the story of a brilliant man’s presidency and the greatest presidential scandal to precede Watergate. This is the story of Warren G. Harding and the Teapot Dome Scandal.

Growing up in Ohio, Warren–or little “Winnie,” as his mom calls him–shows his brilliance from day one. The smart, charismatic, and handsome boy grows up to become a newspaperman and falls in love with politics while reporting. He soon becomes a rising star, holding Ohio then national offices. Taking the reins of government after World War I, the Republican hopes to return the post-war, economically downtrodden, and fearful nation to “normalcy.”

But can he return the nation to “normalcy” while his friends in the “Ohio Gang” are making shady deals? And what does Warren know of these deals? Is he naive? Or is the several-times adulterous president, who copes with the stress of office through drink and gambling, in on it? That’s the question we’ll ask ourselves as we follow his less-than-a-full-term presidency.

Find it now where you get your podcasts!

30/04/2024

235 years ago today George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States.

Rewind all the way back to Episode 1 of HTDS to learn about a young George Washington and the events that led him to the presidency.

25/04/2024

On April 25, 1898 the US Congress declared war on Spain, one day after Spain declared war on the US. Tensions between the two countries had escalated since the February explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor.

Rewind to episode 104 of HTDS to learn more about the road to the Spanish-American War.

24/04/2024

Professor Jackson sits down with fellow Prof. Ben Sawyer of the Road to Now Podcast and Middle Tennessee State University to chat through the last volume episodes. Russia, the Red Scare, the second Klan, and more, while Ben gets Greg to share behind-the-scenes details on the writing process. Enjoy!

22/04/2024

We had a great time at our show in CT!

20/04/2024

The hit podcast "History That Doesn't Suck" is on a new live tour. The show combines 100 years in 100 minutes and audiences learn about history through music, media and laughs. Greg Jackson, professor at Utah Valley University and Host of "History That Doesn’t Suck" joins CBS New York to discuss.

15/04/2024

This quote was written by Franklin to French physicist Jean Baptiste Le Roy in a letter dated Nov. 13, 1789. However, he was not the first to use a variation of this phrase. It first appeared in a 1716 play called “The Cobler of Preston” by Christopher Bullock. Regardless of it is origins, it is one of the most widely used expressions (especially on tax day... thanks, Ben!). Happy Tax Day!

09/04/2024

On this day in 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to U.S. Army General Ulysses S. Grant, the beginning of the end of four years of bloody, deadly conflict.



Witness this and other important moments in the first 100 years of American history as told live on stage by Professor Greg Jackson, with live music and video, based on his popular podcast History That Doesn't Suck, 7:30pm Thursday, April 18th at Sacred Heart University Community Theater in Fairfield, CT and 2:00pm Sunday, April 21st at NJPAC in Newark, NJ.
Tickets and more info at https://buff.ly/47OVCv0

HTDS Live! Join the Prof and team for a legit, hard-hitting history of this American Union Click the city link below for tickets.  More dates and cities to be announced soon. May 26 - 27, 2023 — San Antonio, TXAugust 25, 2023 — Loveland, CO - Sold out!September 16, 2023 — Kalispell, MTOctober...

08/04/2024

“I want to say make no settlement until they sign up that every bloody murderer of a guard has got to go.”

This is the story of the largest uprising in the United States since the Civil War. Episode 153: "West Virginia's Mine Wars: From Trouble in Matewan to the Battle of Blair Mountain" is available now!

Photo: MW officials and members of the "miner's army" display a bomb dropped on them during the Battle of Blair Mountain. Originally published in the Charleston Gazette on December 11, 1921.

28/03/2024

The two wives of President Wilson were quite different from each other. Ellen passed away just a year into Wilson's presidency. He married Edith not long after. She was very influential in his presidency, especially after he suffered a stroke in October 1919. If you want to learn more about these two First Ladies, HTDS recommends "Ellen and Edith: Woodrow Wilson's First Ladies" but Kristie Miller. You can also hear more about them in Episode 147 of HTDS.

Get the book here: https://amzn.to/3vioiOl

25/03/2024

“Every official except one elected yesterday at the first municipal election of this borough had been endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan.”

This is the story of the Second Ku Klux Klan.

It’s been nearly half a century since the Third Enforcement Act killed off the Klan in 1871. But amid Jim Crow segregation in 1915, the lynching of a Jewish Georgian Leo Frank, coupled with a new film, The Birth of a Nation, inspires William Simmons to resurrect the Klan.

This new Klan has a longer list of enemies. While still opposed to Black Americans fully integrating into American society, this K*K also targets Jews and Catholics. It’s also more politically connected than the first Klan. While Klansmen will participate in violence–including the near annihilation of the Black quarter of Tulsa, Oklahoma–most Kluxers are more focused on politics. As membership swells into the millions, the Klan’s endorsed candidates will win seats in Congress, state houses, and city councils across the nation. Yet, the Klan will come crashing down almost as quickly as it rose in the 1920s. We’ll find out why.

Episode 152 is available now!

23/03/2024

"I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" These famous words were spoken on March 23, 1775 by Patrick Henry. He was speaking to The Second Virginia Revolutionary Convention at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia. Henry was a Founding Father and major influence during the Revolutionary War.

While on tour in Virginia, Professor Jackson got to visit St. John's Church and have a discussion with "Patrick Henry". You can hear more about Patrick Henry in Episode 5 of HTDS.

20/03/2024

We are introduced to "Molly Pitcher" in Episode 10 of HTDS. But who is Molly Pitcher? Is she Mary Ludwig Hays who fought in the Battle of Monmouth? Or is she Margaret Corbin who fought the Hessian troops at Fort Washington? It has even been suggested that "Molly Pitcher" could be a generic term for the brave women who took part in the Revolutionary War.

Podcast

Photo: The women of '76: "Molly Pitcher" the heroine of Monmouth
Currier & Ives. - LOC Prints and Photographs Division

18/03/2024

As we continue to highlight women in history for Women's History Month, HTDS recommends "The First, The Few, The Forgotten: Navy and Marine Corps Women in World War 1" by Jean Ebbert and Marie-Beth Hall. Get it here: https://amzn.to/3uY1vrd

Hear more about these heroic women in Episode 139 of HTDS.

13/03/2024

Anna Blair Etheridge (Annie or "Gentle Annie") was a Union Nurse and Vivandière who served during the Civil War. She was famous for her courage during battle as she would frequently ride to the front lines to tend to the wounded soldiers. Etheridge was one of two women honored with the Kearny Cross for her bravery in service. We were introduced to Annie in Episode 63: Wounded and Dying: Nurses, Doctors, and Disease in the Civil War.



Photo: LOC

11/03/2024

“Palmer, do not let this country see red.”

This is the story of America’s First Red Scare. On June 2, 1919, Attorney General Mitchell Palmer is just going to bed when the first floor of his home is blown apart. It was a bomb, and part of a larger plot to attack several national leaders. It’s the work of anarchists.

Shaken to the core, Mitch is determined to use his position as AG to rid the nation of such extremist, violent leftists–anarchists, Bolsheviks, and the like. Mitch turns to the Bureau of Investigation (the predecessor of the FBI) to help round up foreign Reds. He’ll find a bright young lawyer named J. Edgar Hoover particularly useful in his “Palmer Raids.”

But as famed socialist Eugen Debs goes to prison for speaking against the war and union workers get treated like they’re a part of the far left, some start to wonder: is the AG still protecting the nation from violent radicals, or is he conducting a witch hunt? With bombings scaring the nation and Wall Street, the nation must debate where to draw the line between security and liberty.

Check out our latest episode! Available now.

photo: A. Mitchell Palmer and Gov. Woodrow Wilson (ca1910-1915) Bain News Services, Publisher; LOC