An Incomplete History

Was January 6, 2021 an aberration or was it part of a long history of political violence in the United States? Join Hilary and Geoff as they discuss the role political violence played in the nation's founding, its presence in the Capitol Building prior ro January 6, and its potentially cyclical nature. Along the way we'll cover Tulsa 1920, the Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995, and the BLM movement.

Did you know celebrating a child's birthday, telling children stories about pirates and fairies, and entire industries focused on children (i.e. Disney) would have been unthinkable in the 18th and much of the 19th centuries? Childhood, as we understand it today, is a fairly recent invention. Join us as we discuss Puritans, the Devil, agricultural work, factories, labor unions, and motherhood in this episode!

Join us as we try to work through the momentous events of the armed assault on the US Capital. We throw in a bit of historical perspective, but be aware we're working through this like everyone else.

Join us as we recap and reflect on 2020. We discuss Iran, Black Lives Matter, COVID-19, the Presidential Election along with lighter fare. We also try to predict how future historians will view a year unlike most others. What will people 100 years from now say about the dumpster fire that was 2020?

Join Hilary and Geoff as we reflect on Christmases past. We add our own stories to overview as to how Christmas became, perhaps, the most American of all holidays.

After a fairly lengthy hiatus, our series on Constitutional Amendments is back! While the Third Amendment may seem irrelevant to the 21st century, join us as we discuss how it could potentially be used in the future. We also cover different ways to interpret the Constitution.

Join us as we discuss to differences and similarities between the H1N1 pandemic that swept the world after the Great War and the current Covid-19 crisis.

This week we discuss the worst of the worst. Who were the worst presidents in US history and why? You may not agree with our choice; there's certainly some disagreement between us, but its an interesting conversation full of presidential tidbits.

Join Hilary and Geoff as they discuss the origin of Thanksgiving, how it has changed over the last 400 years, and how it has be reconfigured as a secular/public holiday in the United States. We also delve into how the idea of Thanksgiving can over-simplify and white-wash Anglo-Indian relations in the 17th century.

PS - We also discuss out favorite Thanksgiving dishes.

How did the Women's Suffrage movement emerge in the United States? Why did it take decades to ratify the 19th Amendment? Join us this week to find out!