"To study history, you must study the historian."

Are the writers who make history also a part of history? Are the stories they tell what actually happened, or have we all been had? What motivates a historian to practice her craft?

In "Making History: Storytellers Who Shaped the Past," veteran writer and publisher Richard Cohen explains how the earliest historians built their narratives and distributed their work. He goes era by era, highlighting the most impactful non-fiction writers of all time like Thucydides, the authors of the Bible, Shakespeare, Julius Caesar and Ulysses Grant.

He also considers modern authors like Ibram Kendi and today's journalists. He explains how stories are found, told and most of all, how historians themselves shape them.

Information on Richard Cohen's book, "Making History," can be found here

He is on social media here

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The end of slavery came thanks - in part - to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. At the Civil War's conclusion, the abolitionist movement had finally achieved its most sacred goal. But in, "The Republic of Violence: The Tormented Rise of Abolition in Andrew Jackson's America," JD Dickey argues that movement gained momentum decades before, during the 1830s, as abolitionists were violently confronted by the pro-slavery movement. 

In both north and south, Dickey argues white supremacists stopped at nothing to prevent abolitionists from having their voices heard. He catalogues America's most violent period, with riots so commonplace, they seemed to blend into one another. He describes the lives of the abolition movement's foot soldiers and how they came to blows with followers of Andrew Jackson. Dickey argues Jackson deliberately inspired violence to tamp down those who argued America's slaves should be freed.

Dickey's website is jddickey.com

He is on social media at twitter.com/empire_of_mud

Support our show at patreon.com/axelbankhistory 

**A portion of every contribution is given to a charity for children's literacy**

"Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at 

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In "Rough Diamond: The Life of Col. William Stephen Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton's Forgotten Son," A.K. Fielding explains why understanding his life is essential to understanding the first half of the nineteenth century. Though his dad gets the attention for being one of the most famous and influential people in American history, Fielding argues that by understanding the relatively "average" life of Hamilton's sixth child, we are able to grapple with migration patterns, the impact of the powerful on the powerless, the economy, and even how political forces changed between the Founding generation and the decade before the Civil War. Col. William Stephen Hamilton tried his hand at politics, the military and mining, before winding up in California during the Gold Rush.

We also spent a lot of time discussing her path to publishing this book, the challenges the publishing industry presents to independent historians, and the sexism she encountered while shopping her proposal. She also explains why art is the perfect side hobby for a historian.

Her website is trehanstreasures.com

She is on social media at twitter.com/akfielding

Support our show at patreon.com/axelbankhistory 

**A portion of every contribution is given to a charity for children's literacy**

"Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at 

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Harry Truman took over the presidency during a sea-change in American history. Along with becoming the first nuclear power, the US was about to begin a massive relief effort in Europe and grapple with racial injustice. Though he left office with low marks, during the last several decades, Truman's handling of the many crises he inherited has been applauded more loudly. Jeffrey Frank's new book, "The Trials of Harry S. Truman: The Extraordinary Presidency of an Ordinary Man," explains how a seemingly simple midwesterner went from growing up on a farm to become president of the United States at the height of its power. During our episode, he explains what today's leaders could learn from him, as well as what the rest of us can learn about the importance of choosing responsible, humble leaders.

His website can be found at jeffreyfrank.com

He is on social media at twitter.com/jeffreyafrank

Support our show at patreon.com/axelbankhistory 

**A portion of every contribution is given to a charity for children's literacy**

"Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at 

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instagram.com/axelbankhistory

facebook.com/axelbankhistory

There are few scenes as emotional as when someone gains their citizenship. They often take place after long, painful journeys that determine whether someone has a right to hold a job, live near family or vote. But as Professor Amanda Frost explains, it is emotional for an entirely different reason when someone loses their citizenship, or as she puts it, has their citizenship, "stripped.” She argues that it happens much more often than people realize, and documents in her book, "You Are Not American: Citizenship Stripping from Dred Scott to the Dreamers," that the fight to regain it is critical to understand. We also discussed the meaning of citizenship and the future of the battle to be considered fully American.

Her website can be found at amandafrost.me 

She is on social media at twitter.com/amanda_frost1 

Support our show at patreon.com/axelbankhistory 

**A portion of every contribution is given to a charity for children's literacy**

"Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at 

twitter.com/axelbankhistory

instagram.com/axelbankhistory

facebook.com/axelbankhistory

The story of the most famous shipwreck in history, the Titanic, is not complete without Bill Hazelgrove's book, "One Hundred and Sixty Minutes: The Race to Save the RMS Titanic." The basics of the crash into the iceberg are well known. The heart-wrenching details of the half-full lifeboats and the frigid waters are enough to make anyone feel for the victims and their families. But Hazelgrove explains how they all could have been saved, and the missteps that led the nearby boats to shy away from getting involved to save the doomed passengers. He also explains what a certain movie got right... and wrong... about the events on board. The story of the RMS Titanic has been irresistible for over a century, and finally, we have a full picture of why so many were doomed to an unnecessary death.

His website can be found at williamhazelgrove.com

He is on social media at twitter.com/rocketman46

Support our show at patreon.com/axelbankhistory

**A portion of every contribution is given to a charity for children's literacy**

"Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at 

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To understand how America became involved in World War I, we have to transport ourselves to a different America. Troops had never been sent overseas, progressivism was the primary political force and three presidents were battling to chart the nation's future. In Neil Lanctot's new book, "The Approaching Storm: Roosevelt, Wilson, Addams and their Clash Over America's Future," he explains how the life of Jane Addams intersected with that of Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson to bring the country's mindset from isolationist to interventionist. The decisions made during the run-up to American involvement in "The Great War," would pave world history for at least the next century. While many may be familiar with TR and Woodrow Wilson, Lanctot paints a vivid picture of Jane Addams, one of America's most prominent and accomplished peacemakers.

Lanctot's website can be found at neillanctot.com

More information on his book can be found at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/539530/the-approaching-storm-by-neil-lanctot/

Support our show at patreon.com/axelbankhistory

**A portion of every contribution is given to a charity for children's literacy**

"Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at 

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instagram.com/axelbankhistory

facebook.com/axelbankhistory

What stories can comic strips tell in a way that nothing else can? Dr. Blake Scott Ball explains in his book, "Charlie Brown's America: The Popular Politics of Peanuts," how Charles Schultz famed comic strip not only reached Americans in a way few others have, but also told the country's story when his readers were least expecting it. Dr. Ball argues Schultz used Charlie Brown as a vehicle to take on the most sensitive topics of the second half of the twentieth century. From race, poverty, disease, war and mental health, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy and Franklin were always there to make readers think while they were being entertained. We also chatted with Dr. Ball about his current study of Batman, and why super heroes still hold a place in our imagination.

Dr. Ball is on social media here

"Charlie Brown's America" is available from Oxford University Press here

Support our show at patreon.com/axelbankhistory

**A portion of every contribution is given to a charity for children's literacy**

"Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at 

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instagram.com/axelbankhistory

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Tall tales are nothing new when it comes to family "history." Meriel Schindler's new book, "The Lost Cafe Schindler: One Family, Two Wars, and the Search for Truth," is her effort to determine the veracity of her dad's claims about their ancestors. Were the Schindlers really related to famed-Nazi foiler Oscar Schindler and a host of other artists, doctors and important people in western Europe? She focuses on a cafe her family owned in WWI-era Austria and finds it was the center of life in a lovely town before it was stolen from them. She uses a treasure trove of documents left behind by her father, and discovers how he stretched the truth in an effort to place his family in the center of the action during the most consequential period in world history. Not even writing a book could rectify her complicated feelings towards him.

Meriel Schindler is on social media here

Her website is here

Support our show at patreon.com/axelbankhistory

**A portion of every contribution is given to a charity for children's literacy**

"Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at 

twitter.com/axelbankhistory

instagram.com/axelbankhistory

facebook.com/axelbankhistory

If you've been there, you'll never forget it. If you haven't, you probably want to go. But what makes Yellowstone National Park a destination in the first place? Dr. Megan Kate Nelson explores how one of America's crown jewels, the two million acres that make up the one-of-a-kind place, was preserved for all of us. In her new book, "Saving Yellowstone: Exploration and Preservation in Reconstruction America," she explains how the array of trees, geysers and animals was "discovered" by white men, and how the effort to keep Yellowstone as-is, intersects with Reconstruction-era politics, race and mystery. Contemporary Americans are used to Yellowstone as a hotspot for mystery, and the 1870s were no different. She also describes how Native peoples' were not able to share in the glory that Yellowstone would provide for so many. Spend an hour with us as one of America's most-brilliant nature historians takes us on a journey through the wildnerness, and explains how it's never far from any of us.

Dr. Nelson's website is megankatenelson.com

She is on social media at twitter.com/megankatenelson

Her book is available from Simon & Schuster at https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Saving-Yellowstone/Megan-Kate-Nelson/9781982141332

Support our show at patreon.com/axelbankhistory

**A portion of every contribution is given to a charity for children's literacy**

"Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at 

twitter.com/axelbankhistory

instagram.com/axelbankhistory

facebook.com/axelbankhistory