In this week's episode, Rob and Marie dive into Richard Hofstadter's iconic The Idea of a Party System: The Rise of Legitimate Opposition in the United States, 1780-1840.

The duo discuss Hofstadter's purpose in writing the book, the novelty of legitimate opposition in the 1790s, analyze the political perspectives of the Virginia Dynasty and conclude with some speculation about how Hofstadter's Van Buren migth diagnose the ills of today's political climate.

It has also finally warmed up in Conway, so Marie can just look forward to baseball season.

In this episode, Marie and Rob discuss Ellis Hawley's "The New Deal and the Problem of Monopoly." We begin by introducing Hawley and his importance to the field, we then transition to the politics of New Deal history, and then finish with a deep analysis of this book.

Some highlights include our appreciation of Hawley's tripartite division within the New Deal, an extended discussion on the NIRA, and our frequent amusement at the ways in which Hawley expresses just how incoherent the New Deal actually was.

In their debut episode, Marie and Rob dig out an old favorite... C. Vann Woodward's "Origins of the New South," and discuss his analysis of race, populism, sectionalism, and why this is the foundational book of modern Southern history. Also, Marie had to singlehandedly investigate what might have been a serious crimewave in downtown Conway.