S2E07 - The worse the president, the better the gossip. John Tyler was made vice president under William Henry Harrison almost as an afterthought. Throw in an untimely death, and this Virginia-born brat takes the highest seat in the land. He fathered 15 children, was fiercely oppositional, fell in love while president, and was kicked out of his political party. This episode has everything a gossip-loving presidential history buff could ask for: a secret wedding, a deadly cruise party, a stepmother younger than her stepchildren, and dying as a traitor!

Email [email protected] to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!

Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy

Sources:

President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler by Christopher J Leahy

John Tyler, the Accidental President by Edward P. Crapol

S2E06 - Marissa and Trent put on their plaid detective hats to solve the mystery of what REALLY killed William Henry Harrison. They follow the clues through porous swamp soil, unfortunately located hills, night soil buckets, and stupid doctors! Listen in for details about 1840s Washington D.C. that will shake you to your core. AND SPOILER ALERT: Harrison wasn’t the only presidential victim of this elusive White House killer!

Email [email protected] to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!

Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy

Sources: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/science/what-really-killed-william-henry-harrison.html

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Ox2zzLXdmiR2YDiNARrZQ?si=Udgt9UnWRyuDmMWRUgC_bw

https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/59/7/990/2895539

https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/04/killer-in-the-white-house/

S2E05 - William Henry Harrison is the record holder for the teensiest-weensiest-ittiest-bittiest presidential term at just 31 days. And in this episode, he must face the seering judgements of Marissa and Trent! He was a follower, father of ten children, stealer of lands, and a man who, despite never having lived in a log cabin, was the face of a very log-cabin-heavy political campaign. Although he's the most mediocre guy we’ve seen in the office so far, his presidential campaign and untimely death had huge repercussions on the course of United States History! 

Email [email protected] to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!

Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy

Sources: 

Mr. Jefferson's Hammer: William Henry Harrison and the Origins of American Indian Policy by Robert M. Owens

William Henry Harrison by Gail Collins

S2E04 - The first major financial crisis in the United States? What could possibly be relevant or interesting about that? Well, sweet listener, history likes to repeat itself, especially when it comes to financial crises. Trent and Marissa break down important questions like, “What is money?”, “Is capitalism bad?” and “What were the logistics of buying land with literal, physical gold?” Money talks, but not as much as Trent and Marissa!

Email [email protected] to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!

Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy

Sources: 

https://www.brandeis.edu/magazine/2013/spring/inquiry/depression.html

https://www.marketplace.org/2017/04/26/how-panic-1837-predicted-great-recession/ 

https://historyincharts.com/panic-of-1837-causes/

https://economic-historian.com/2020/11/panic-of-1837/

https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/corporate-monopolies/development_rr.html

S2E03 - You may know him for his sideburns, but Martin Van Buren was so much more! He was a sneaky little fox who schemed and gossiped his way from his Dutch roots in Kinderhook, NY all the way into the highest office in the land. He created the Democratic Party, made the word “OK” popular, and orchestrated many devious dealings behind closed doors. All while wearing the fanciest of outfits!

Email [email protected] to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!

Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy

Sources: 

Martin Van Buren by Ted Widmer

https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-enslaved-households-of-martin-van-buren

S2E02 - Ah yes, the White House’s first true sex scandal. Listen in to learn how Margaret Eaton, the spicy daughter of a tavern keeper, scandalized the ladies of Washington society, caused a major rift in Andrew Jackson’s cabinet, and inadvertently affected the future of the presidency. This episode has it all: gossip, possible infidelity, Italian scam artists, and vice-presidential scheming. 

Email [email protected] to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!

Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy

Sources: 

The First Populist: The Defiant Life of Andrew Jackson by David S. Brown

The Petticoat Affair : Manners, Mutiny, and Sex in Andrew Jackson's White House by John F. Marszalek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIHY7_iatbs

https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2013/03/peggy-eaton.html

S2E01 - Season Two of Pardon Me?! kicks off with a man that needs no introduction. Honestly, how do you even summarize this guy? Tragic childhood! Countless brushes with death! A scandalous marriage! The Battle of New Orleans! Irritable bowels! The rise of Populism! An unchecked amount of executive power! Truly evil policies regarding the seizure of Native American lands that affect generations! Tune-in for a wild story about a real jerk who is still on our twenty-dollar bill. 

Email [email protected] to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!

Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy

Sources:

American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham

The First Populist: The Defiant Life of Andrew Jackson by David S. Brown

Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil, and the Presidency (PBS Documentary)

https://thehermitage.com/andrew-jackson-junior/

Season two is right around the corner, and since everyone in class has been on their best behavior, Trent and Marissa are previewing the silly presidential men coming to your podcast feed this year!

First episode of season two will be available May 1st, with episodes every other Monday for the rest of 2023. 

Email [email protected] to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!

Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy

S1E13 - We’re wrapping up season one with a real banger of an election! 1824 ushered in our boyfriend, John Quincy Adams, to the presidency, but not without heckin’ controversy! With only one major party on the ballot, and four candidates splitting up the vote, what could possibly go wrong? Tune in for a breakdown of how this election led to new political parties, campaign tactics, the inevitability of Andrew Jackson, and why we don’t think the “corrupt bargain” was all that corrupt.

Email [email protected] to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please). 

Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy

Sources:

https://millercenter.org/president/jqadams/campaigns-and-elections

S1E12 - Is John Quincy Adams a window into our own souls? A product of overbearing parents, John and Abigail Adams, JQA had a lackluster presidency but a truly extraordinary life. He was a well-traveled prodigy child, an aspiring poet, translator of German literature, hobby gardener, metric-system enthusiast, fierce abolitionist, HATER of Andrew Jackson, celebrated orator, statesman, and the only president to serve in the House of Representatives after his presidency. We love him, and if you love a TRUE public servant, then you will too! 

Email [email protected] to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please). 

Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy

Sources:

John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life by Paul C. Nagel

http://www.john-adams-heritage.com/timeline-john-quincy-adams/