Presidencies of the United States

Tenure of Office: May 14, 1801 - February 8, 1814

A descendant of a leading Genevese family, Albert Gallatin made his way across the Atlantic and rose to prominence as a Democratic-Republican leader before being recruited by Thomas Jefferson to serve as his Secretary of the Treasury. With my special guest, Andy of the History of Africa podcast, we explore his early career and his tenure of office in the Jefferson and Madison administrations.

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Year(s) Discussed: 1809-1811

As news of Macon's Bill No. 2 reached Europe, US Minister John Armstrong worked to take advantage of the increasingly precarious situation for the French in order to secure a deal with the government of Emperor Napoleon that would restore open trade with that nation. Back in the US, President Madison struggled to address the worsening relations with Great Britain while administration officials in the Orleans Territory dealt with an uprising of enslaved individuals seeking their freedom. Sources used for this episode can be found at https://www.presidenciespodcast.com.

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Tenure of Office: May 2, 1801 - March 3, 1809

Picking up where we left off in Part One, join me and my special guest, Kenny Ryan from [Abridged] Presidential Histories, as we examine the remainder of James Madison's tenure as Secretary of State as well as touch on the highlights of his post-Cabinet career (Spoiler alert: He made it to an office even higher than Secretary of State) before bringing it all together with a discussion on his overall life, career, and legacy. Will Madison earn a seat at the table of the Cabinet All-Stars? Listen to find out!

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How better to celebrate the upcoming holiday season than by getting together with some podcasting friends! I hope you'll take some time to check out this conversation that I had with Alycia from Civics & Coffee, Howard from Plodding Through the Presidents, and Kenny from [Abridged] Presidential Histories.

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Tenure of Office: May 2, 1801 - March 3, 1809

Regular listeners of the podcast may have heard of this guy a time or two thus far, but there's still so much more to know about the career of James Madison leading up to his becoming the fifth Secretary of State. In this episode, I and my special guest, Kenny Ryan of [Abridged] Presidential Histories, explore his life up to his taking charge of the State Department then examine how he established himself in that role and in the Jefferson administration.

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Year(s) Discussed: 1810-1811

With the Spanish government on the Iberian peninsula in disarray, people in their colonial holdings in the Americas had to figure out what to do in the meantime. Some decided to stay the course with current leadership while others used the opportunity to try to bring about political change on the ground. While also feeling the impact of decisions being made in other parts of Spanish America, the Madison administration saw an opportunity in the chaos for a long-coveted territorial acquisition just across the border in West Florida. Sources used for this episode can be found at https://www.presidenciespodcast.com

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Tenure of Office: March 5, 1801 - March 3, 1805

For every figure in American history who is in the spotlight, there is someone who is behind the scenes making it happen. For Thomas Jefferson, one of those folks was Levi Lincoln Sr of Massachusetts. With my special guest, Steve of the Speakcies Show, we explore the life and legacy of the 4th US Attorney General in order to better understand his role in the Jefferson administration and in the politics of the Early Republic.

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Year(s) Discussed: c. 1764-1810

In the latter decades of the 18th and the first decade of the 19th century, native peoples in the old Northwest found themselves under threat from a westward push from Europeans wishing to settle on their lands and being treated as pawns in conflicts between European powers and the US. Out of this chaotic time, two key leaders emerged - Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa - who would devote themselves to the cause of restoring native cultures and societal structures and rally support to push back against the near-constant demands by US officials for greater land cessions. Sources used in this episode can be found at https://www.presidenciespodcast.com.

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Year(s) Discussed: 1809-1810

In the wake of the failed negotiations with British Minister to the US Francis James Jackson, the Madison administration and Congress had to determine next steps to address the tensions with both Great Britain and France. Meanwhile, a new diplomat arrived from Spain as some American officials began to consider ways to secure the Floridas for the US. Sources used for this episode can be found at https://www.presidenciespodcast.com

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Tenure of Office: March 5, 1801 - March 4, 1809

Revolutionary War veteran, US Representative, Secretary of War, War of 1812 General, US Minister to Portugal - with that accumulation of offices, one would imagine that Henry Dearborn would be better remembered. With my special guest, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy and Beyond the Big Screen podcasts, we explore Dearborn's life and career to determine whether or not this key member of Jefferson's Cabinet is worthy of more extensive study.

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