The Whiskey Rebellion

Frank and David discuss the Brett Kavaugh hearings, in light of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's accusations of sexual assault, including:

How the Kavaugh hearings parallel and differ from the Clarence Thomas hearings in 1991

How the Robert Bork hearings changed the confirmation process

What could happen in the weeks to come 

Last Drops

Frank: Tom Talks at Monticello

David: Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow exhibit at NYHS

It's back to school season! With new grad students starting their studies this month, Frank and David are joined by two of their advanced doctoral students, Devin Grier and Krysten Blackstone, to give some sage advice on starting the year right, including:

How to keep organized

How to get started as a tutor

How to balance teaching and research

How to manage life as an international student

Last Drops

Krysten: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Devin: Upcoming release of Red Dead Redemption 2

David: audiobook version of Springsteen's Born to Run

Frank: remembrance of scholar and friend Jan Lewis

With lots going on in the the last couple of weeks, Frank and David tackle a hodge podge of news needing historical context, including:

The removal of Silent Sam at UNC Chapel Hill

The conviction of Paul Manafort, the guilty plea of Michael Cohen, and what that means for President Trump

The legacy of Senator John McCain

Last Drops

David: Jesse Lemisch's article "Jack Tar in the Streets"

Frank: Sebastian Barry, Days without End

Frank and David look at the history of lawyers in American politics, including:

Why so many politicians from the Revolution onward had legal backgrounds

How the legal profession has changed over time

How the Reagan Revolution and the Federalist Society changed the legal profession and politics

Last Drops

Frank: Season 2 of Slow Burn

Davd: A12 podcast

Recent headlines that former Trump advisor Carter Page and graduate student Maria Butina have illegally acted as Russian foreign agents have put the 1938 Foreign Agents Registration Act in the spotlight. Frank and David talk about foreign agents in American history, including:

How a foreign agent differs from a diplomat and a spy

How Citizen Genet tried to get Americans to suppor the French Revolution

How German agents tried to keep Americans out of World War I and II, including inflitrating America First

Last Drops

Frank: Color footage of Ted Williams' last at bat

David: Atlantic article in support of microfilm

President Donald Trump just returned from a week-long European trip, including a contentious NATO summit, tense meetings with UK Prime Minister Theresa May, and a bizarre press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.  Frank and David try to make sense of this trip and place it into some historical context.

Shout outs to listeners Jasmin and Simon.

Last Drops

Frank: #HATM

David: www.womenalsoknowhistory.com

Live from the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Frank and David explore the role of paranoia, conspiracy, and politics in American film, including:

Why this genre became popular after Watergate

How the genre has evolved since Reagan

Why these films seem particularly relevant in the age of Trump

Plus Q&A with the audience!

Horrifying accounts of immigrant children separated from their parents have dominated the news over the past several weeks. Frank and David look at the history of child separation, including:

How slavery frequently separated parents from children and how black families sought to find lost family members after emancipation

How Native American boarding schools created a kind of cultural genocide in removing Indian children from their families and communities

How the orphan train relocated poor children from New York to rural communities

Last Drops

Frank: Trump on Canadians, the War of 1812, and the burning of the White House

David: Pittsburgh highlights: Wigle Distillery and Heinz History Center

In our series of historians go the movies, Frank and David discuss the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including:

Why Marvel movies have done so well recently, while DC's have missed the mark

How the Civil Rights era provides an important context for many Marvel characters' origins

Predictions post-Infinity War

Last Drops

Frank: Slate's Upon Further Review podcast

David: Lou Ferrigno on Mr. Rogers

Last Saturday, millions of people around the world (including many Americans) watched the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Frank and David discuss why Americans seem so enamoured with British royality, including:

How Americans during the Revolutionary era thought about monarchy

How Americans responded to a visit by the Prince of Wales in 1860

Why Frank has been boycotting Royal weddings since 1982

Last Drops

David: Eisenhower National Historic Site in Gettysburg

Frank: Thomas Mullen's Darktown