The Whiskey Rebellion

Earlier this week, rumors emerged that the White House was planning for a military parade in Washington. Frank and David talk about the history of military parades, including

The Grand Review after the Civil War

Parades after WWI and WWII

The military in Eisenhower and JFK inaugurations

Last Drops

Frank: Coffee and Tea in Dickens

David: Report that high school students don't know that slavery was the cause of the Civil War

Over the past year, the FBI has received unprecedented public attention, from the Comey letter on Hillary Clinton's emails to the Nunes memo asserting corruption and bias with the FBI. Frank and David discuss the history of the FBI, including:

The origins of the FBI

How the FBI claims to be non-political while often taking political stances

What the current crisis might hold for the future of the FBI

Last Drops

Frank:Kongressen podcast and demise of Indians logo

David: possible discovery of slave ship Clotilda

2018 marks the fiftieth anniversary of 1968, one of the most interesting and consequental years in American history.  Frank and David discuss what made 1968 important and why it still matters, including

Tet Offensivie

MLK assassination

RFK assassination

Democratic convention in Chicago

Mexico City Olympics

Apollo 8

Last Drops

Frank: MLK's 1961 syllabus at Morehouse (h/t to Honor Sachs)

David: Columbia University's livetweeting of 1968 protests and Claire Potter article on free speech on campus

With Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury topping the best-seller lists, Frank and David talk about the history of political exposes, including:

How the genre of White House evolved from Ted White and Joe McGinnis to Bob Woodward and Joe Klein

Why political exposes became a popular genre after 1960 and how the changing journalist landscape made these books possible

Last Drops

Frank: US Embassy in London finds a new home

David: The other Fire and Fury

What do historians have to say about Star Wars? Quite a lot actually! Joined by Edinburgh Teaching Fellow (and Star Wars fan) Tereza Valney, Frank and David examine the series through the historical lens, including:

What historical analogies did George Lucas intend and audiences see in the Original Trilogy? Are Storm Troopers Space Nazis? Is the Rebellion the Vietcong? Is the Soviet Union the Empire?

What is the relationship between the Prequel Trilogy and the War on Terror?

What do the new films tell us about the current political and cultural moment?

Last Drops

David: Call for Papers for the Scottish Association for the Study of America

Frank: New DNA evidence for the populating of the Americas

After the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Frank and David talk about the history of American taxation, including:

How taxes shaped the revolutionary era

How Progressives hoped that income and estate taxes would prevent aristocracy

How the Reagan Revolution shaped the current tax debate

Last Drops

David: NPR Planet Money episode on the tariff and Santa Suits

Frank: Thanks our listeners for a great year

The big news this week was the Alabama senatorial election. Based on a listener question, Frank and David discuss how the party of Lincoln became the party of Roy Moore, including:

Why the Founding Fathers disliked political parties at the same time that they were creating them

How the Republican and Democratic parties switched places on Civil Rights 

Why third parties never seem to last very long

Last Drops

Frank: the origins of Jingle Bells

David: Sister Rosetta Tharp in Rock Hall of Fame and how Constitutional Hall almost got demolished

This week, President Trump announced that the US embassy in Israel would move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Frank and David talk about the history of diplomatic recognition, including:

How the United States sought international recognition during the American Revolution

How the US sought to prevent international recognition of the Confederacy

Why David grew up with a table from the Iranian embassy

Last Drops

Frank: UK opening of Hamilton and Doug Bradburn becoming president of Mount Vernon

David: The John Muir House in Dunbar

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has come out against net neutrality regulations and the CFPB. Frank and David talk about the history of regulatory state, including:

The origins of the Regulatory State, including the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Pure Food & Drug Act

The role of the New Deal and the Great Society in expanding the Regulatory State

Why Republicans seem to hate regulations 

Last Drops

Frank: Slate's new podcast on Watergate: Slow Burn

David: New highway named for historian John Hope Franklin and segregation of NYC rats

In light of recent accusations against Alabama senate candidate Roy Moore, actor Kevin Spacey, producer Harvey Weinstein, and others, Frank and David discuss the history of sexual violence and harassment, including:

Thomas Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings

The diaries of William Byrd II and James Henry Hammond

Sylvester Graham's advice to young men

Why Rebecca Latimer Felton believed that lynching was the only way to prevent black men from abusing white women

How Clarence Thomas, Bill Clinton, and Bob Packwood scandals opened a debate on sexual harassment

Last Drops

David: NPR's coverage of sexual harassment and AHA petition on sexual violence

Frank: Age of Revolutions blog