Pardon Me?! A Presidential History Podcast
It’s time to dish on the presidents. Comedians Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy gossip their way through U.S. History by examining the personalities, bad behavior, and astrological charts of the nation’s presidents. Join us every other Monday for hot takes on the country’s highest office, along with the juicy tidbits about U.S. History that we uncover along the way. Think of the Flashcard episodes like the supplemental material at the end of a chapter in your U.S. History textbook (it’s not going to be on the test, but it’ll help with your AP essays)!
Listen on:
Episodes
Monday Jul 24, 2023
Monday Jul 24, 2023
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 pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!
Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa MacyOriginal music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney
Sources:
President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler by Christopher J Leahy
John Tyler, the Accidental President by Edward P. Crapol
Monday Jul 10, 2023
Monday Jul 10, 2023
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 pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!
Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa MacyOriginal music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney
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/
Monday Jun 26, 2023
Monday Jun 26, 2023
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 pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!
Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa MacyOriginal music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney
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
Monday Jun 12, 2023
Monday Jun 12, 2023
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 pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!
Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa MacyOriginal music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney
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.htmlMartin Van Buren by Ted Widmer
Monday May 29, 2023
Monday May 29, 2023
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 pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!
Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa MacyOriginal music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney
Sources:
Martin Van Buren by Ted Widmer
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-enslaved-households-of-martin-van-buren
Monday May 15, 2023
Monday May 15, 2023
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 pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!
Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa MacyOriginal music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney
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
Monday May 01, 2023
Monday May 01, 2023
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 pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!
Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa MacyOriginal music by Noise of ApprovalGraphic design by Darcey Mckinney
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/https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2014/marchapril/feature/hannah-andrew-jacksons-slavehttps://millercenter.org/president/jackson/domestic-affairs
Monday Apr 24, 2023
Monday Apr 24, 2023
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 pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!
Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa MacyOriginal music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney
Monday Dec 05, 2022
Monday Dec 05, 2022
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 pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please).
Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa MacyOriginal music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney
Sources:
https://millercenter.org/president/jqadams/campaigns-and-electionshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8nPsa1Vr1ohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjS9b0laRPshttps://open.spotify.com/episode/5A94Iu6pVr0GZGiJ6ENZ5U?si=482bd888d0d94cbd
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Monday Nov 21, 2022
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 pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please).
Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa MacyOriginal music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney
Sources:
John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life by Paul C. Nagel
http://www.john-adams-heritage.com/timeline-john-quincy-adams/