Pardon Me?! A Presidential History Podcast

FLASHCARD: The American Colonization Society

S1E11 - If you’ve never heard of the American Colonization Society, then buckle up! Often overlooked in U.S. History, the American Colonization Society colonized land in West Africa (later becoming the nation of Liberia), and then sent over thousands of Black Americans, providing minimal aid and resources. Trent and Marissa discuss the involvement of the U.S. Government (including support from the likes of Madison and Monroe) and the legacy left by the ACS in Liberia (spoiler: it wasn’t positive). 
One of our sources for this episode was the podcast It’s a Continent. Highly recommended for an entertaining and in-depth history of Africa!
 
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.youtube.com/watch?v=oqJtz9odOag
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/liberia
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/liberia/essays/history/
https://www.aaihs.org/the-american-colonization-society-200-years-of-the-colonizing-trick/
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/american-colonization-society-1816-1964/
https://www.history.com/news/slavery-american-colonization-society-liberia
https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/roberts-joseph-jenkins-1809-1876/
https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/prejudice-not-natural/

James Monroe: The Doctrine Dude

S1E10 - You may know him from the Monroe Doctrine, but he’s so much more than his foreign policy reform! Monroe was our fourth Virginia enslaver president (that’s 4 out of 5 so far, y’all), the last of the “founding fathers” (after this we promise to shut up about the American Revolution), and our first really outdoorsy president (he would have looooooved REI). Trent and Marissa also unpack the controversial seizure of Florida, the Missouri Compromise, and why July 4th is a scary day for ex-presidents! 
 
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: 
James Monroe: A Life by Tim McGrath
The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation’s Call to Greatness by Harlow Giles Unger
https://www.loc.gov/collections/james-monroe-papers/articles-and-essays/timeline/

FLASHCARD: War of 1812

S1E9 - Listen in for a quick and dirty summary of the War of 1812. Think it’s boring? Think again! Trent and Marissa discuss British impressment, Crybaby William Hull, why cannons are scary, and Miley Cyrus’s connection to the National Anthem. There’s also an unusual amount of singing on this episode. You’re welcome?
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: In this episode, we reference “The 1812 Overture” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and incorrectly attribute it to the War of 1812. It was inspired by the defense of Russia’s capital against the French in that year and was written over sixty years after the fact. There is no relation to the War of 1812 in the United States. We are incredibly sorry for any inconvenience this mistake has caused you and your loved ones.
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: 
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/william-hull
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/british-view-war-1812-quite-differently-americans-do-180951852/
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/brief-overview-war-1812
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/11/02/what-tecumseh-fought-for

James Madison: Our Smallest President

S1E8 - Once described as “the most unsociable creature in existence,” we suspect James Madison might have been a stack of books inside of a trenchcoat. He was the father of the U.S. Constitution, the BFF of Jefferson, a true lover of politics, and an enslaver who didn’t seem to lose any sleep over it. We unpack the Madison legacy, discuss the hotness of Dolly Madison, and explain why the history of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution makes for EXCELLENT dinner party conversation (trust us, we’re your friends).
 
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: 
James Madison: America’s First Politician by Jay Cost 
James Madison by Garry Wills
“Madison's Gift: Five Partnerships That Built America” 
"James Madison - 4th U.S. President & Father of the Constitution"
History in Five: "The Political Genius of James Madison"
"The Constitution & Madison's 3 Big Ideas"
https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/what-the-least-fun-founding-father-can-teach-us-now

FLASHCARD: Lewis & Clark

S1E7 - Finally, a duo almost as iconic as your humble podcast hosts! Listen in as we recount Lewis & Clark’s journey west, which included mercury-filled laxatives, men crying at the ocean, mysterious missing journals, and… *record scratch* a potentially queer relationship??? If you think you know the Lewis & Clark expedition, think again!
Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please). 
Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy
Original music by Noise of Approval 
Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney
 
Sources: 
Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery - A Film by Ken Burns
My Friend and Companion:  The Intimate Journey of Lewis and Clark by William Benemann
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2014-04-24/what-did-explorers-lewis-and-clark-do-when-they-got-back-to-st-louis (How to pronounce Sacagawea, we still didn’t get it quite right)
 

Thomas Jefferson: Monticello Madness

S1E6 - You may know him as the writer of the Declaration of Independence, as the dealmaker behind the Louisiana Purchase, or as the guy on the nickel! But did you know Thomas Jefferson was America’s original shopaholic? In this episode, we examine his idealism, hypocrisy, and inability to take a note. We also try to pronounce “House of Burgesses.” And it’s embarrassing.
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
American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph J. Ellis
https://www.monticello.org/jefferson-timeline/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/16/us/sally-hemings-exhibit-monticello.html
Thomas Jefferson: A Film by Ken Burns

FLASHCARD: John Hancock

S1E5 - If you think John Hancock is all about the signature, think again! In this flashcard episode (covering president-adjacent topics), we discuss all there is to know about Hancock beyond his “John Hancock.” Expect lavender suits, gout, ships full of wine, and a TV pilot pitch that we really hope gets picked up. 
Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please). 
Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy
Original Music by Noise of Approval 
Graphic Design by Darcey Mckinney
 
Sources
American Rebels: How the Hancock, Adams, and Quincy Families Fanned the Flames of Revolution by Nina Sankovitch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBwRVnUKRpU
https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/john-hancock/
https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-john-hancock
https://superheroes.fandom.com/wiki/John_Hancock
https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/hancock.html
https://www.americanheritage.com/men-revolution-14-john-hancock#1

John Adams: Founding Zaddy

S1E2 - Welcome to the John Adams Fan Club! We can’t get enough of this guy, so we hope you’re ready to hear all about why John Adams is the best founding father. His relationship with Abigail? Legendary. Doing the right thing even when it was unpopular? Iconic. Securing Dutch loans against all odds? Work it, babe. 
 
Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please).
 
Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy
Original Music by Noise of Approval 
Graphic Design by Darcey McKinney
 
Sources:
John Adams by David McCullough
American Rebels: How the Hancock, Adams, and Quincy Families Fanned the Flames of Revolution by Nina Sankovitch
Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams by Joseph J. Ellis
John Adams Under Fire: The Founding Father's Fight for Justice in the Boston Massacre Murder Trial by Dan Abrams & David Fisher
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/john-adams-event-timeline
 

FLASHCARD: Ona Judge

S1E3 - Between presidents, we will be discussing a person, place, or event related to the presidents. Think of it like the supplemental material at the end of a chapter in your U.S. History textbook. This episode, we discuss the life of Ona Judge, who escaped enslavement under the Washingtons and was pursued by them for years. 
Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please).
Produced and edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy
Original music by Noise of Approval
Graphic Design by Darcey McKinney
Sources:
Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
Lecture by Erica Armstrong Dunbar on her book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipnmqh0w-mw
https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/ona-judge/

George Washington: Hey, He’s No Saint!

S1E2 - The myth, the legend, the teeth, the dysentery. Trent shares his theory about the U.S. as a multi-level marketing scheme, and Marissa refuses to give this so-called hero the benefit of the doubt. Tune in for mules, accidental wars, and a really annoyed wife.
Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please).
 
Produced and edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy
Original music by Noise of Approval
Graphic Design by Darcey McKinney
Sources:
You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe (Highly Recommended)
https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/george-washington-event-timeline