Podcasts – Teaching American History

2018's first TAH.org took place on Saturday, 6 January, and focused on the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Professors Chris Burkett, David Krugler, and John Moser, discussed the reasons behind the attack, the Japanese military and political rationale for the attack and what they hoped to achieve, and how they believed such an attack would enable them to reach their goals. American responses to Japanese involvement in China played a role in driving Japanese policy, in context alongside Nazi views on American character and willingness to shoulder burdens or deal militarily with other great powers. Also discussed is the concept of America's "reluctant interventionism," which has become a preferred term among scholars to the more-often used "isolationism" to describe American foreign policy, especially during the years between World War 1 and World War 2. This program, along with digging deeply into a number of interesting questions about the why and how of the attack - as a political and diplomatic, as well as military, event - also forms a comprehensive telling of the story of the beginning of the war in the Pacific, working forward from Japanese expansion in China during the 1930s, and even going back as far as Japanese designs on Asia following World War 1. Suggested books for further reading include... At Dawn We Slept, Gordon Prange Countdown to Pearl Harbor, Steve Twomey Access the full archive here. Register for future episodes iTunes Podcast Podcast RSS The post Saturday Webinar: Attack on Pearl Harbor appeared first on Teaching American History.

The last TAH.org Webinar for 2017 took place on December 13th, with a discussion of the Gettysburg Address. Drs. John Moser, Jon White, and Dan Monroe discussed the words and ideas in Lincoln's most famous speech. The place of Gettysburg, as a site of national reconciliation, helped to solidify Lincoln's words in American history and myth, was introduced as location of the famed, pivotal battle. Lincoln's singular place in American history was also discussed, and when and how the words of the Gettysburg Address contributed, in the years close after his death, to his central position in our story. The panelists also brought Lincoln's response to the Dred Scott case, and other addresses and writings over time, into the discussion, demonstrating consistency by Lincoln on several key issues over time. A books mentioned is Awaiting the Heavenly Country: The Civil War and America's Culture of Death, by Mark Schantz, which delves into significant changes in American traditions related to death, burial, and memorial wrought by the Civil War. Access this program's archive page here. iTunes Podcast Podcast RSS The post Documents in Detail: Gettysburg Address appeared first on Teaching American History.

The last Saturday Webinar of 2017 aired on 2 DEC, with a lively discussion about the sinking of the USS Maine, and its role in the Spanish-American War, as well as its place within the context of late 19th Century colonial and imperial expansion. The panelists discussed American motivations for involvement in Cuba and the Philippines, and in relating to Spain as it did, and the complex interactions between Progressive ideology and policy goals and imperial designs. Parallels with other American international interventions, including that in Vietnam, were also discussed, as well as domestic opposition to imperialism. Jennifer Keene has published extensively on a variety of topics in American history, especially on World War I. Doughboys, the Great War, and the Remaking of America is one of her titles. Access the full archive page here. iTunes Podcast Podcast RSS The post Saturday Webinar: Sinking of the USS Maine appeared first on Teaching American History.

TAH.org continued its Saturday Webinar series on November 18th, 2017, looking deeply at the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. A far larger, more complex, and more ambitious plot than many people understand it to be, John Wilkes Booth's attempt to 'decapitate' the leadership of the United States government shook both North and South, creating immediate and lasting political, legal, and cultural waves, shaping what became post-war Reconstruction and the years beyond. In addition to a lively discussion of the plot itself and its immediate and longer-term impacts, the panelists suggested James Swanson's Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer for those interested in further reading about the assassination itself. Access the program archive page here iTunes Podcast Podcast RSS The post Saturday Webinar: Lincoln’s Assassination appeared first on Teaching American History.

15 November's Documents in Detail webinar was about Frederick Douglass's What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?, his oration delivered on 5 July 1862. There were some technical difficulties in the first minutes of the program, which resulted in one of the panelists being a few minutes late. Otherwise, it was an interesting discussion of the occasion on which Douglass spoke, his place as one of the leaders of the abolition movement in the 19th Century, and the importance of the ideas he expressed in the speech. Access the program archive page here iTunes Podcast Podcast RSS The post Documents in Detail: What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? appeared first on Teaching American History.

18 October's Documents in Detail program focused on the Monroe Doctrine - that which gave rise to the politics that led to it, what it said and meant, and how it represented a growing sense of American identity in the world and a guide for relations with other countries at the time, throughout the rest of the 19th Century, and even to today. Program Archive Page iTunes Podcast Podcast RSS The post Documents in Detail: Monroe Doctrine appeared first on Teaching American History.

This month's Saturday Webinar was about the Nullification Crisis of 1832. Our program began with the question, which comes up so often in early American History on the topic of slavery and sectionalism, which is "why South Carolina?" What made that state - since the Constitutional Convention and even before, so seemingly intransigent about issues important to them? What about other states, especially in the South - were they as unyielding in their views on local issues, as well? Discussed at length were the historical and immediate economic and political roots of the Nullification Crisis, how the Crisis itself developed and unfolded, and how it was resolved, and in terms that were surprisingly familiar to modern listeners: bank foreclosures, lost homes, and a federal government at odds with local priorities. Program archive page iTunes Podcast Podcast RSS The post Moments of Crisis Webinar: Nullification Crisis appeared first on Teaching American History.

One of the most famous of The Federalist, number 51, penned by James Madison in February 1788, tackles the issue of how to build a system of government that is forced to check itself in order to prevent it from becoming tyrannical. Along with Federalist 51, the panelists discussed specific Antifederalist writings that addressed the same issue, bringing together an array of documents that orbit the same concerns. About 30 minutes into this program, Dr. John Moser was dropped by the Webex system, and was able to rejoin a few minutes later. The panelists continued the discussion uninterrupted. Access the program archive iTunes Podcast Podcast RSS The post Documents in Detail: Federalist 51 appeared first on Teaching American History.

We're trying something new in the form of a short, monthly website and programs update podcast, in which we'll take a few minutes to highlight some of the newest and most relevant resources and programs we're offering online and in person. This month's update includes mention of the following: Constitution230 - our resource to help you celebrate Constitution Day American History Toolkits - our 'on ramps' to transitioning away from textbooks to a documents-based approach to teaching Upcoming MAHG courses - live, online, documents-based graduate courses for teachers of American history and government In-person TAH.org events - an interactive calendar of programs taking place around the country, maybe even near you The post September Programs and Website Update appeared first on Teaching American History.

If you missed September's Saturday Webinar, about the Election of 1800, you can view the archived video and listen to the audio at the links below. Program archive page iTunes Podcast Podcast RSS The post Moments of Crisis Webinar: Election of 1800 appeared first on Teaching American History.

The first Documents in Detail session for the 17-18 school year took place on 30 August 2017, with a discussion of the Declaration of Independence. Among the many topics and questions discussed were Jefferson's idea of an "American Mind," the issue of Jefferson's authorship - which was no widely known for years after the document was written - and the many local declarations of independence, hundreds of which were written by towns, churches, and civic groups during the first half of 1776. The panelists fielded questions about the choice of Jefferson as the primary author and the input and impact of other delegates to the Second Continental Congress, and pointed out that Jefferson's use of Locke's ideas and language acted as "18th Century hyperlinks," which virtually any reader would recognize as important ideas, if not also as the works of John Locke. Also of interest was the discussion of the parts that were left out of the final, accepted draft and the first draft. This program could work well with students as well as teachers and anyone interested in learning more about why the document was written, what it meant, and what it still means. Books mentioned include Edmund Morgan's American Freedom, American Slavery, Jay Fliegelman's Declaring Independence: Jefferson, Natural Language, and the Culture of Performance, and Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter Onuf's "Most Blessed of the Patriarchs": Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of Imagination. Program archive page iTunes Podcast Podcast RSS The post Documents in Detail: Declaration of Independence appeared first on Teaching American History.

TAH.org's first Saturday Webinar of the 2017-18 school year took place on 26 August, focusing on the Intolerable Acts. Over 120 teachers joined our panel of scholars for a live discussion of the directives from Parliament that made up the Acts, looking at what they said, how they were received, and how they shaped the colonial response to British rule. Dr. Todd Estes, one of the panelists, recommended Unbecoming British as a good book for additional background on how the American colonists transformed from a colonial to a post-colonial people. Program archive page iTunes Podcast Podcast RSS The post Saturday Webinar: The Intolerable Acts appeared first on Teaching American History.

Hoover and FDR, presidents during the Great Depression, are often fit neatly into nearly-stereotypical categories: the do-nothing and the man of action; the old, ineffective approach and new, successful perspectives. Dr. John Moser of Ashland University discusses where and how these images of the two presidents are accurate, misleading, and in some places incorrect. TAH.org's new seasons of live Webinars will begin on 26 August, with the first Saturday Webinar, focused on the Intolerable Acts. The post Summer Podcast: Re-examining Hoover and FDR appeared first on Teaching American History.

This podcast discusses the eugenics movement in the United States in the first decades of the 20th century. Eugenics gained authority from science, earned the support of prominent Americans, and led to the passage of sterilization laws designed supposedly to enhance the human gene pool. The podcast explains why religious leaders joined the eugenics movement and why others opposed it. Understanding the eugenics movement helps us understand the complex relationship between science, religion and politics in American history. The post Summer Podcast: Religion and Science – The Case of Eugenics appeared first on Teaching American History.

Originally recorded in March, 2005, Dr. Stephen Knott addressed a group of teachers in a two-session program, discussing the often-clashing views and personalities of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Both programs address the following points, and together lay a solid foundation on the two men, their ideas, and their legacies. How do you explain the cult of Thomas Jefferson that emerged in the 20th century? Why did New Deal advocates of a strong central government embrace Jefferson over Hamilton? 20th Century progressives were fond of advocating “Hamiltonian means to achieve Jeffersonian ends” — what did they mean by that statement? Jefferson, it is alleged, conducted his Presidency in a Hamiltonian fashion — what evidence is there to support this contention, and what impact did that have on Jefferson’s successors? Throughout much of the nation’s history, American politicians turned to Jefferson or Hamilton and embraced their principles and practices to bolster their cause — why was this done and is this still the case? What role has race played in influencing both men’s reputations among scholars and the public? Abraham Lincoln often invoked Jefferson’s name and Jeffersonian rhetoric throughout his political career and seldom invoked Hamilton’s name or principles. Yet, one could argue that his policies were decidedly Hamiltonian. How does one explain this apparent discrepancy? It is said that Americans “honor Jefferson but live in Hamilton’s country” — is this true? Is it accurate to claim, as many Hamiltonians argue, that Thomas Jefferson’s world is a thing of the past, and that Hamilton is the “man who made modern America”? If Jefferson’s world is a lost world, then what have we lost? The post Summer Podcast: Jefferson and Hamilton – Opposed in Death as in Life, pt2 appeared first on Teaching American History.