Michael Neal – Page 3 – This American President

Update and Supporting the Podcast

To our Listeners, On April 4th, 2017,we released the first episode of This American President. With your support, we’ve been able to produce a total of six episodes. It’s been an exciting project for us and a real learning experience. Thank you for listening and being a part of this journey. We want to take… Continue reading Update and Supporting the Podcast

Ep. 6: The Inscrutable Man Part II (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Conference of the Big Three at Yalta makes final plans for the defeat of Germany. Here the "Big Three" sit on the patio together, Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Premier Josef Stalin. February 1945. (Army) Exact Date Shot Unknown NARA FILE #: 111-SC-260486 WAR & CONFLICT BOOK #: 750

In the first episode of this two-part series on FDR, we explored the man, his times, and the unusual circumstances surrounding the 1944 Democratic Convention. We discussed FDR’s legendary poker face, his deteriorating health, the fact that his doctor warned him that he couldn’t survive a fourth term, and his dream to create the United… Continue reading Ep. 6: The Inscrutable Man Part II (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Ep. 5: The Inscrutable Man Part I (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

The final photograph of President Franklin D. Roosevelt - taken at Warm Springs, Georgia on April 11, 1945 - the day before his death

If we were to do an episode on the entire life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, it would have to be at least a 12 hour series. Instead, we will focus on a short period of his life that is one of the most fascinating—the end of it. This isn’t the FDR of the famous 100… Continue reading Ep. 5: The Inscrutable Man Part I (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Ep. 4: Perspectives: Peggy Grande on President Reagan

Peggy Grande and President Ronald Reagan

This week on This American President we interview author, public speaker, and former executive assistant to President Ronald Reagan, Peggy Grande. Peggy recently wrote a book titled The President Will See You Now: My Stories and Lessons from Ronald Reagan’s Final Years. It’s a wonderful book about her time serving President and Mrs. Reagan and how she… Continue reading Ep. 4: Perspectives: Peggy Grande on President Reagan

Ep. 3: Fake News and Nasty Men (1876 Election)

A truce - not a compromise, but a chance for high-toned gentlemen to retire gracefully from their very civil declarations of war Thomas Nast. Illus. in: Harper's Weekly, Feb. 17, 1877, p. 132.

Historians have often noted that our Founding Fathers didn’t like democracy. Our second president, John Adams, once said, “Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There was never a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” Our fourth president, James Madison, wrote, “Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention;… Continue reading Ep. 3: Fake News and Nasty Men (1876 Election)

Ep. 2: Smile of the Demagogue (Andrew Johnson)

He came from humble beginnings. He was born in a log cabin and had virtually no education. Through hard work, he rose to become a successful businessman. He fell in love and was married for almost 50 years. His life was the epitome of the American dream. He found his calling in politics. He… Continue reading Ep. 2: Smile of the Demagogue (Andrew Johnson)

Ep. 1: The First American Action Hero (George Washington)

We all know that George Washington was our first president, that he “could not tell a lie,” and that he supposedly had wooden teeth (he didn’t). However, to us, he seems to be a distant figure; more monument than man. He is as familiar as the one dollar bill, but even there he looks old… Continue reading Ep. 1: The First American Action Hero (George Washington)