reconstruction – This American President

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)