Episodes

  • Season 1 Trailer

    Season 1 Trailer
    Jan 28 2020
    Introducing Season 1 of Plodding Through The Presidents with presidential history blogger Howard Dorre and his wife Jessica Dorre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 mins
  • John & Abigail & Smallpox

    John & Abigail & Smallpox
    Feb 11 2020
    We dig into the separate smallpox inoculations of John and Abigail Adams and the heartfelt and hilarious love letters this supercouple exchanged during their quarantines, along with some background on Lady Mary Montagu's bold introduction of the smallpox inoculation from Turkey to England. (A note: This is our very first episode, and we were still finding our rhythm and voice. You're welcome to start here, but you might want to start with Season 2 or newer episodes for a better sense of how we've evolved!) Sources: Founders Online - letters between John & Abigail Adams Time Magazine: How One Daring Woman Introduced the Idea of Smallpox Inoculation to England by Thomas Hager The Story of Smallpox in Massachusetts by Samuel Bayard Woodward, M.D. Inspired by my post "Love in the Time of Smallpox" Show notes and sources at plodpod.com Join our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for exclusive bonus content! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • Jefferson's Broken Heart and Wrist

    Jefferson's Broken Heart and Wrist
    Feb 11 2020
    We explore Thomas Jefferson's dangerous liaison in Paris with the talented artist Maria Cosway and her monkey-like husband Richard Cosway - a love story that resulted in two broken hearts, one permanently damaged wrist, and one epic 4000-word love letter written as a dialogue between Jefferson's head and heart. (A note: This is one of our very first episodes, and we were still finding our rhythm and voice. If you're new to the podcast, you might want to start with Season 2 or newer episodes for a better sense of how we've evolved!) Sources: Founders Online - Jefferson's Head and the Heart letter to Maria Cosway Mr. Jefferson's Women by Jon Kukla Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham Jefferson and the Rights of Man by Dumas Malone Jefferson: A Revealing Biography by Page Smith John Adams by David McCullough Richard Cosway, “The Macaroni Miniature Painter” from The Art Amateur, Vol. 8, No. 2 (January 1883) Inspired by my post "Thomas Jefferson's Head, Heart, and Wrist" I won't link directly to the "don't say I didn't warn you" painting of Leda and the Swan, but it's up to you if you want to Google Leda and the Swan by François Boucher 1740. (Don't do it.) Show notes and sources at plodpod.com Join our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for exclusive bonus content! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • The Scandalmonger's Revenge

    The Scandalmonger's Revenge
    Feb 18 2020
    We dig into the rise and fall of James Thomson Callender, the pamphleteer who exposed the greatest sex scandals in early American history. His story is told through his attacks on Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. Sources:With the Hammer of Truth: James Thomson Callender and America's Early National Heroes by Michael DureyEliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton by Tilar J. MazzeoThe Rise and Fall of Alexander Hamilton by Robert HendricksonThe Reynolds Pamphlet – "The variety of shapes which this woman could assume was endless." Show notes and sources at plodpod.com Join our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for exclusive bonus content! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    44 mins
  • A Tale of Two Stepsons

    A Tale of Two Stepsons
    Feb 25 2020
    George Washington and James Madison never had any biological children, but they each had a problem child stepson. We explore the lives of the "voluptuous" Jacky Custis and the debauchery enthusiast John Payne Todd and how they affected their famous stepfathers and mothers. Sources: My original (and unfairly harsh) article about Jacky Custis: George Washington's Disappointing Stepson Letters between Jonathan Boucher and George Washington - Founders OnlineLetter from James Madison to John Payne Todd - Founders OnlineThe Bad Boy: Payne Todd by William SealePayne Todd: Prodigal SonYou Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis CoeDolley Madison's Son Payne Todd: The Final Blow by Feather SchwartzMrs. James Madison: The Incomparable Dolley by Ethel Stephens Arnett Show notes and sources at plodpod.com Join our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for exclusive bonus content! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • John Quincy Adams vs. The Internet

    John Quincy Adams vs. The Internet
    Mar 3 2020
    We dive into the truth behind four popular stories about John Quincy Adams, including the inspirational "if your actions inspire others" quote, the pet alligator in the White House, the skinny dipping interview with reporter Anne Royall, and the expedition to the center of the earth to visit the mole people. Show notes and sources at plodpod.com Join our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for exclusive bonus content! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • Andrew Jackson's Slut-Shaming Evolution

    Andrew Jackson's Slut-Shaming Evolution
    Mar 10 2020
    In our Season 1 finale, we trace Andrew Jackson's feelings about women's honor from his early days as a rowdy outhouse-mover to his tragic relationship with his wife Rachel and finally to the Petticoat Affair – the scandal surrounding Margaret Eaton that nearly took down his entire administration. We'll be back with more brand new episodes soon! Follow us on Facebook for updates. Sources: The Petticoat Affair: Manners, Mutiny, and Sex in Andrew Jackson's White House by John F. MarszalekLife of Andrew Jackson by James Parton Show notes and sources at plodpod.com Join our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for exclusive bonus content! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    55 mins
  • Paranormal Presidents Part 1

    Paranormal Presidents Part 1
    Oct 20 2020
    In our Season 2 premiere, we dig into three stories where presidential history meets the paranormal – an apparition of John Adams spotted while he was very much alive, the bloody medieval ritual of "bier right" attempted in a murder trial where John Adams was the defense attorney, and the nursery bogey of Rawhead and Bloody Bones that frightened founders like Thomas Jefferson as children. Show notes and sources at plodpod.com Join our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for exclusive bonus content! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    57 mins