Hosts Kurt Skinner & Larry Marple are joined by Historian Andrew Porwancher to discuss his award-winning new book, "American Maccabee: Theodore Roosevelt & the Jews." Professor Porwancher's insightful work investigates how Jewish issues were part of the greater questions America faced at the turn of the 20th century during Theodore Roosevelt's years in public service.

Hosts Kurt Skinner & Larry Marple are joined by Smithsonian naturalist, Darrin Lunde, author of "The Naturalist: Theodore Roosevelt, A Lifetime of Exploration, and the Triumph of American Natural History." The conversation highlights the behind-the-scenes work of museum naturalists, Theodore Roosevelt’s life-long fascination with the natural world, his life as a hunter-naturalist-conservationist, and his contributions to the scientific study of animals that culminated in the 1909-10 Smithsonian African expedition.

In this episode of the Talk About Teddy Podcast, hosts Kurt Skinner & Larry Marple welcome Professor Matthew Oyos to discuss his extensive research on Theodore Roosevelt's influence on U.S. military policy as detailed in his book 'In Command: Theodore Roosevelt and the American Military'. The conversation covers Roosevelt's strategic vision for America's role in the world, his efforts to modernize the Navy and Army, the civil-military tensions involved with reform, and TR's fascination with the evolution of military technology. The discussion also touches on controversial episodes, such as Roosevelt's dismissal of Black soldiers in the 1906 Brownsville affair, and his relentless campaign for American military preparedness in the lead up to the Great War.