Plodding Through The Presidents
Howard & Jessica Dorre
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Top 10 Plodding Through The Presidents Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Plodding Through The Presidents episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Plodding Through The Presidents for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Plodding Through The Presidents episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Mary Hellen's Petticoat Magic
Plodding Through The Presidents
11/09/21 • 63 min
We explore the tragic stories of John Quincy Adams’s sons—George Washington Adams, John Adams II, and Charles Francis Adams—through the structure of their cousin Mary Hellen playing a real life game of "F*ck Marry Kill" with them.
Show notes, photos, and sources at plodpod.com
Consider joining our Patreon family (and our Season 3 patron party on November 14th) at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for bonus content and perks!
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9 Listeners
Benjamin Rush To Judgment
Plodding Through The Presidents
11/16/21 • 70 min
In our third season finale, we look at confounding founder Benjamin Rush—his outstanding humanitarian accomplishments, his controversial bleeding and purging treatments during the Yellow Fever epidemics, and the dramatic trial where he sued newspaper publisher William Cobbett for accusing him of killing his patients.
Sources and more at plodpod.com but a special shoutout to the extremely helpful Law and Medicine in Revolutionary America: Dissecting the Rush v. Cobbett Trial, 1799 by Linda Myrsiades and Rush: Revolution, Madness, and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father by Stephen Fried.
We'll be back in 2022!
Consider joining our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for bonus content and perks!
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7 Listeners
John & Abigail & Smallpox
Plodding Through The Presidents
02/11/20 • 41 min
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
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6 Listeners
1 Comment
1
John Quincy Adams vs. The Internet
Plodding Through The Presidents
03/03/20 • 40 min
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
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5 Listeners
1 Comment
1
Jefferson's Broken Heart and Wrist
Plodding Through The Presidents
02/11/20 • 44 min
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!
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3 Listeners
1 Comment
1
The Haunted Hermitage & The Stone Library Heist
Plodding Through The Presidents
10/19/21 • 64 min
First, the Hermitage’s director of interpretation Bryan Gilley shares a historical haunting from Andrew Jackson’s home and a hair-raising experience of his own. Then, Adams National Historical Park curator Kelly Cobble describes the hauntingly beautiful Stone Library built to house John Quincy Adams’s books. And then we dig deeper into something Cobble mentioned – a 1996 heist at the Stone Library where the priceless Mendi Bible was stolen.
Show notes, photos, and sources at plodpod.com
Consider joining our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for bonus content and perks!
Check out our merch store at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/plodding-through-the-presidents?ref_id=24294
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
3 Listeners
Andrew Jackson's Slut-Shaming Evolution
Plodding Through The Presidents
03/10/20 • 54 min
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. Marszalek
Life 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!
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3 Listeners
A Tale of Two Stepsons
Plodding Through The Presidents
02/25/20 • 40 min
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 Online
Letter from James Madison to John Payne Todd - Founders Online
The Bad Boy: Payne Todd by William Seale
Payne Todd: Prodigal Son
You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe
Dolley Madison's Son Payne Todd: The Final Blow by Feather Schwartz
Mrs. 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!
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3 Listeners
1 Comment
1
The Scandalmonger's Revenge
Plodding Through The Presidents
02/18/20 • 43 min
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 Durey
Eliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton by Tilar J. Mazzeo
The Rise and Fall of Alexander Hamilton by Robert Hendrickson
The 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!
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3 Listeners
1 Comment
1
The Peacemaker and the Cradle Robber
Plodding Through The Presidents
12/08/20 • 66 min
In our Season 2 finale, we take on the single deadliest disaster to befall a presidential cabinet – the explosion aboard the USS Princeton in 1844. We look at four of the key players aboard and how they got there - President John Tyler, Secretary of State Abel Upshur, Captain Robert Stockton, and Julia Gardiner, "The Rose of Long Island" – and how this tragedy shook up Tyler's plans for love and Texas.
Show notes and sources at plodpod.com
Join our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for exclusive bonus content!
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2 Listeners
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FAQ
How many episodes does Plodding Through The Presidents have?
Plodding Through The Presidents currently has 74 episodes available.
What topics does Plodding Through The Presidents cover?
The podcast is about History, Improv, Comedy and Podcasts.
What is the most popular episode on Plodding Through The Presidents?
The episode title 'Mary Hellen's Petticoat Magic' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Plodding Through The Presidents?
The average episode length on Plodding Through The Presidents is 50 minutes.
How often are episodes of Plodding Through The Presidents released?
Episodes of Plodding Through The Presidents are typically released every 10 days.
When was the first episode of Plodding Through The Presidents?
The first episode of Plodding Through The Presidents was released on Jan 28, 2020.
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