American Elections: Wicked Game

Introducing: Country Over Self

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Today, we introduce the podcast Country Over Self: Defining Moments in American History - a short-form history podcast for Americans who want to understand the courageous decisions their Presidents have made.

Link to Country Over Self: https://www.countryoverself.com/

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2024, Trump vs. Harris Part 2: The Body of the People

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0000

With Biden out of the race, Trump must now face off against Vice President Kamala Harris. As Harris tries to seize the moment and appeal to the Silent Majority, Trump sticks with his signature brand of politics in an attempt to take back the country that he claimed he never lost in the first place.

To listen to the entire series—all 61 episodes—right now and ad-free, become a subscriber at IntoHistory.com, a channel of history podcasts made just for history lovers like you. Enjoy ad-free listening, early releases, bonus content and more, only available at IntoHistory.com.

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2024, Trump vs. Harris Part 1: Incompetent Abilities

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0000

In the wake of the infamous events of January 6th, former President Donald Trump fights through a sea of legal troubles to secure his party’s nomination. Trump’s improbable rise is jeopardized when President Biden announces his intention to step aside and endorse his Vice President, Kamala Harris.

To listen to the entire series—all 60 episodes—right now and ad-free, become a subscriber at IntoHistory.com, a channel of history podcasts made just for history lovers like you. Enjoy ad-free listening, early releases, bonus content and more, only available at IntoHistory.com.

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2020, Biden vs. Trump: The Soul of America

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 07:00:00 -0000

President Donald Trump faces off with President Obama’s political wingman: Vice President Joe Biden. In a contest defined by partisan rancor, congressional investigations and a global pandemic, Donald Trump claims he is the man to “Keep America Great” while Joe Biden claims he is the man to win the battle for the “Soul of America.”

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To listen to the entire series—all 59 episodes—right now and ad-free, become a subscriber at IntoHistory.com, a channel of history podcasts made just for history lovers like you. Enjoy ad-free listening, early releases, bonus content and more, only available at IntoHistory.com.

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2016, Clinton vs. Trump: The Omega and the Alpha

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Donald J. Trump returns to the political arena. First as a longshot candidate and then as an improbable frontrunner, Trump makes his way through a crowded Republican primary field to take on Democratic nominee, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Trump and Clinton go head to head in a divisive election that upends political norms and further deepens the divide between Right and Left.

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2012, Romney vs. Obama: The Rich Boy

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 07:00:00 -0000

As Barack Obama fends off attacks on everything from his foreign policy to the color of his suits, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney defends his religion and fights his way through a crowded Republican primary to secure the GOP nomination. As the 2012 election takes shape, both sides see a narrow path to victory. In the midst of the divisive campaign, a New York businessman turned reality television star helps reignite an old conspiracy theory in an effort to deprive Obama of a second term.

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2008, McCain vs. Obama: Hope and Change

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 07:00:00 -0000

New York Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton enters the 2008 election as the presumptive favorite to win the Democratic nomination. But Barack Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, creates a groundswell in the Party and leaves Clinton behind. To win the White House, Obama must overcome racist attacks from both sides, conspiracy theories about his birth, and a veteran Republican senator: John McCain. But as George W. Bush’s presidency comes to an end, an impending financial crisis leaves the Republican party vulnerable and threatens John McCain’s prospects for victory.

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2004, Bush vs. Kerry: Do or Die

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 07:00:00 -0000

As President George W. Bush navigates the challenges of his first year in office, he is confronted by one of the gravest, most horrific tragedies ever to reach American shores. But Bush’s response to 9/11 puts his presidency under fire. In the wake of the United States’ invasion of Afghanistan, Bush’s decision to go to war with Iraq costs him politically, and it leads the Democrats to look for a war hero candidate to lead them through a wartime election: Massachusetts Senator John Kerry.

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2000, Bush vs. Gore vs. Nader: Gettin’ Snippy

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 07:00:00 -0000

With Bill Clinton’s tenure as president coming to an end, Vice President Al Gore takes up the mantle for the Democrats. Gore tries to distance himself from the Clinton scandals while Republicans look to the son of a former president to get them back into the White House. In November of 2000, Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush find themselves embroiled in one of the most controversial presidential elections in modern history.

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1996, Dole vs. Clinton: The Comeback Kid

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Bill Clinton bounces back from early problems in his presidency and looks to become the first two-term Democratic president since Franklin Roosevelt. To stop him, Republicans turn to Senator Bob Dole and try to conjure images of a glorious American past that only they can bring back. But Dole won’t be the Democrats’ biggest problem: with re-election on the line, Bill and Hillary Clinton will find themselves at the center of multiple scandals.

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1992, Bush vs. Clinton vs. Perot: The Baby Boomer and the Independent

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 07:00:00 -0000

President George H.W. Bush tries to shore up his Republican coalition and offer the American people a clear picture of what a second Bush term will look like. Meanwhile, in the South, a young saxophone-playing Democratic governor from Arkansas and an Independent Texas businessman will make a second term for Bush seem like an impossibility.

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1988, Bush vs. Dukakis: Character Assassinations

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Vice President George H. W. Bush is Ronald Reagan’s heir apparent. But in order to defeat Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, Bush must embrace Reagan’s conservatism, get the best of a respected primary challenger named Bob Dole, and escape the shadow of what many call the biggest political scandal since Watergate.

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1984, Mondale vs. Reagan: The Teflon President

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 07:00:00 -0000

With a Republican-controlled Senate and a clear mandate from the American people, Ronald Reagan sets out to show American strength abroad and to reduce the role of “big government” at home. The idea that his political future will ever be in question seems impossible, but a widening wealth gap and a lone gunman’s bullet will threaten his first term and his prospects for re-election.

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1980, Carter vs. Reagan: Let’s Make America Great Again

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 07:00:00 -0000

President Jimmy Carter fights to keep the White House in a trial by fire of domestic recession and international turmoil. Carter defends his presidency against the rise of a softer, more approachable brand of conservatism embodied by the skillful optimism and powerful charisma of Republican nominee Ronald Reagan.

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1976, Ford vs. Carter: Unimpeachable

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 07:00:00 -0000

When Nixon gets caught up in the biggest presidential scandal in American History, he enlists the help of a man with unimpeachable character: Gerald R. Ford Jr. In the wake of Watergate, Ford becomes the only man to ever be appointed to the presidency. In his reelection bid for an office he was never elected to, Ford must prove himself worthy of his party’s nomination and fight off a Washington outsider: Georgia Democrat Jimmy Carter.

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1972, McGovern vs. Nixon: Failure Comes Easy At Times Like This

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 07:00:00 -0000

In a contest largely defined by the Vietnam War, Republican President Richard Nixon fights to keep the White House out of the hands of Democratic nominee Senator George McGovern. In order to give Nixon a run for his money, McGovern and his anti-war message must survive a political scandal that threatens to bring McGovern’s judgment and leadership skills into question.

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1968, Nixon vs. Humphrey vs. Wallace: Law and Order

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement, President Johnson declares his intention not to run in the 1968 contest, leaving the door open for former Vice President Richard Nixon to stage a political comeback. In order to win the White House, Nixon must win the hearts and minds of a divided electorate and a political system teetering on the brink.

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1964, Johnson vs. Goldwater: A Choice, Not An Echo

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 07:00:00 -0000

In the aftermath of JFK’s assassination, Lyndon Johnson fights to shed the mantle of accidental president. But as he strives to carry forward Kennedy’s legacy, he faces a barrage of opposition from a divided Democratic party. Meanwhile, across the aisle, the Republicans fight to mount a defense as they rally around a conservative candidate who hopes to redefine the word Republican: Barry Goldwater.

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1960, Nixon vs. Kennedy: Behind the Curtain

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard Nixon fight for the White House on new technological turf: the rise of television sets the stage for an unprecedented campaign defined by race, religion and dirty tricks. But on the campaign trail, “Tricky Dick” Nixon meets his match in John F. Kennedy’s relentless brother, Bobby Kennedy.

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1956, Stevenson vs. Eisenhower: A Chance for Peace

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 07:00:00 -0000

In the run up to the 1956 contest, Ike battles severe health issues, an intensifying Cold War and enemies in the Democratic party. But his greatest struggle during the campaign isn’t with Adlai Stevenson and the Democrats, it’s with his Secretary of State: John Foster Dulles. The conflict between these two political titans comes to a head in the middle of a contentious domestic election largely defined by foreign affairs.

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1952, Stevenson vs. Eisenhower: The Fund Crisis

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower takes on a determined Democratic party united behind the popular Illinois governor, Adlai Stevenson. But in the run up to the 1952 contest, Ike’s biggest cross to bear is not the Democrats; it’s a member of his own party. As Ike defies the Republican establishment and fights for the White House on his own terms, he does his best to reign in his Vice President; a political power house named Richard Nixon.

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1948, Dewey vs. Truman: The Gangbuster

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 07:00:00 -0000

In the wake of World War II, as President Truman fights to establish a new peace, Republican Governor Thomas Dewey gears up for a second run at the White House. As Truman strives to fulfill Franklin D. Roosevelt’s progressive legacy with his “Fair Deal” for America, Dewey tries to capitalize on a growing anti-Truman sentiment brewing all across the nation.

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1944, Dewey vs. Roosevelt: The Last Stand

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 07:00:00 -0000

As World War II rages on, FDR is in the political fight of his life against a young political newcomer, Republican Thomas Dewey. Riding the wave of Republican gains in the 1942 midterms, the youthful, fresh-faced Dewey attacks the tired old man in the White House by promising to bring about a swift end to the war.

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1940, Willkie vs. Roosevelt: Storm on the Horizon

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Against the backdrop of World War II, FDR’s position of neutrality is threatened as he seeks to become the first president to serve three terms in office. To win the White House in the 1940 contest, FDR must get the best of business tycoon Wendell Willkie, a former Democrat and an affable political outsider with an axe to grind.

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1936, Landon vs. Roosevelt: New Deal on Trial

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 07:00:00 -0000

As FDR pushes his progressive agenda, Republicans turn to a progressive candidate of their own: Kansas Governor Al Landon. Landon and the Republicans fight to make the election a referendum on fiscal responsibility, while FDR defends his New Deal against a slew of opponents, including the infamous media mogul and scandal machine, William Randolph Hearst.

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1932, Hoover vs. Roosevelt vs. Smith: Two Governors

Tue, 28 May 2024 07:00:00 -0000

As President Hoover and the Republicans scramble to rescue the country from the Great Depression, Democratic nominee Franklin Delano Roosevelt strives to take the country in a bold new direction on the promise of a New Deal for America. But to win his party’s nomination, FDR will have to go toe to toe with one of the most powerful Democrats in the country: former New York Governor Al Smith.

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1928, Hoover vs. Smith: Master of Emergencies

Tue, 21 May 2024 07:00:00 -0000

In the wake of an unprecedented natural disaster, Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover lives up to his reputation as a Master of Emergencies and solidifies his status as the presumptive Republican nominee. To beat him, Democratic Governor Al Smith of New York will have to face off against the Republicans and the forces of opposition in the South.

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1924, Coolidge vs. Davis vs. La Follette: Silence is Golden

Tue, 14 May 2024 07:00:00 -0000

After the death of Warren G Harding, Vice President Calvin Coolidge inherits a booming economy, but he also inherits one of the biggest political scandals in American history. To win his party’s nomination and overcome the Teapot Dome scandal, Calvin Coolidge must live up to his nickname: Silent Cal. To beat Coolidge, Democratic nominee John W. Davis must overcome a bitterly divided Democratic party and a third party challenger, the Progressive Party’s Robert M LaFollette.

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1920, Harding vs. Cox vs. Debs: A Return to Normal

Tue, 07 May 2024 07:00:00 -0000

In the aftermath of a bloody world war and a catastrophic global pandemic, the Democrats shun President Woodrow Wilson and dash his hopes to be the first American president to serve three terms. While the Democrats go to war over the future of their party, Republican nominee Warren G. Harding seeks to give the American people something they truly crave: normalcy.

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1916, Hughes vs. Wilson: He Kept Us Out of War!

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 07:00:00 -0000

As war brews overseas in Europe, Democratic President Woodrow Wilson strives to keep America out of the war and to keep his prospects for a second term alive. To keep the White House, Wilson goes toe to toe with Republican Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes in a contest that is defined by domestic turmoil, international strife and personal animus.

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1912, Wilson vs. Taft v. Roosevelt: The Bull Moose

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Teddy Roosevelt comes out of retirement and returns to the political fold to unseat his longtime political friend and ally, President William Howard Taft. As both parties struggle to hold their progressive and conservative factions together, Democrat Woodrow Wilson seeks to ride the wave of progressivism, capitalize on a divided Republican party, and win first place in a heated three way race.

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1908, Taft vs. Bryan: A Significant Loser

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Teddy Roosevelt’s hand-picked successor, Republican William Howard Taft, faces off against Democrat William Jennings Bryan. In his third and final presidential campaign, Bryan preaches the gospel of populism. In the end, his progressive ideas are no match for Roosevelt’s legacy, but Bryan’s failed campaign pushes the Democrat party out of the past and into the 20th Century.

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1904, Parker vs. Roosevelt: Rough Rider

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 07:00:00 -0000

In the aftermath of President McKinley’s assassination at the hands of an anarchist, Vice President Teddy Roosevelt, a man known for his physical and mental strength, rises to power and to the occasion. In the 1904 contest, the Democrats, and their candidate Judge Alton B Parker, learn a hard lesson about Teddy Roosevelt: anyone standing in his way is bound to suffer a beating.

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1900, McKinley vs. Bryan: The Rise and Fall of Empires

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 07:00:00 -0000

In a tumultuous period defined by change, innovation, expansion and war, the stage is set for a rematch between incumbent Republican William McKinley and Democrat William Jennings Bryan. After McKinley’s Vice President dies in office, a new star rises to power in the Republican Party. Teddy Roosevelt comes to Washington and on the heels of a new age in American politics: the Progressive Era.

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1896, Bryan vs. McKinley: The Battle of the Standard Bearers

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 07:00:00 -0000

In the wake of the greatest economic depression in the country’s history so far, the Democrats battle it out over the future of monetary policy. In the midst of the debate, former Nebraska congressman William Jennings Bryan emerges as the Democrat Candidate. To win the election, Bryan will have to get the best of an affable Governor from Ohio with a message of hope for a suffering nation: William McKinley.

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1892, Harrison vs. Weaver vs. Cleveland: The Centennial President

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Benjamin Harrison, the Centennial President, survives a deadly strike, an international conflict, and the massacre at Wounded Knee. On the campaign trail, Harrison fights to overcome these obstacles and get the best of not one, but two challengers: former Democrat President Grover Cleveland and James Weaver of the Populist Party. During his campaign for re-election, Harrison’s prospects are further threatened by the death of a loved one.

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1888, Cleveland vs. Harrison: Tariffs and Truths

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Social unrest rocks the nation as labor riots, economic anxiety and widespread racial violence threaten Grover Cleveland’s chances for a second term. In the midst of the turmoil, President Cleveland faces off against the grandson of a former president, a deft campaigner, and a rising star in the Republican Party: Benjamin Harrison.

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1884, Blaine vs. Cleveland: Tell the Truth

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0000

In an era known for corruption in politics, two presidential candidates strive for honesty and transparency: Republican James Blaine and Democrat Grover Cleveland. But as Cleveland and Blaine each advocate for their version of change, the forces of resistance to change circle the wagons around the decades old Washington tradition of federal patronage, also known as “the Spoils System.”

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1880, Hancock vs. Garfield: Maelstrom

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0000

After Rutherford B Hayes steps aside, James Garfield rises to become the Republican nominee. To win the White House, Garfield fights to unite his party at the Republican Convention and get the best of a war hero Democrat. Hancock and Garfield battle it out for the presidency against the backdrop of the Gilded Age; an era infamous for greed, graft and corruption.

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1876, Tilden vs. Hayes: Faustian Bargain

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Fed up with the scandals of the Grant Administration, Republicans find a new leader in Rutherford B Hayes. To keep the White House Republican, Hayes will have to get the best of a do-gooder Democrat from New York with a reputation for uncompromising honesty: Samuel J Tilden. With the election too close to call, and the country in chaos, Republicans and Democrats in Congress strike a back room bargain that has disastrous consequences for the millions of newly freed Black Americans in the South.

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1872, Greeley vs. Grant: Progress Under Siege

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0000

As President Grant seeks to protect the rights of the Freedmen, the forces of opposition inside the Democratic party zero in on his administration. In the run up to the 1872 election Grant battles his personal demons, a never ending list of political scandals, and the enemies of progress. To make good on his promise to the Freedmen, Grant goes to war with violent forces inside the Democratic party hell bent on turning back the clock on progress, and keeping the Freedmen away from the polls.

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1868, Seymour vs. Grant: The Rise of the General

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0000

The death of Abraham Lincoln sets the stage for one of the greatest political showdowns in American history. On one side stands President Andrew Johnson, a notorious drunk and bigot who was sympathetic to the South. On the other side, Edwin M Stanton and the Radical Republicans in Congress, who want to secure Abraham Lincoln’s legacy and protect the 4 million Freed Slaves in the South. The Reconstruction era brings with it a series of firsts: the end of the Civil War, the first president assassinated, and the first impeachment of a president in US History. In the midst of the turmoil, a beloved war hero rises to the occasion and seeks to fill the void left by President Lincoln’s murder: General Ulysses S Grant.

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1864, McClellan vs. Lincoln: Providence.

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0000

While President Lincoln battles the Confederacy down South, he fights to keep the White House from the clutches of the Democratic Party. In the midst of the Civil War, Lincoln faces off against a disgruntled General, a divided constituency and broken country. To win, Lincoln takes the first step towards finally confronting America’s original sin and makes the war, and the election of 1864, a referendum on a divisive political and moral issue: emancipation.

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1860, Lincoln vs. Douglas: A House Divided

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0000

With the nation on the brink of disunion, two Illinois politicians battle it out for the soul of the country: Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln and Democrat candidate Stephen Douglass. Lincoln’s decisive victory is bittersweet. His ascension to the White House brings with it secession, assassination plots, the formation of the Confederacy and in the end: all out Civil War.

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1856, Fremont vs. Buchanan vs. Fillmore: The End of Compromise

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0000

The issue of slavery takes a bloody turn as sectional tensions turn violent in the West. “Bloody Kansas” deprives President Pierce of his party’s nomination and leaves the door open for Democrat Candidate James Buchanan to take the reigns. With the Whig party in tatters, Buchanan faces off against two new political factions: a third party called the Know Nothings, and a brand new faction that is now known as The Republican Party.

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1852, Scott vs. Pierce: Bursting at the Seams

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0000

In the wake of President Zachary Taylor’s sudden death, Millard Fillmore signs into law the Compromise of 1850, the so called “final settlement” on the issue of slavery. But the Compromise has unintended consequences. As regional interests trump party loyalty, the second Two Party System begins to crumble giving rise to five third parties and two nearly indistinguishable candidates from both sides of the aisle: Whig candidate General Winfield Scott and Democrat candidate Franklin Pierce.

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1848, Cass vs. Taylor: Old Rough and Ready

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0000

In the wake of the Mexican-American war, the US gains two new territories: California and New Mexico. The victory over Mexico once again puts slavery at the center of the national political dialogue and it gives rise to a national hero. Whig candidate General Zachary Taylor rides his wave of popularity all the way to the White House in a victory over another war hero: Democratic Candidate Colonel Lewis Cass.

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1844, Clay vs. Polk: His Accidency

Tue, 26 Dec 2023 08:00:00 -0000

After President Harrison passes away just one month into his term, Vice President John Tyler becomes the first accidental president in US History. While Tyler fights for the legitimacy of his presidency and sets precedents for future succession, the Whigs and Democrats fight it out on the campaign trail. Whig candidate Henry Clay and Democrat candidate James K Polk go head to head over the issue of Texas and the expansion of slavery.

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1840, Van Buren vs. Harrison: Ole Tip

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 08:00:00 -0000

The Whigs seek to deny President Martin Van Buren a second term by taking a page out of the Republican playbook, and run a war hero candidate of their own: General William Henry Harrison; the hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe, a man the Whigs portray as a hero of the common man.

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1836, Van Buren vs. the Whigs: Sin on the Ballot

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 08:00:00 -0000

As Jackson’s Vice President Martin Van Buren struggles to secure his place as Jackson’s Heir Apparent, the newly formed Whig party struggles to form a national identity. The Whigs unite against Van Buren with another political faction called the Antimasons; America’s first third party.

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1832, Jackson vs. Clay: The Reign of King Mob

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Jackson and the Democrats battle to defend Jackson’s presidency from Henry Clay and an onslaught of personal and political attacks. The death of his wife Rachel fuels Jackson’s desire for revenge and sets the table for a showdown between the Washington establishment and the common man.

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1828, Adams vs. Jackson: The General’s Vengeance

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 08:00:00 -0000

In the 1828 contest, the party label of “Democratic-Republican” splits in half, giving birth to two new political factions: the Democrats and the National Republicans. General Andrew Jackson rides a populist wave all the way to the White House, depriving President John Quincy Adams a second term.

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1824, Adams vs. Jackson: End of an Era

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 08:00:00 -0000

As America’s regions battle over their disparate interests, five presidential candidates emerge. The 1824 election signals the end of the Era of Good Feelings, the crumbling of the old political establishment, and a new era of American politics.

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1820, Monroe Unopposed: A Good Run

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 08:00:00 -0000

In the last uncontested election in US history, President James Monroe presides over the “Era of Good Feelings.” With the nearly extinct Federalist party on the ropes, in order to win a second term, Monroe fights through a devastating economic depression, a moral crisis over the issue of slavery and a deeply divided Republican party.

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1816, Monroe vs. King: The Virginia Dynasty

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:08:00 -0000

In his country’s hour of need, President Madison puts his hopes in Secretary of State James Monroe. Monroe’s heroic actions in the War of 1812 help save the country, bolster his national reputation and define the landscape of the 1816 election.

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1812, Madison vs. Clinton: The Wartime Candidate

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:07:00 -0000

During Madison’s first term, US neutrality in the ongoing conflict between France and Britain is put to the test. Madison has no choice but to defend his country against British oppression; and to defend his presidency against a threat growing within the ranks of his own party; a rising political star from New York named DeWitt Clinton.

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1808, Madison vs. Pinckney: Two Virginians

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:06:00 -0000

James Madison is Thomas Jefferson’s heir apparent. To win the presidency, Madison will have to deal with a growing threat inside his own party: the Tertium Quids. Upset by Madison’s actions as Jefferson’s Secretary of State, the Quids turn their back on Madison and embrace another political powerhouse from the state of Virginia: James Monroe.

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1804, Jefferson vs. Pinckney: The People’s President

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:05:00 -0000

To maintain his grip on power and win the election of 1804, Thomas Jefferson, the so called “Man of the People”, will have to survive brutal attacks in the press, ideological pushback from his own party and a violent scandal that plagues his administration.

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1800, Adams vs. Jefferson: Tiebreaker

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:04:00 -0000

As Thomas Jefferson and John Adams part ways over the issue of France, history sets the stage for one of America’s oldest, and bloodiest political rivalries: Burr versus Hamilton. These two foes go to war in New York in one of the wildest elections in American history; an election that will ultimately be decided in the House of Representatives and that will end in bloodshed.

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1796, Adams vs. Jefferson: The First Contest

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:03:00 -0000

In the 1796 election, two political forces of nature collide: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. As the supporters of Adams and Jefferson vie for their candidate, the machinery of America’s nascent political parties is unleashed in the first contested election in American history.

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1792, Washington: Partisanship Rising

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:02:00 -0000

As President Washington grapples with the idea of a second term, Vice President John Adams gears up for a fight to keep the vice presidency. Adams will find help from an unlikely ally, the very man who conspired to deny him votes in the election of 1789: Alexander Hamilton.

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1789, Washington: The Alpha and the Omega

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:01:00 -0000

As the fate of the nation hangs in the balance, General George Washington struggles with his personal desire to retire from public life and the duty he feels to save his country in its hour of need. Ultimately, Washington rises to the occasion to become America’s first president.

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2024 Update Announcement

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 05:01:00 -0000

*** All 59 episodes are available ad-free on IntoHistory.com

For Americans who lived through the 2020 presidential election, most thought it was the worst they’d ever seen. With disputed results, the violence of January 6th, and the continued drumbeat of 'fake news' and 'rigged elections,' we witnessed a presidential contest unlike any seen before.

But now we face another. On Tuesday, November 7th, 2023, Americans will have just fifty-two weeks to prepare for what promises to be the next worst election in history.

That’s why I’m releasing this podcast.

We’ve pulled all the old episodes down and beginning November 7th, will be re-publishing them every week. Why? For the same reason we did it the first time four years ago: to prove that presidential politics has always been abysmal, has never matched this nation’s promise, and that once you understand that, today’s chaos is easier to take.

Please listen to this special announcement to learn more about the future of this podcast - and how you can keep listening, right now.

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Support the show! Tell others about it, and join Into History for ad-free listening and more at https://intohistory.com .

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Introducing American Elections: Wicked Game

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0000

On February 10th, 1796, Vice President John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail, lamenting the state of discourse in the country. The election was nearing—and becoming heated. Newspapers screamed, factions warred, and John Adams was dismayed with what he called “the wicked Game.”

Americans in 2023 can relate. They still have to endure months of shouting, outrage, and the worst sort of political rancor as the country once again chooses its president. But it’s almost always been this way. And to prove it, American Elections: Wicked Game will review the entire history of presidential elections, from the unanimous and inevitable election of George Washington in 1789 to Donald Trump’s surprise electoral victory in 2016—and his contested defeat in 2020.

From the host of the American History Tellers and American Scandal, this podcast will explore all 59 presidential elections to discover that there never never was a “good ol’ days,” and that presidential politics has always been played dirty.

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