My History Can Beat Up Your Politics

My History Can Beat Up Your Politics

Since 2006, this podcast has been using history to elevate today's political debates. "The perfect antidote to bloviating talking heads, My History is thoughtful, nuanced, and highly engaging." -Columbia Journalism Review

Episodes

THE HEADSHAKE THAT CHANGED HISTORY And Other Stories

September 22, 2025 • 18 mins
We depart from our Chester Arthur Series briefly with a focus on the moment Garfield was shot, and how a quick action by James Blaine, Secretary of State and no political friend to Arthur, might have changed history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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CHESTER ARTHUR - PART 4: THE PISTOL AND THE TRANSOM

September 18, 2025 • 60 mins
Political violence changes politics. Vice President Chester Arthur is getting the hang of Parliamentary procedure, and building a reputation for being a more partisan vice president than we've seen in a while, Not on the team with his President. Then events will conspire to elevate him in an unexpected way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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CHESTER ARTHUR PART 3: I WILL ACCEPT THE NOMINATION

September 15, 2025 • 67 mins
Arthur makes an unlikely comeback in the 1880 Republican Convention in this episode. The story is a little more complex than it's often told, and involves a bit more of Arthur's skill than is often mentioned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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CHESTER ARTHUR PART 2: I AM A STALWART!

September 6, 2025 • 82 mins
(2nd posting ) We look at Chester Arthur and also at Roscoe Conkling, New York Senator and political "boss" of the post-Civil War period. The two are tied together in history. Arthur was, to a point, a Stalwart, which means he supported Ulysses S. Grant and the concept of a party system. Which is also known by the name - spoils. Are Stalwarts all bad? What about Half-Breeds? We get into Arthur the Stalwart in this episode. Learn...
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CHESTER ARTHUR PART 1: THE EARLY YEARS

September 2, 2025 • 50 mins
He fought for civil rights and nearly saved New York City. But all we remember is his hair. We start our series on President Chester Arthur with a look at his boyhood / young lawyer years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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LABOR UNIONS IN FIVE ANGLES

September 1, 2025 • 39 mins
A look at labor unions from their historical beginnings and their height in the 30s to 60s to today, (2015) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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ANDY JOHNSON OPPOSES THE TELEGRAPH, AND OTHER STORIES

August 25, 2025 • 45 mins
An invention ties together the stories of many people. A frustrated painter, a faded novelist, and a future President. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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TRUMAN VS. STARK PRIMARY

August 4, 2025 • 26 mins
We almost had no Harry S. Truman as President, except that he was able to beat a tough opponent in a primary, with his typical outworking handshaking and self-driving campaign. Head to https://www.homeaglow.com/MYHIST to get your first 3 hours of cleaning for only $19. Thanks so much to Homeaglow for sponsoring this episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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BECOMING NATIONS AGAIN, w/ Adam Crepelle

July 28, 2025 • 36 mins
"It shouldn't be that hard" says our guest. Americans first recognized Indians as tribes and as nations, at least at a national level. North America's indigenous peoples had government and effective government before european arrival. Returning to that model of self government should therefore be an answer to today's challenges. American Indian history is the topic of discussion in this interview with Professor Adam Crepelle at L...
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ST. LOUIS ARCH - CORRUPTION AND BEAUTY - NOW ON THE PATREON

July 22, 2025 • 2 mins
We discuss the Gateway Arch Memorial in St. Louis, and its improbable story, in a special Patreon episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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IRAN-IRAQ WAR - PART TWO

July 14, 2025 • 43 mins
Stalemate breaks in a surprise operation. An apathetic America gets involved on both sides. The fighting stops, but nothing is the same after 1988. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR - PART ONE

July 7, 2025 • 45 mins
This terrible war, fought in the 1980's, changed everything. Both in the Middle East, and America. We tell the story in two parts. We are part of Airwave Media network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1989 MAYORAL PRIMARY, IN NEW YORK CITY, AND TODAY

July 6, 2025 • 29 mins
Ed Koch is a pretty popular guy in the 1980's. He's come to personify New York. But after 3 terms and two easy victories, he's in the fight of his political life. We talk about it, and why people are comparing it to today's events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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ALCATRAZ AND THE AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT OF 1969

June 16, 2025 • 50 mins
The 1969 occupation of the former federal prison by Native American activists was the beginning of a movement and a shift in perception that lives on today. http://www.myhistorycanbeatupyourpolitics.com/alcatraz.mp3 We discuss: Why Alcatraz? The 1973 Standoff at Wounded Knee, South Dakota Vine Deloria and “Custer Died for Your Sins” and Other Items. We are part of Airwave Media Network - www.airwavemedia.com For advertising inform...
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EXECUTIVE ORDERS, McKINLEY AND TARIFFS, Biden and Other Listener Questions.

June 5, 2025 • 71 mins
Bunch of topics - we get into eos, how McKinley really felt about tariffs, versus the campaign platforms, and about all the Biden talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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A SECOND LOOK AT THE EVENTS of 1776 w/ Tom McMillan, Author of "The Year That Made America"

May 19, 2025 • 41 mins
With Tom McMillan, we take a look at some of the assumptions of 1776 in the history books. First of all, why July 4th and Not July 2nd? And what about May 15th, when Adams got delegates to move and issued his own Declaration-like preamble? And a second look at Jefferson's authorship of the Declaration: writer or draftsman? We are part of Airwave Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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KENT STATE 1970: AFTER THE SHOOTINGS

April 28, 2025 • 66 mins
In this episode, we talk about everything that happens after that moment when four students were killed at a protest at a college (only two were participating in the protest). Opinion wasn't universally with the slain students, the school had little interest in memorializing and the criminal justice system focused not at those who killed students but at the students themselves. We talk to Howard Ruffner, author of "Moments of Truth...
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Like the Visions of a Fever: America in Pre-War 1941

April 25, 2025 • 78 mins
A look at pre-war America, 1941, the passage of Lend-Lease, and the sinking of four ships in the Atlantic. Robin Moor, Greer, Kearny and Ruben James, each inflicting a body blow but not yet producing war. As Americans waited for war in one ocean, it came in another. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Listen Now — Fiasco: Iran-Contra

April 14, 2025 • 43 mins
If you like My History Can Beat Up Your Politics, you’ll enjoy the new season of Fiasco, a podcast from Slow Burn creator Leon Neyfakh. Leon transports listeners into the day-to-day reality of the United States’ most pivotal historical events, bringing to life the forgotten twists and turns of the past while shedding light on the present. In his new season, Iran-Contra, Leon looks at a secret war, a secret deal, and a scandal that ...
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LINCOLN'S LAND IN IOWA - Now on Patreon

April 11, 2025 • 5 mins
Lincoln owned land in Iowa, but didn't get a chance to see it. It did remain in the family for a while. We talk about it, what happened to it, and the area around Tama county where one of his lots was. It's part of the bonus content on the Patreon. Subscribe to the Patreon for as little as $5 dollars a month and get ad-free episodes, and bonus episodes: For instance - we talk about Lincoln's land he owned in Iowa while he was Pre...
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