Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast

The presidential election of 1876 stands as one of the most contested and consequential turning points in American history. In this episode, I explore the dramatic showdown between Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden, unfolding at a moment when the country was still grappling with the legacy of Reconstruction.

Join me as I highlight how a political crisis emerged when disputed returns from the South threw the n...

What really happened at the Battle of Little Bighorn and how did a single momentous victory seal the fate of the Plains tribes?

Join me this week as I dive into the events that led to Custer’s defeat, the broken treaties and gold rush that fueled the conflict, and how the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho achieved one of the most decisive Native victories in U.S. history. I also explore how the aftermath reshaped federal policy...

In this episode, I sit down with Jonathan Mahler, author of The Gods of New York, to explore the four years that transformed America’s greatest city—and foretold the divisions that would come to define the nation.

From Wall Street’s boom to the crack epidemic, from Howard Beach to the Central Park jogger case, from ACT UP to Spike Lee, the New York of 1986–1989 was a city teeming with conflict, creativity, and change. Mahler paints ...

Passed in 1798 as part of the notorious Alien and Sedition Acts, the Alien Enemies Act has outlived its controversial siblings — and it’s still on the books today. In this episode, I trace its origins in the fear and politics of the early republic, how presidents from Madison to FDR have invoked it in times of war, and what it means that this 18th-century law remains active in the 21st century.

From the tension between liberty ...

Join me as I sit down with author Matthew Davis to discuss his new book, A Biography of a Mountain, an in-depth look at the creation, meaning, and legacy of Mount Rushmore. Davis explores how the monument came to symbolize both American pride and historical injustice, tracing its evolution from a tourist attraction to a contested landmark at the heart of U.S. public history.

Learn more about Matthew at his website: www.matthewdavisw...

The Insurrection Act has stood at the crossroads of law, power, and public order for over two centuries. This episode traces its roots from the Militia Acts of 1792 and 1795 to its modern interpretations in moments of national crisis. Discover how this rarely invoked law has shaped presidential authority, balanced federal and state power, and influenced some of the most turbulent chapters in American history. A civics deep dive int...

She was a child clairvoyant, the first woman to own a Wall Street brokerage firm—and in 1872, she became the first woman to run for president of the United States. Join me as I sit down with author Eden Collinsworth to unpack the astonishing, unconventional, and often-overlooked life of Victoria Woodhull. Drawing from her new book The Improbable Victoria Woodhull, Collinsworth shares insights into Woodhull’s rise from spiritualist ...

What kind of epidemic could turn a thriving American city into a ghost town almost overnight?

Join me as I explore the chilling story of the 1878 yellow fever epidemic—a public health disaster that decimated Memphis and echoed far beyond the Mississippi River Valley. While yellow fever had haunted the U.S. since the slave trade, it was the post–Civil War era—with its railroads, riverboats, and lack of national infrastructure—that tu...

What if America’s first serial killer wasn’t H.H. Holmes—but someone far more brutal and completely forgotten?

In this episode, I unravel the chilling mystery of the Servant Girl Annihilator, a violent and elusive murderer who stalked Austin, Texas from 1884 to 1885—years before Holmes ever claimed a victim. Eight people were slaughtered in their homes, yet this case remains buried beneath history’s more famous headlines. Who was th...

What can one church in Washington, D.C. reveal about American religious life, social justice, and the power of oral history? In this episode, I talk with public historian Shae Corey, the creator and producer of the podcast Holy Local, which grew out of an in-depth oral history project focused on the Church of the Saviour.

Shae shares what it takes to build a public history project from the ground up, the unexpected challenges of cap...

In 1877, the body of a woman was found near a twisted oak tree in Jefferson, Texas—dressed in fine clothes, shot in the head, and missing a diamond ring. Her name was Bessie Moore, better known as Diamond Bessie. What followed was one of the most sensational murder trials in Texas history.

Join me as I dive into the tangled story behind her death and the man accused of killing her—Abraham Rothschild, a wealthy Cincinnati heir with p...

Join me this week as I dig into the real story behind Louisiana Voodoo — a spiritual tradition shaped by West African roots, Haitian resistance, and the streets of New Orleans. Discover how the Haitian Revolution sent shockwaves across the Atlantic, bringing people, beliefs, and tensions into the heart of Louisiana. Hear the story of Betsey Toledano, a name often left out of the textbooks, and unravel the legend of Marie Laveau.

Voo...

From spinsters to old maids, women who broke conventions to remain single have long been derided as somehow outside of the norm. But history shows this has been happening for generations. What gives?

Join me this week as I sit down with author and illustrator Emma Duval to chat about her debut book, Unwed & Unbothered: The Defiant Lives of Single Women Throughout History. Learn about what motivated Emma to write such a book, wha...

Join me this week as I explore the vital but often overlooked role of Black women in the Reconstruction-era South. In the aftermath of the Civil War, Black women were central to rebuilding Black communities and creating the social foundation for future generations. Through everyday acts of care, resistance, and resilience, they redefined citizenship and freedom on their own terms. This episode is a closer look at how liberation was...

Join me as I sit down with Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer William Taubman to explore his latest work, McNamara at War: A New History. Authors Philip and William Taubman take readers behind the scenes of Robert S. McNamara’s career, from his role in shaping U.S. defense policy to the internal conflicts that defined his legacy. In this episode, we discuss how McNamara navigated war, power, and moral complexity while telling the st...

After the Civil War, education became one of the most powerful tools for newly freed Black Americans and one of the most fiercely contested. Join me as I explore the rise of Black education during Reconstruction, from grassroots schools built by the Black community to the founding of the first Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Learn how freed people organized, taught, and funded early schools, often under threat ...