Plodding Through The Presidents

We delve into the reasons behind John Adams's intense loathing of Benjamin Franklin, from their time as strange bedfellows in the Second Continental Congress to their time in France as diplomats with wildly different methods and work ethics. Even long after Franklin's death, Adams held a grudge against the man he considered a phony, glory-stealing sloth.

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Key source: Evans, William B. “John Adams’ Opinion of Benjamin Franklin.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 92, no. 2, 1968, pp. 220–38. JSTOR

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We look at the haunting sounds and even more haunting history of Benjamin Franklin's favorite invention: the glass armonica. Then we welcome author Michael Meyer to discuss his new book Benjamin Franklin's Last Bet. The conversation brings Franklin to life and covers his unique bequests to the cities of Philadelphia and Boston and his rocky relationship with his son (hereby known as William Franklin, Patriot Hunter). We also touch on what Elon Musk and modern politicians could learn from Franklin.

Show notes and sources at plodpod.com

More on Michael Meyers at inmanchuria.com

For more information about Mayling Garcia visit maylinggarcia.com

Learn more about William Zeitler at https://www.williamzeitler.com/

(William Zeitler's music used with his permission.)

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In 1799, New York City needed clean water to prevent the spread of Yellow Fever and Aaron Burr needed a friendly bank to fund his election efforts. We dig into how the brilliant, scheming Burr addressed both problems at once with the "perfect monster" known as The Manhattan Company, and how he duped Alexander Hamilton into being his greatest champion.

Show notes and sources at plodpod.com

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In our fourth season premiere we dig into the 1799 murder of Elma Sands, a young woman whose body was found in the Manhattan Well. With a boardinghouse full of suspects—none of whom can be trusted—the trial was always going to be a sensation. But with the accused killer Levi Weeks being defended by the dream team of rivals Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, it became a truly dramatic event.

Enter to win our Season 4 3-book giveaway! https://kingsumo.com/g/k3clkv/3-book-giveaway-plodding-through-the-presidents-season-4

Sign up for History Camp America on November 5th! Use promo code PLODDING22 for $5 off! https://historycamp.org/events/history-camp-america-2022/

Listen to the podcast Fresh Hell at https://freshhellpodcast.com/

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Season 4 premieres Tuesday, October 25th!

Enter to win our 3-book giveaway of fascinating historical books from our first three guests this season: https://kingsumo.com/g/k3clkv/3-book-giveaway-plodding-through-the-presidents-season-4

These are the books:

1. Benjamin Franklin's Last Bet: The Favorite Founder's Divisive Death, Enduring Afterlife, and Blueprint for American Prosperity by Michael Meyer

2. Exploring American Healthcare through 50 Historic Treasures by Tegan Kehoe

3. In the Arena: A History of American Presidential Hopefuls by Peter Shea & Tom Maday

Drawing will be held November 2nd.

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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!

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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

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We dig into the dubious story of Winston Churchill's naked encounter with the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. Then we welcome author, paranormal investigator, and New England Legends host Jeff Belanger for a fascinating conversation about the long history of reported hauntings in the White House, why New England has so many legends, and the value of ghost stories in teaching history.

Show notes, photos, and sources at plodpod.com

We'll be back November 9th!

Consider joining our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for bonus content and perks!

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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!

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We look at the role of the Illuminati in the Election of 1800 between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson before welcoming Dr. Mark Cheathem to the show. He teaches a course on conspiracy theories in American history at Cumberland University, and he joined us to talk about his course, his personal inspiration for teaching it, and conspiratorial thinking. Then we dig into a conspiracy theory about a rigged election and the men who rode it all the way to the White House – Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren.

Show notes, photos, and sources at plodpod.com

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