Plodding Through The Presidents
by Howard & Jessica DorreJoin history blogger Howard Dorre and his wife Jessica Dorre for a deep irreverent dive into lesser-known stories of the early American presidents. They dig into the myths, mysteries, scandals, and drama of the founders and their families, with a dash of marital banter.
Copyright: Copyright 2024 Plodding Through The Presidents
Episodes
Finding Madison's Funny Bone
46m · PublishedWe go on a hunt for the often-mentioned but little-documented wicked sense of humor of James Madison. That hunt includes his abusive college poetry, his weird experimentation with animals and humans, and his special relationship with Thomas Jefferson.
Show notes and sources at plodpod.com.
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Died On The Fourth Of July
50m · PublishedWe explore the unbelievable "coincidence" of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both dying on the Fourth of July on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the uncomfortable fact that James Monroe also died on the Fourth of July five years later, and the circumstances surrounding James Madison's deliberate choice to break with this weird tradition.
Show notes and sources at plodpod.com.
Join our Patreon family for exclusive bonus material at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents
Elizabeth Jefferson's Earthquake Drowning
42m · PublishedWe explore the mysterious deaths of Thomas Jefferson’s sister Elizabeth and her enslaved body servant Little Sall, who both drowned just days after the first recorded earthquake in Virginia’s history. We also dig into how Elizabeth’s apparent intellectual disabilities were handled by biographies over the years.
Show notes and sources (like Susan Kern’s The Jeffersons at Shadwell) detailed at plodpod.com
Join our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for exclusive bonus content!
Alexander Hamilton & John Adams: A Superabundance of Hate
1h 4m · PublishedLin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton barely touched on the relationship between Alexander Hamilton and John Adams, and we dive into the many reasons these men HATED each other. It all started with their differences during the Revolutionary War and the hate only grew during their power struggles in the Quasi-War and the viciously contentious Election of 1800. Not even Hamilton's untimely death could stop their feud, as Adams continued smearing Alexander's memory with a pseudo-medical theory that Hamilton’s “superabundance of secretions” were responsible for his power-hungry ways.
Show notes and sources at plodpod.com
Join our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for exclusive bonus content!
Sponsor: One Day University - the country's best professors present their greatest classes. Join live classes every weekday from home, or watch their 400+ past talks in their video library on demand. Our listeners get one month FREE at onedayu.com with the promo code PLODDING.
Paranormal Presidents Part 2
55m · PublishedIn our paranormal conclusion we dive into the wild story of Andrew Jackson and the Bell Witch, who terrorized the Bell family of Tennessee from 1817-1821. Then we explore John Quincy Adams's electrifying adventures in the hereafter via a bizarre spiritual autobiography written by the medium Joseph Stiles in 1859.
Show notes and sources at plodpod.com
Join our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for exclusive bonus content!
Sponsor: One Day University - the country's best professors present their greatest classes. Join live classes every weekday from home, or watch their 400+ past talks in their video library on demand. Our listeners get one month FREE with the promo code PLODDING.
Andrew Jackson's Slut-Shaming Evolution
52m · PublishedIn 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. MarszalekLife 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!
John Quincy Adams vs. The Internet
38m · PublishedWe 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
Join our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents for exclusive bonus content!
A Tale of Two Stepsons
39m · PublishedGeorge 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 OnlineLetter from James Madison to John Payne Todd - Founders OnlineThe Bad Boy: Payne Todd by William SealePayne Todd: Prodigal SonYou Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis CoeDolley Madison's Son Payne Todd: The Final Blow by Feather SchwartzMrs. 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!
The Scandalmonger's Revenge
42m · Published
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 DureyEliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton by Tilar J. MazzeoThe Rise and Fall of Alexander Hamilton by Robert HendricksonThe 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!
Plodding Through The Presidents has 53 episodes in total of explicit content. Total playtime is 45:25:43. The language of the podcast is English. This podcast has been added on November 22nd 2022. It might contain more episodes than the ones shown here. It was last updated on May 11th, 2024 06:11.