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Reframing AmericaJan 29, 2024
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01:11:17
Rage against the Machine: Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, and a Spoiled SystemRutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, and Chester A. Arthur: all Presidents who have been dubbed the "lost Americans." On the other hand, perhaps it was not the Presidents who were lost, but the American political establishment itself. Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen pick apart the events of 1877-1885, eight years that span these three presidencies. Despite being often overlooked, this era contributed a variety of drastic and irreversible changes to the American story, from America's most controversial election to the assassination of one of its presidents. Tony and Ryan retrace the battle lines that defined the era and determine who (if anyone) came out of the battle a winner.Nov 25, 202401:44:32Ulysses S. Grant: Reconstruction, DeconstructedHow should history remember Ulysses S. Grant? As a general, was he a bloodthirsty butcher or a brilliant strategist? As president, was he a beacon of equality or a tyrannical dictator? Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen explore the best and the worst America's 18th president gave to his country. Oct 28, 202401:30:17Fifty Shades of White Supremacy: Andrew Johnson's PresidencyThe Civil War was over, but the fight had just begun. In the wake of President Lincoln's assassination, the reeling nation needed a steady hand and a unified government for guidance. Unfortunately, America got President Andrew Johnson instead. Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen sift through the rubble of Andrew Johnson's disastrous presidency, an administration that offered the nation its first impeachment, a no-holds-barred fight between the executive and legislative branches, and an enormous step backward on the path to racial justice.Sep 23, 202401:28:09Season 3 Starts Sept 23!From the rubble of the Civil War through World War I, Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen will dissect the history of America and figure out how were the true movers and shakers in American history. The first episode of season 3 will arrive on September 23!Sep 01, 202401:43Abraham Lincoln: That's It. That's the Title.Abraham Lincoln's face is universally recognizable, but do we really know him? His speeches are immortalized, but do we really understand his mind? On the Season 2 finale, Ryan Rasmussen and Tony Rydberg unpack the man, the myth, and the legend known as "Honest Abe" Lincoln. From his birth in a Kentucky log cabin to his assassination in Ford's Theatre, Ryan and Tony tackle the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Illinois Rail-splitter.May 27, 202401:49:23The Great American Give-Up: Pierce, Buchanan, and a Country off the RailsWhat events led to the Civil War? How could America's leaders have allowed things get so out of control? Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen explore 1853-1861, the eight years immediately preceding America's Civil War, to determine the cause of America's bloodiest crisis. How much blame can be attributed to Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan, two of America's most obscure presidents (and two of the worst)? Were they the cause, or was the country's course already so derailed that no engineer would have been able to steer us back onto the tracks?Apr 22, 202401:28:44James K. Polk: Manifest Destiny's ChildIn four short years, James K. Polk transformed the United States into a coast-to-coast behemoth. Through diplomacy, war, and relentlessness, Polk achieved every major agenda item he set out to accomplish, and yet somehow he has fallen short of the mythical status of other presidents -- even less accomplished ones. Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen explore the administration of James K. Polk, a president who, more than any other, embodies the American obsession with stretching itself from sea to shining sea: an obsession named "Manifest Destiny."Feb 19, 202401:28:11Andrew Jackson: American Dream, American NightmareHe was a self-made American hero. He was also the catalyst for one of the nation's greatest sins. A beacon for the common man, he was also an owner of enslaved people. Andrew Jackson's life of polarizing contradictions comes into focus as Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen tackle eight of the most tumultuous years in American history: the reign of "Old Hickory."Dec 18, 202301:18:30John Quincy Adams: Get to the Top, Hit Rock BottomJohn Quincy Adams served the United States from his teens to his 80s. So, why did his presidency go so pear-shaped? Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen explore the elusive and enigmatic administration of America's sullen Founding Son.Nov 23, 202301:05:59Happy Takes-Giving! (A Hot Takes Hotdish)In this appetizer to the Thanksgiving feast, Tony Rydberg is serving up a hotdish made of hot takes - including Tony's idea for a new Constitutional amendment! Dish yourself a heaping helping of hot takes and share them with your relatives - especially when conversations get tricky. Happy Thanksgiving!Nov 20, 202315:02James Monroe: BDE ("Big Doctrine Energy")America was feelin' good with James Monroe as its fifth president, but was Monroe's "Era of Good Feelings" really as good as it sounds? Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen explore the administration of one of the coolest cats ever to be president.Oct 16, 202301:20:18James Madison: America's Goldilocks PresidentJames Madison is remembered as the "Father of the Constitution" and America's first wartime president - but is his place in America's history as secure as one would assume? In this Season 2 premiere, Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen burn through Madison's administration like it was Washington, D.C. (too soon?), and they decide once and for all if this pocket-sized President should stay on the walls of America's classrooms.Sep 18, 202301:21:53Reframing America: Season 2 TrailerWe're so excited to return to Reframing America for season 2, where we will reframe 1809 to 1865. We'll be covering, discovering, and uncovering some of the most consequential, controversial and downright bizarre moments in our nation's history. Subscribe now -- and don't forget to brush up on Season 1!Sep 11, 202301:31Thomas Jefferson: America's Confounding FatherIn the Season One finale, Tony Rydberg, Ryan Rasmussen and Matt Urbanek grapple with the immense contradictions between the soaring idealism of Thomas Jefferson and the far more troublesome reality of his life. Will Jefferson's battered legacy withstand a frontal assault in order to keep his portrait on the wall of presidents?May 22, 202301:21:36John Adams: Elected, Rejected, and DisrespectedIs John Adams the most under appreciated and unfairly remembered President of all time? Tony Rydberg, Ryan Rasmussen, and Aaron Gorath make the case that the Adams presidency is vastly underrated and that Adams himself deserves much more honor and esteem than he’s received from the country he helped create.Apr 17, 202301:02:59George Washington: The Man, The Myth(s), The LegendDoes Washington-the-Man hold up against Washington-the-Mythical-Hero? Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen break down the first presidency in US history and assess whether the man lives up to the hype. Get your oven mitts ready, because there are some pipin' hot takes coming your way!Mar 20, 202357:18History and "Hamilton"Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical masterpiece Hamilton: An American Musical can be found on Broadway, on tour, on Dinsey+... but should it be found in American classrooms? In this episode, Tony offers his perspective on the roleHamiltonshould (or shouldn't) have as high school curriculum. Plus -- because, apparently, he thinks he knows better than Lin-Manuel Miranda, -- Tony shares his "Hamilton What-if Wishlist."Mar 06, 202323:51The Missing Picture: Colonial AmericaWhat would America be like without a president? Just check out the years prior to George Washington's election. In this episode, Tony Rydberg, Ryan Rasmussen, and Jeff Vizenor settle the question of which American is the best symbol for the pre-Washingtonian era of American history.Feb 20, 202301:03:17Welcome to "Reframing America!"Feb 04, 202301:32
