Episodes

Year(s) Discussed: 1811-1813As if the United States didn't have enough military conflicts to be involved in, agents of the Madison administration worked to support the efforts of would-be revolutionaries leading the Republican Army of the North to end Spanish control of New Spain. Meanwhile, Ge…

Year(s) Discussed: 1789-2023While the US vice presidency is a constitutionally-created office, arguably the role that the vice president plays in American politics and the federal government has experienced the greatest shifts of any other position on the national stage. This episode begins our…

Tenure of Office: December 11, 1811 - February 9, 1814A lawyer, diplomat, and politician, William Pinkney of Maryland may not be the most famous member of James Madison's Cabinet. However, joined by my special guests, Meredith and Dustin of the Alexander Standard Podcast, we explore his life in…

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Year(s) Discussed: 1812-1813As the USS Constitution brought home the nation's first major victory in the War of 1812, the Madison administration had to carefully consider how to readjust its strategy in ground operations. New leaders started emerging in the field, but the President, after secur…

Year(s) Discussed: 1831-1881On this episode, I am joined by C W Goodyear, author of the new biography President Garfield, to talk about the man who he described as "a pathologically reasonable person" and his navigation through the turbulent waters of Reconstruction and Gilded Age American poli…

Tenure of Office: April 6, 1811 - March 4, 1817 (as Secretary of State); September 27, 1814 - March 2, 1815 (as Secretary of War)James Monroe is one of the rare Cabinet members who served in two Cabinet positions simultaneously, and what is really remarkable about Monroe's doing so is that it w…

Content Note: There is a mention of death by suicide in this episode around the 32 minute mark.Year(s) Discussed: 1811-1812Even after the declaration of war in 1812, US and British officials on both sides of the Atlantic continued to work towards a cessation of hostilities. At around the sa…

Year(s) Discussed: 1939-1994As we've seen in the podcast, certain circumstances coming together at just the right time can change the course of history for good or ill. In this episode, I am joined by author, historian, and White House correspondent Paul Brandus to discuss his new book, Countdo…

Year(s) Discussed: 1812In the aftermath of the surrender of Detroit, the Madison administration had to consider whether its strategy against Britain had already gone awry in the early days of the War of 1812. Meanwhile, in East Florida, the arrival of a new colonial governor boded ill for the P…

Tenure of Office: May 15, 1809 - January 1, 1813Rising through the political ranks in South Carolina, Paul Hamilton was called to national service for the first time by President Madison to serve as his Secretary of the Navy. In this episode, I am joined by my husband Alex to explore the life a…

Year(s) Discussed: 1812With the path to war set, the Madison administration had to develop a strategy to prosecute warfare against Great Britain. On top of logistical difficulties, having a Secretary of War and a Secretary of the Navy with little to no military experience didn't help matters, a…

Tenure of Office: March 7, 1809 - January 13, 1813After his service as a surgeon on the battlefields of the Revolutionary War, William Eustis of Massachusetts began a political career which would bring him to serve as the 6th US Secretary of War in the Madison administration. Joined by Craig Ba…

Year(s) Discussed: 1810-1812Tensions had been building for years between Britain and the United States. By June 1812, the American government was ready to take action. The circumstances by which they would declare war, however, were far from ideal, and it was only due to a series of events on b…

Tenure of Office: January 20, 1807 - December 5, 1811A member of the politically prominent Rodney family of Delaware, Caesar A Rodney was recruited to service in the US House of Representatives by none other than Thomas Jefferson and a few years later was invited to join his Cabinet as Attorney…

Year(s) Discussed: 1811-1812In 1811, President Madison brought in a new US Minister who he felt might actually be able to navigate the complicated diplomatic intrigues of the Napoleonic French government to bring about a resolution to long-standing issues with that government as he and his admi…

Year(s) Discussed: 1807-1812With changes happening in the nation's capital and abroad, the Madison administration worked as 1811 gave way to 1812 to navigate through new circumstances. In the House of Representatives, new leadership came to the forefront with an expansionist agenda. Around the …

Tenure of Office: August 7, 1805 - December 14, 1806After a few initial fits and starts, John Breckinridge propelled himself to become a prominent leader in the state of Kentucky before moving on to the national scene and ultimately into the Cabinet of Thomas Jefferson as the 5th US Attorney Ge…

Year(s) Discussed: 1810-1811As a new British Minister made his way to the US, a naval engagement off the Eastern Seaboard further complicated relations between the United States and United Kingdom. In Washington, President Madison had to figure out how to approach the situation with the French …

Tenure of Office: July 27, 1801-March 4, 1809 (as Secretary of the Navy); March 6, 1809-April 1, 1811 (as Secretary of State)Propelled to national office by circumstance, Robert Smith's time in the Cabinet would be a tale of two presidencies. While achieving much success as Jefferson's Secretar…

Year(s) Discussed: 1810-1811As President Madison struggled to fill various vacant positions in both the executive and judicial branches, the administration's enemies in Congress gathered their forces to take on an institution that had been in the cross hairs of some Democratic-Republican leader…

Tenure of Office: May 14, 1801 - February 8, 1814After being forced out of his post as Treasury Secretary, Albert Gallatin spent the next few decades serving in numerous diplomatic postings abroad, writing essays on various topics, being nominated as Vice-President, and even challenging the pol…

Tenure of Office: May 14, 1801 - February 8, 1814 A descendant of a leading Genevese family, Albert Gallatin made his way across the Atlantic and rose to prominence as a Democratic-Republican leader before being recruited by ...

Year(s) Discussed: 1809-1811As news of Macon's Bill No. 2 reached Europe, US Minister John Armstrong worked to take advantage of the increasingly precarious situation for the French in order to secure a deal with the government of Emperor Napoleon that would restore open trade with that nation.…