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Axelbank Reports History and Today

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Rating
★★★★★
4.8
from
43 reviews
Categories
Country
United States
This podcast has
221 episodes
Language
English
Publisher
Evan Axelbank
Explicit
No
Date created
2020/06/27
Latest episode
2026/10/27
Average duration
57 min.
Release period
9 days

Description

"Axelbank Reports History and Today: Conversations with America’s top non-fiction authors and why their books matter right now" approaches our past and present in a way that makes anyone want to listen. National-award winning TV news reporter Evan Axelbank interviews writers of history and current events to explore how America works and how it has been shaped by both the powerful and the powerless. In conversational and engaging fashion, listeners learn about the most important events, themes and figures in American history. This podcast shows why we have no choice but to understand where we have been, to know where we are going.

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Check latest episodes from Axelbank Reports History and Today podcast


#220: Nathaniel Philbrick - "The Rush: California Gold, the Civil War, and the Making of the Modern World"
2026/10/27
From the publisher: National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea and Mayflower, reveals how California’s Gold Rush forged the modern United States—and lit the long fuse to civil war "In January 1848, a carpenter spotted flecks of gold in a shallow stream at Sutter’s Mill in California—triggering the greatest voluntary migration in U.S. history and jolting a fragile republic already sliding toward crisis. In The Rush, Nathaniel Philbrick transforms the Gold Rush from a tale of sudden riches into the origin story of America’s modern contradictions: capital consolidated at dizzying speed, democracy in thrall to private power, xenophobia weaponized in the name of liberty—and a stubborn belief in the American experiment that refuses to die. This is the story of a nation tearing at the seams—a republic tested by its own ideals. From the feverish gold-mining camps of the Sierra Nevada mountains to the wharves and vigilance committees of San Francisco, Philbrick renders a combustible, all-world society: Chilean brothers reinventing themselves to outrun prejudice; Native communities navigating dispossession and violence; the merchant-showman Samuel Brannan, drawn into the center of early vigilantism; and the politicians vying for control of California’s future—the ambitious free-soil political boss David Broderick, who squared off against William Gwin, the Southern power broker intent on tilting the state toward slavery and the Confederacy. Not until a year after the outbreak of the Civil War, when President Lincoln signed legislation that would unite the nation east to west by building a transcontinental railroad, was California’s loyalty secured. Philbrick follows the gold as it moves from riverbed to countinghouse to the halls of power, revealing how vigilantism hardened into law and how debates over slavery in the West tipped the balance in Washington. The result is a clear, human story of how a scramble for wealth reshaped ideas of freedom, labor, and belonging—and how California's rise helped push a fractured nation toward war. The Rush is alive with characters whose choices still reverberate: a searing, panoramic epic that captures both the fury and the promise of America." Information on his book can be found at: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/602065/the-rush-by-nathaniel-philbrick/ Nathaniel Philbrick's website can be reached at: https://www.nathanielphilbrick.com/ Support our show at patreon.com/axelbankhistory AxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/ Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at  https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory https://facebook.com/axelbankhistory K-BUZZStay up to date with the latest headlines from Korea’s vibrant entertainment world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify
#219: Richard M. Lim - "Refusing a Crown: How George Washington Changed the World"
2026/10/20
From the publisher: "Refusing A Crown is sweeping and original history that reveals how George Washington’s voluntary surrender of power—an act unmatched in its time—shaped the American republic, influenced revolutions around the world, and remains one of the few moments in history capable of uniting Americans across today’s political divide. At a time when Americans once again argue about leadership, power, and the future of self-government, one figure continues to stand apart: George Washington. Across the political spectrum—from Donald Trump to Joe Biden—leaders still invoke him as the ultimate measure of political greatness. Refusing a Crown reveals why. Washington’s most extraordinary achievement was not winning the Revolutionary War or helping found a new nation. It was something far rarer: He gave up power—twice. First, when he resigned his command after victory. Then again, when he stepped down as president, establishing a precedent no law required and no force could compel. In an age dominated by kings and emperors, Washington chose restraint—and in doing so, he helped define the American experiment. Refusing a Crown is the first book to place Washington’s decisions within the sweeping Western shift from monarchy to republic, showing why that transition was anything but inevitable. Drawing on the Judeo-Christian moral tradition and the political inheritance from Great Britain, Refusing a Crown reveals how early Americans sought to build a republic strong enough to govern real people—not an idealized political fantasy. Washington’s example did not stop at America’s borders. From Napoleon to Simón Bolívar to Yuan Shikai, revolutionary leaders across the world found themselves compared—often unfavorably—to the American who walked away from power. In an era defined by polarization and distrust, Washington’s story remains one of the few that can still unite—and remind us that the true test of leadership is knowing when to let go." For information on his book, head to: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Refusing-a-Crown/Richard-M-Lim/9781645721284 Richard M. Lim's website can be reached at: https://richardmlim.com/ Support our show at patreon.com/axelbankhistory AxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/ Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at  https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory https://facebook.com/axelbankhistory K-BUZZStay up to date with the latest headlines from Korea’s vibrant entertainment world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify
#218: Keri Leigh Merritt - "An Inconvenient Woman: The Extraordinary Life of Lillian Smith, the Southerner Who Defied Jim Crow America"
2026/10/13
From the publisher: "A revelatory and immersive biography of a white Southern woman who was a key figure in the early civil rights movement, devoting her life to ending segregation in America only to be forgotten by history. Born in Florida to a religious family, Lillian Smith (1897-1966) was a white Southern woman living in the Jim Crow South who defied all stereotypes: She lived with her lover, Paula, first running a summer camp in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, and then a magazine, devoted to creating a new vision of the South, one that passionately championed equality and integration. Smith published Black and white writers, a rare feat in those days, and herself wrote articles instructing white Southerners on why they shouldn’t support segregation—Smith firmly believed racism hurt white Americans, too. In 1944 she published a bestselling novel, Strange Fruit, which became a national sensation and was banned in Boston and Detroit. The FBI began a file on her, she received death threats, and her house caught fire three times, twice intentionally, resulting in the loss of all her works-in-progress and her correspondence. Undaunted, she continued her ardent fight against segregation, maintaining correspondence with some of the great leaders of her day, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr, W.E.B Dubois, Paul Robeson, and Pauli Murray. She continued to fight for both civil and human rights throughout the 1960s, helping nurture many of the activists in SNCC and CORE, only to succumb to cancer in 1966. Drawing on previously unpublished archival research, and with a modern appreciation of Smith’s complex identity, AN INCONVENIENT WOMAN is the definitive account of a woman who defied all expectations and dedicated her life to racial equality." Information on her book can be found at https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250337931/aninconvenientwoman/ Her website can be found at: https://kerileighmerritt.com Support our show at patreon.com/axelbankhistory AxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/ Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at  https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory https://facebook.com/axelbankhistory K-BUZZStay up to date with the latest headlines from Korea’s vibrant entertainment world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify
#217: Sharon and Christopher Leahy - "Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardner Tyler"
2026/10/06
From the publisher:  "The first full biography of the controversial and complex First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler—an unjustly scandalized New Yorker, the second wife to President John Tyler, and a savvy and consequential political figure in the age of the Civil War. Myths, rumors, and gossip have long circulated around First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler. Commonly believed to be politically insignificant, most of our fascination with Tyler surrounds her reputation as a highly desired superficial flirt. This salacious mythos was based on her status in a politically influential New York family and the popular rumor that she posed for a sexually suggestive advertisement for a dry goods store in Manhattan. Now, in the first full biography of Julia Tyler, Christopher J. Leahy and Sharon Williams Leahy correct such longstanding misconceptions about President John Tyler’s second wife and establish her reputation as an influential political force. Presidentess shows a presidential spouse who was more consequential than people realize and made a lasting contribution to the evolving role of first lady. Leahy and Leahy present a compelling portrait of a determined woman who came to embrace her new Southern identity after marrying John Tyler, serving as a faithful defender of his views and values—including his decision to renounce the Union and join the Confederate government. In the aftermath of the Civil War, she orchestrated a public relations campaign to restore and protect her legacy as well as that of her late husband, the “traitor president.” In her later years, she successfully lobbied Congress for a pension and reclaimed her status as a former first lady. Presidentess casts a new light on Julia Gardiner Tyler’s life and legacy, including new revelations about the scandalous “Rose of Long Island” advertisement, an exploration of the dark side of New York City’s print culture, and Tyler’s essential role as an unwitting character in the presidential election of 1844. Presidentess gives a fully developed portrait of Julia Tyler, illuminating this controversial first lady and this pivotal turning point in American history." Information on their book can be found at: https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700642670/ Their website can be found at https://www.historyintwovoices.com/ AxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/ Support our show at patreon.com/axelbankhistory Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at  https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory https://facebook.com/axelbankhistory K-BUZZStay up to date with the latest headlines from Korea’s vibrant entertainment world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify
#216: Marcia Chatelain - "How Bright the Path Grows: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the March on Washington"
2026/09/29
From the publisher: From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Franchise comes the little-known story of the pioneering Black women artists and activists who were seen, but barely heard, at the 1963 March on Washington. “Chatelain lets us see the complexities of these women’s lives, feel their pain, and marvel at their ability to cut through the thicket of racism and sexism.”—Carol Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of White Rage “Chatelain brilliantly reframes one of the most enduring images in American memory through the women erased from its frame.”—Alexis Coe, New York Timesbestselling author of You Never Forget Your First There is no shortage of footage immortalizing the men who spoke at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, when 250,000 Americans gathered beneath the Lincoln Memorial to call for an end to segregation. There were reverends and rabbis, activists and Rat-Pack icons—and of course the day’s headliner, whose prophetic dream of a post-Jim Crow world has forever defined the Civil Rights Movement. But there is no “class photo” of the Black women who helped organize the march, performed on its main stage, or were honored during its “Tribute to Negro Women Fighters for Freedom.” In How Bright the Path Grows, Marcia Chatelain weaves a gleaming group portrait of these singular women. Among this cohort were several household names: vaudeville icon Josephine Baker; civil rights activist Rosa Parks gospel legend Mahalia Jackson, and Daisy Bates, champion of the Little Rock Nine. But many were relative unknowns, including Eva Jessye, the choir director who designed the day’s musical program, and Anna Hedgeman, the coordinator who pushed in the eleventh hour for a tribute to Black women’s work. How Bright the Path Grows is a scintillating group biography, rendering the lives of thirteen Black women visionaries—some famous, others soon to be—in novelistic detail and like never seen before. Information on the book can be found at: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/721032/how-bright-the-path-grows-by-marcia-chatelain/ Her website is https://www.marciachatelain.com/ AxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/ Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at  https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory https://facebook.com/axelbankhistory K-BUZZStay up to date with the latest headlines from Korea’s vibrant entertainment world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify
215: Catherine Grace Katz - "Shadow Before the Flame: The Hindenburg Disaster and the Prelude to War"
2026/09/22
From the publisher:  "The gripping, definitive history of the Hindenburg disaster, the rise of the Nazis, and the road to World War II as never before told. On the evening of May 6, 1937, the majestic German Zeppelin Hindenburg arrived before cheering crowds in Lakehurst, New Jersey, when suddenly, a titanic inferno lit up the sky. Thirty-four seconds later, the greatest aircraft ever to take flight was gone, destroyed in a ferocious blaze and seared into historical memory forever.  The Hindenburg disaster is one of the 20th Century’s most iconic yet elusive events—a moment everyone knows but few can place. Acclaimed historian Catherine Grace Katz unites ground-breaking research with thrilling narrative that situates this famous disaster squarely on the collision course between the decade’s two prevailing currents. The Hindenburg began as a symbol of hope and progress, a gleaming technological marvel in the nascent age of aviation. But soon the airship of dreams became a propaganda tool powering the rising Nazi regime. In this sweeping drama, Katz illustrates the story of the Hindenburg through the captivating passengers and crew caught up in the grip of fate: an adventurous heiress, a renowned Vaudeville star, a Chicago industrialist with German-Jewish roots, an esteemed Zeppelin captain, and a young cabin boy on his first voyage to America. Meanwhile, on the ground, two intrepid journalists’ reporting on the Hindenburg fundamentally changed breaking news, paving the way for modern media as we know it. In this rigorously researched, ticking-clock narrative, Shadow Before the Flame offers a portrait of an era—when illusions of peace fueled by the hubris of invention hovered in suspended time—as the clouds of an inevitable war loomed on the horizon. Above all, it is a story of humanity and of lives forever changed by a moment that served as a harbinger for the global conflagration yet to come. " Her website is at: https://www.catherinegracekatz.com/shadow-before-the-flame Information on her book can be found at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/753113/shadow-before-the-flame-by-catherine-grace-katz/ AxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/ Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at  https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory https://facebook.com/axelbankhistory K-BUZZStay up to date with the latest headlines from Korea’s vibrant entertainment world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify
#214: Peter Bergen - "All The Presidents' Wars: Twenty-Five Years of America's War on Terror"
2026/09/08
From the publisher: "2026 is the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11, the most devastating attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Within days, the United States began to declare its war on terror: “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists,” President George W. Bush proclaimed. The resulting war on terror cost trillions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of lives, a series of misguided wars, and the damaged perception of American power. And yet despite its blunders, this campaign has kept America safe from large-scale foreign attack. Based on hundreds of interviews, All the Presidents’ Wars focuses on critical decisions of four successive presidents―Bush, Obama, Biden, and Trump―and their global consequences. One of the few journalists to interview Osama bin Laden and have unparalleled access to the US intelligence community, Peter Bergen covers the history that might have been avoided: the many terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda and its affiliated groups around the world; the rise of al-Qaeda in Iraq, largely responsible for the Iraqi civil war in the mid-2000s; the birth of ISIS; the resurrection of Afghanistan’s Taliban; and Trump’s war with Iran. From the failure to capture and the eventual killing of Osama bin Laden to the disastrous rise of sectarian violence in the Middle East, Bergen traces the profound ramifications of this epoch in American life. All the Presidents’ Wars also explores the innovations and unintended consequences of each presidency’s military and political decisions, including debates over military intervention and withdrawal; the tactics of special operations units, armed drones, and armies of counterterrorism partners; and whether the idea of war ever properly captured the defining conflict of recent American foreign policy. All the Presidents’ Wars is essential reading to understand America’s devastating war on terror and to avoid the mistakes of the past." Peter Bergen's website can be found at https://www.peterbergen.com/ Information on his book can be found at https://wwnorton.com/books/all-the-presidents-wars AxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/ Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at  https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory https://facebook.com/axelbankhistory K-BUZZStay up to date with the latest headlines from Korea’s vibrant entertainment world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify
#213: Thomas Mullaney - "How We Disappear: A Personal History of Information"
2026/09/01
From the publisher:  "When world-renowned scholar Thomas S. Mullaney “lost” both his parents, he began thinking of how information—all the stuff that makes us, that we make, and that we leave behind—ultimately disappears. The information that makes up our lives, from mundane official documents, poignant family photos, and sentimental artifacts to the cues embodied in our genes, both defines us, and inevitably decays, no matter the medium. Everything that we put “in formation” eventually collapses into randomness. Never is this more evident than in the wake of a parent’s death. Yet from all these elusive, even evanescent, data points, history is written and a future is made. How We Disappear is a wide-ranging examination of the micro and macro, toggling between storytelling from Mullaney’s own life and his reflection on the science of entropy and the nature and history of information. Lyrical and poignant, the book offers inspiring and eye-opening insight on the miracle of existence, and on what it means to forge meaning from a chaotic universe." Thomas Mullaney's website can be found at https://www.tsmullaney.com/ He is on social media at https://x.com/tsmullaney Information on his book can be found at https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324020783 AxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/ Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at  https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory https://facebook.com/axelbankhistory K-BUZZStay up to date with the latest headlines from Korea’s vibrant entertainment world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify
#212: Matthew Algeo - "The Underground Genius of Alfred Beach and the Origins of Mass Transit"
2026/08/18
From the publisher: "In the nineteenth century, Manhattan’s streets were so choked with pedestrians, horses, vehicles, and vendors that a trip from City Hall to Central Park could take hours. Alfred Beach had the perfect solution: build a giant pneumatic tube underneath Broadway from the Battery to Harlem. Air pressure would shoot passengers up and down the island in clean, quiet carriages. But Beach was up against the operators of the horse-drawn streetcars and the politicians in their pay, most conspicuously William M. Tweed, the notorious “Boss” of Tammany Hall. New York’s Secret Subway: The Underground Genius of Alfred Beach and the Origins of Mass Transit tells a classic story of good versus evil, pitting the mild-mannered Beach, a visionary inventor and entrepreneur, against the oafish tyrant Tweed, the exemplar of corruption in the Gilded Age. It also tells the story of one of the most astonishing feats of engineering in American history, the surreptitious creation of the nation’s first operational subway. New York seemed destined to become the second city in the world with a comprehensive subway system, after London. Unfortunately, political lethargy and greed would conspire to deny the city a subway for another thirty years. Yet Alfred Beach still proved conclusively the feasibility of underground railways in Manhattan, and paved the way for modern mass transportation systems." Matthew Algeo's website is https://www.malgeo.net/ Information on his book can be found at https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9781642833652/new-yorks-secret-subway AxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/ Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at  https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory https://facebook.com/axelbankhistory K-BUZZStay up to date with the latest headlines from Korea’s vibrant entertainment world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify
#211: Caroline Hallemann - "The Kennedys & The Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made"
2026/08/04
From the publisher:  "For nearly a century, two families an ocean apart have captured the world’s collective imagination: the British Windsors and the American Kennedys. Much ink has been spilled on their individual trysts, tragedies, and triumphs over the years, but no one has examined their powerful and intertwined legacies. Until now. In The Kennedys and the Windsors, acclaimed journalist Caroline Hallemann unearths the story of two iconic families whose lives, ambitions, and respective reigns have mirrored each other in surprising ways. Through rich archival research and fresh interviews from insiders on both sides of the Atlantic, Hallemann reveals how an upstart Irish Catholic family with little access into elite New England society came to host dinner parties for a King and Queen, and forge an eventual path to the White House. In the process, she draws out some startling parallels between the two families: the style icons Princess Diana and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (both tragically gone too soon), the frustrated “second sisters” Princess Margaret and Lee Radziwill, the scandal-plagued next generation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the man formerly known as Prince Andrew, and the current generation’s shared struggle to figure out what a monarchy (actual or imagined) means in the twenty-first century. From Queen Elizabeth’s coronation to President Kennedy’s historic London visit, from JFK Jr.’s shocking death to Prince Harry’s decisive break with his family, Hallemann traces the key moments in the lives of these two dynasties through a fresh and fascinating lens, showing how they have intersected over the generations in ways that not only shaped their images and legacies, but history itself." Caroline Hallemann's website can be found at: https://carolinehallemann.com/ Information on her book can be found at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/743272/the-kennedys-and-the-windsors-by-caroline-hallemann/ AxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/ Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at  https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory https://facebook.com/axelbankhistory K-BUZZStay up to date with the latest headlines from Korea’s vibrant entertainment world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify
#210: Julian Zelizer - "The Presidency of Joseph R. Biden: A First Historical Assessment"
2026/07/28
From the publisher: The Presidency of Joseph R. Biden presents a first draft of history by providing insights into how this one-term president fits within the broader historical forces shaping the United States in the twenty-first century. Acclaimed political historian Julian Zelizer brings together some of today’s leading scholars to give balanced and strikingly original assessments of the major issues of the Biden years, from education and reproductive rights to the economy, labor relations, climate policy, race, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the culture wars. These incisive essays trace the full arc of Joe Biden’s presidency from its early successes to the setbacks that ultimately consumed it. His domestic legislative achievements were hailed by some as the most momentous of any American presidency since the Great Society while his foreign policy ably met the challenges posed by the nation’s great power rivals. Yet by late 2024, Biden’s legacy was in tatters, overshadowed by immigration, inflation, the war in Gaza, and the president’s obvious physical decline. Written in a clear and accessible manner, The Presidency of Joseph R. Bidenmoves beyond the day-by-day journalistic coverage to provide the first comprehensive scholarly account of the Biden administration’s achievements and eventual downfall. With contributions by Kathryn Cramer Brownell, María Cristina García, Joel K. Goldstein, Michael Kazin, Daniel C. Kurtzer, Joyce Mao, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Timothy Naftali, Ekaterina Pravilova, Noah Rosenblum, Paul Sabin, Timothy Stewart-Winter, Sean H. Vanatta, John Witt, and Mary Ziegler. Information on Julian Zelizer's book can be found at https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691274782/the-presidency-of-joseph-r-biden?srsltid=AfmBOoqBud63FustBZYB3F6rXOApm3hX5VZKNkTD9fuyxY3Nofdy7uf0 AxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/ Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at  https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory https://facebook.com/axelbankhistory K-BUZZStay up to date with the latest headlines from Korea’s vibrant entertainment world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify
#209: David O'Stewart - "The Democracy We Must Keep: Seven Founders, Nine Documents, and the Ideas That Shaped America"
2026/07/14
From the publisher: "What did America's founders say about democracy-and can we remain true to their vision for America? Two hundred fifty years ago, passionate men attempted to create something the world had never seen before: a nation built not on kings or armies, but on ideas where the people ruled. In The Democracy We Must Keep, historian David O. Stewart takes readers inside the nine key documents that shaped the formation of the United States-from Patrick Henry's thunderous cry for liberty to the carefully crafted design of a government chosen by the people, with limits on all officials holding power under the Constitution." David O'Stewart's website can be found at https://davidostewart.com/ AxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/ Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at  https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory https://facebook.com/axelbankhistory K-BUZZStay up to date with the latest headlines from Korea’s vibrant entertainment world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify
#208: Brian Jay Jones - "The Capitol: The Surprising Biography of an American Building"
2026/07/07
From the publisher:  "An in-depth exploration of history of the US Capitol building and the incredible personalities who built it, full of dramatic stories and surprising facts; a powerful testament to what the Capitol has meant to generations of Americans and how it has endured. The Capitol is a unique biography of a place, encompassing architecture, history, politics, popular culture, and race in a fascinating exploration of our Capitol’s secret past, one rife with political intrigue, assassination attempts, thwarted bombings, and gunmen on the run. Never mind ghostly cat prints, mysteriously bloodstained steps, and charming “fairy doors” that have delighted visitors for hundreds of years.  Spanning three centuries of American history, the book focuses on iconic and notable names and personalities from the past—from George Washington to Davy Crockett to Ronald Reagan—as well as countless colorful characters readers may not have heard of before, with a focus on restoring the narratives of enslaved people and recognizing their contributions.  The story of the Capitol is the story of America itself, and, for the first time, that story will be told in this sweeping, aspirational biography of the building at the very heart of the American experiment." Brian's website can be found at: https://brianjayjones.com/ Information on his book can be found at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/672053/the-capitol-by-brian-jay-jones/ AxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/ Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at  https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory https://facebook.com/axelbankhistory K-BUZZStay up to date with the latest headlines from Korea’s vibrant entertainment world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify
#207: SPECIAL EDITION: America at 250 with Peter Onuf - "Thomas Jefferson Survives: American Independence in His Time and Ours"
2026/07/04
From the publisher: “Does Thomas Jefferson still matter?” ask two leading historians on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson has been reinvented more than perhaps any American president in history. In the nineteenth century, slavery’s defenders invoked Jefferson’s defense of states’ rights while abolitionists drew on his antislavery writings in support of their cause. After the Civil War, Jefferson’s reputation declined because of his association with secession and disunion, but in the twentieth century, his image soared as he came to embody the democratic values America fought for during World War II. Unsurprisingly, Jefferson’s legacy has shifted yet again in the twenty-first century, effectively becoming a partisan talisman—jettisoned by the left as a plantation patriarch and repurposed by the right as an avatar of white nationalism. Dissatisfied with these political caricatures and manic swings, leading Jefferson scholars Peter S. Onuf and Francis D. Cogliano instead situate the founding father in his complicated historical context and reveal how his wisdom can be applied today. In a series of three interrelated essays, the authors paint a nuanced portrait. “Generations” elucidates how Jefferson’s understanding of history shaped his responses to the major problems of his time. “My Country” delves into how he conceived of the American homeland, and “The People” unravels how Jefferson articulated a new national identity in the Declaration of Independence. Taken together, Thomas Jefferson Survives demonstrates how even amid crisis, Jefferson managed to articulate a capacious and optimistic vision for the future of the American people. As Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed writes in her foreword, “As much as Jefferson reflected the often-benighted times in which he lived, he rose above them in ways that have a great deal to tell us about the political straits in which we find ourselves.” After all, Jefferson knew better than anyone that 1776 was an important moment, but not the only moment, for Americans to write a better future." Information on his book can be found at https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324098072 AxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/ Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at  https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory https://facebook.com/axelbankhistory K-BUZZStay up to date with the latest headlines from Korea’s vibrant entertainment world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify
#206: J.D. Dickey - "Boston, 1776: A Rogue Tour of Revolution City"
2026/06/30
From the publisher: "A traveler’s journey to the heart of the American Revolution, close up at the ground level, among the patriots, amid the pandemonium, on July 4, 1776. Welcome to Revolution City—where the air smells of tar, booze, gunpowder . . . and rebellion.  Your tour takes you through the turbulent streets, tub-thumping taverns, and radical strongholds of a town at war with an empire. Far from the powdered wigs and genteel debates of history textbooks, this book guides us through the real Boston of the American Revolution: frenzied, dangerous, and fiercely alive. Join the crowds in taprooms where rebel plots were hatched. Witness mobs rise up over the price of bread. Stand with patriots as they sharpen bayonets on Bunker Hill, and watch as Loyalists get tarred and feathered. Drink the rum made on the town docks, sample the sinful in the city's back alleys, and gaze at John Hancock’s mansion gleaming above gritty streets filled with the almshouse, workhouse, and jail. From the harbor wharves and seedy brothels to renowned assembly halls like Old South Meetinghouse and Faneuil Hall, Boston, 1776 leads us on a vivid tour of the vital hub of the Revolutionary War. At every stop along the way, we encounter iconic names like Revere and Adams, but also the forgotten men and women who bled and brawled for freedom in every corner of Boston. Upon America’s 250th anniversary, Boston, 1776 portrays the Cradle of Liberty and the American Revolution as never before: raw, radical, and roaring with life." Information on his book can be found at https://www.diversionbooks.com/books/boston-1776 His website is available at https://www.jddickey.com/ AxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/ Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at  https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory https://facebook.com/axelbankhistory K-BUZZStay up to date with the latest headlines from Korea’s vibrant entertainment world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

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