In the first episode of our new series on the Ideas Behind American Elections, David and historian Gary Gerstle explore the presidential contest of 1800: scurrilous, complicated, game changing. How did it help create the American party system? Was it really democratic? What would have happened if Aaron Burr had won? Plus, just how accurate is the depiction o ... Show More
Aug 26
The Lives of the Philosophers: Camus
In our series about how twentieth-century philosophy and biography intersect, David talks to philosopher Alex Carter about the life of Albert Camus, novelist, playwright, journalist, celebrity and public intellectual. What makes Camus a philosopher as well? How was he shaped by h ... Show More
58m 42s
Feb 2024
The Returns: An Election Mini-Series from The Last Archive
Election Year 2024 is upon us. And it promises to be a bit of a mess. But where did all this mess come from? In a 4-episode mini-series drawing from our own archive, Jill Lepore and Ben Naddaff-Hafrey investigate, situate, and contextualize our present moment in the history that ... Show More
1m 42s
Oct 2020
The Electoral College
What is it, why do we have it, and why hasn't it changed? Born from a rushed, fraught, imperfect process, the origins and evolution of the Electoral College might surprise you and make you think differently about not only this upcoming presidential election, but our democracy as ... Show More
57m 7s
Feb 2025
CLASSIC: Kidnapping, Binge Drinking and Costumes: Voter Fraud in the 1800s
Allegations of U.S. voter fraud have made the rounds in recent years -- but, once upon a time, these were much more than allegations. Join the guys as they explore the massive voting fraud operations that riddled U.S. politics throughout the 19th century in this week's Classic ep ... Show More
33m 59s
Jun 2023
Colorado's Ridiculous, Disturbingly Corrupt 1904 Election, Part One: Let's Jump Off The Train
Elections are somewhere between sports and religions for the United States. It seems that, each and every time, people have problems with the official results. In this week's special two-part episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive deep into one of the most ridiculous elections in all of ... Show More
37m 57s
Feb 2021
How History Will View the 2020 Election
Presidential elections have taken place in America every four years since 1788, but the 2020 election was unlike anything we had experienced before. Amid a pandemic, an economic crisis, and a long overdue reckoning with systemic racism, Americans made their votes and voices heard ... Show More
24m 17s
Nov 2019
Scandal 54: The Election of 1800
The match-up between sitting president John Adams, and his own vice president, Thomas Jefferson—an election so rife with backstabbing, mudslinging, and constitutional controversy that it nearly led to a civil war. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoic ... Show More
48m 1s
Dec 2023
The Rise & Fall of Political Parties
<p>The two party division of the US political system is as evident as ever as we warm up to the 2024 elections. But where does this state of affairs come from?</p><br><p>Don speaks to Michael Barone, political analyst, historian and journalist, to find out more about the history ... Show More
45m 8s
Nov 2020
Bush v. Gore and Why It Matters in 2020
In the 2000 presidential election, results weren't known in one night, a week, or even a month. This week, we share an episode we loved from It's Been A Minute with Sam Sanders that revisits one of the most turbulent elections in U.S. history and what it could teach us as we wait ... Show More
29m 5s