May 22, 1856. Charles Sumner isn’t worried about making friends in the Senate. His rhetoric is inflammatory, almost intentionally. He’s an ardent abolitionist in a time when people are still enslaved throughout the South.
In his most recent speech, Sumner attacked his colleagues directly, especially pro-slavery Senator Andrew Butler. Butler’s cousin, Preston ... Show More
Oct 26
1066: The Brother Who Broke England (w/ Greg Jenner)
October 28, 1065. The king’s council meets in Oxford and throws a man out of England. His name is Tostig Godwinson, and the north of England already hates him. His own brother Harold, the most powerful earl in the realm and the likely next king, refuses to save him.Tostig does no ... Show More
29m 22s
Dec 2023
A House Divided: Various Times Congress Tried to Beat the Snot Out of Each Other
Media pundits love to say America is 'divided as never before' -- but how true is that? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into multiple Congressional debacles, from that time a civil war almost happened (before the actual civil war) to that time one guy literally assault ... Show More
54m 36s
Nov 2024
41 | Lord Give Me a Sign | It’s the Senate, and We in It
The Civil War’s over, countless Black people are making their way in a new and dangerous world, and their fight for equality and representation ain’t over. Two Black men – preacher Hiram Revels and the formerly enslaved Blanche Bruce – rise up during U.S. Reconstruction with diff ... Show More
38m 53s
Sep 2025
Free as a Verb: Art, Speech, and Conflict in Antebellum America
What did “free speech” mean before the Civil War...and what did it cost? Today, I'm exploring how Americans have debated the meaning of liberty through words, images, and even violence beginning with Samuel Jennings’s 1792 painting 'Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences' in 17 ... Show More
44m 27s
Apr 2020
What Happened To The Racist F***ing A**hole Dick Officials Of The Confederacy After The Civil War? with Professor Robert Icenhauer-Ramirez
Lawyer, historian, and author Robert Icenhauer-Ramirez sits down with Jonathan to discuss the Civil War and its aftermath, including what happened to confederate officials, the process of abolishing slavery, Lincoln’s presidency, and much more.
Professor Icenhauer-Ramirez's book ... Show More
1h 8m
Feb 2022
Episode CLXXXIII - Philippics
As the power struggle in Rome continued and generals waged their war on the battlefield, Cicero took to the floors of the senate, confronting Antony with the greatest weapon in his arsenal: the spoken word. He called his speeches the Philippics, and they were influential in turni ... Show More
42m 30s