Author Archives: Rich & Tracy Y

Civil War Podcast, Episode 3

Henry Clay (1777-1852)

In which we take a look at the acrimonious debate surrounding the Missouri Crisis, and Henry Clay of Kentucky’s pivotal role in brokering the Compromise of 1820.  

Our book recommendations for this episode is The Missouri Compromise and Its Aftermath: Slavery and the Meaning of America by Robert Pierce Forbes.  The inside flap of this book says that the author “goes behind the scenes of the crucial Missouri Compromise, the most important sectional crisis before the Civil War, to reveal the high-level deal-making, diplomacy, and deception that defused the crisis…”


Listen to Episode 3: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML8851342507.mp3?updated=1694099766

Civil War Podcast, Episode 2


In which we take a look back to see why slavery was such a thorny issue and how it played a major role in shaping & defining the early American political landscape.

We have two book recommendations for this episode. The first is What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 by Daniel Walker Howe.  This hefty tome won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in History, but it’s probably more for the serious-minded student of history, so…

For those of you not wishing to jump right into the deep end of the pool, we’re also recommending another Pulitzer Prize-winning history book.  It’s Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James McPherson.  This book provides a comprehensive narrative of the period, but is a bit more accessible to the general reader.


Listen to Episode 2: SlaveryAndPolitics

Civil War Podcast, Episode 1

INTRODUCTION

Frederick Douglass (1818?-1895)

In which we give an introduction to the podcast, and share why we think the Civil War is still deserving of study & attention today.  Plus, you find out which one of us is a Yankee and which of us hails from south of the Mason-Dixon Line!

Our book recommendation for this episode is the newest edition of an old classic: “The American Heritage New History of the Civil War.”