Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast

In this episode, historian and author Salina Baker discusses her latest book, The Line of Splendor: A Novel of Nathaneal Greene and the American Revolution. Tune in to learn who Greene was, what role…

Considered by some historians to be the most important amendment to the Constitution, the 14th Amendment sought to codify the protections provided by the 1866 Civil Rights Act. Tune in to learn why S…

For a period of three days in May of 1866, the city of Memphis was plagues with violence as racial tensions exploded. The first race riot to happen after the Civil War, the massacre demonstrated how …

After President Andrew Johnson's initial attempts at "reconstruction" demonstrated his hostility toward Black Americans, Republican members of Congress focused their energies on forging a new path fo…

Join me on the 83rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor where I dive into why Japan attacked, how the United States responded, and what the legacy the attack left behind. 

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Joining me this week is Dr. Katie Singer who recently wrote Alien Soil: Oral Histories of Great Migration Newark. Our conversation covers everything from the importance of oral history to the lived e…

At the end of the Civil War, Andrew Johnson faced quite the task in assessing how to reunite the country after years of bloody conflict. A man not known for his political acumen, Johnson moved quickl…

The boys and I are back again with another Friendsgiving Spectacular! Tune in as Jerry, Kenny, Howard, and I ask each other questions and dive into the weird and unusual story of the American past. 

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Join me this week as I dive into how Black Americans entered the political arena in the years immediately after the Civil War. In this episode, I discuss the history of Union Leagues, Black Codes, an…

Robert Smalls was one of millions of Black American born into slavery in 1839. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Smalls embarked on one of the most daring escapes imaginable by commandeering a conf…

Joining me this week is Dr. Donna Nichol to discuss her latest book Black Woman on Board: Claudia Hampton, the California State University, and the Fight to Save Affirmative Action. Her work traces t…

Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds is one of the most iconic horror movies in the history of cinema. Filmed in Bodega Bay, California in the 1960s, the terrifying story was plagued with production issues a…

Join me this week as I dive into the mysterious story of America's first female serial killer, Belle Gunness. Learn how her meager beginnings in Norway motivated her to seek prosperity in the United …

Join me this week as I sit down with authors Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy to discuss their new book, With Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare. 

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In the earliest months of Reconstruction, several Black Americans were elected to political offices throughout the south. The first man to serve in the Senate, Hiram Revels, hailed from the state of …

What was the Freedmen's Bureau, and how did it shape the post-Civil War South? Join me this week as I dive into the triumphs and trials of this historic agency. Learn how the Freedmen's Bureau worked…

As the dust settled in the aftermath of the Civil War, the United States had several challenges to address. How should formerly seceded states be reintroduced to the Union? What punishment, if any, s…

Joining me this week is Dan Slater. He is an author whose work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and GQ. Slater recently wrote the book The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpi…

As news of end of the Civil War spread, officials made arrangements to get former POWs home. For union men, this meant traveling via steamship. A frequent method of travel, steamships had a reputatio…

As the Union continued to rack up military victories deep in Confederate territory, there was a sense the end of the war was near. Despite hopeful sentiments, Abraham Lincoln remained stoic and cauti…