The Civil War (1861-1865): A History Podcast (History)

In which we discuss the reasons behind the collapse of the Democratic Party, the resulting four-way contest for the presidency, and Abraham Lincoln's victory on Election Day, November 6, 1860.

Direct download: CivilWar22.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 11:49am MDT

In which we take a look at the important February 1860 speech in New York City that helped catapult Abraham Lincoln to the White House.

Direct download: CivilWar21b.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 8:18pm MDT

In which we look at John Brown's assault on Harper's Ferry in October 1859.

Direct download: CivilWar20.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 9:19pm MDT

In which we continue our coverage of the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates in 1858.

Direct download: CivilWar19.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 6:26pm MDT

In which we give the background to the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858, and then we start in on the debates themselves.

Direct download: CivilWar18.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 9:31pm MDT

In which we continue the biographical sketch of Abraham Lincoln's life in order to bring him up to speed with where we are on the podcast timeline, the year 1858.  In this episode we break the discussion up into three sections: Lincoln the Lawyer, Lincoln Gets Married, and Lincoln the Politician.

Direct download: CivilWar17.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 10:57am MDT

In which we use a special two-part biography of Abraham Lincoln to bring his life up to speed with where we currently are on the podcast timeline, the year 1858.

Direct download: CivilWar16.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 8:10pm MDT

In which we take a look at the Dred Scott case and the fiasco over the Lecompton Constitution, and show how the snowballing negative consequences from those events finally caused the Democratic Party to, once & for all, split along sectional lines. A unified Republican Party will take advantage of that split & win the presidency in 1860.

Direct download: CivilWar15.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 10:40am MDT

In which we discuss the three-way presidential contest of 1856 and its importance to the rise of the Republican Party. Plus, we see Abraham Lincoln start to position himself to be a leading national figure in the party.

Direct download: Civil_War_14.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 7:35pm MDT

In which we look at the brutal caning of Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts by Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina in May, 1856.

Direct download: CivilWar13.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 9:27pm MDT

In which we talk about Stephen Douglas's sponsorship of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, the ensuing violence in "Bleeding Kansas," & the rise of the Republican Party as a direct result of Northern outrage over the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Direct download: CivilWar12.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 8:38pm MDT

In which we discuss the Northern reaction to the new Fugitive Slave Law that was part of the Compromise of 1850.  Plus, we look at the significant impact of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Direct download: CivilWar11.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 9:31pm MDT

In which we take a fast pass through the abolitionist movement in the U.S., and show how it made a significant contribution to the sectional unraveling that led to the Civil War. 

Direct download: Civil_War_Episode10.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 8:33pm MDT

In which we take a look at some pro-slavery arguments to see why Seward's "Higher Law" speech in March 1850 made Southerners so very very angry.

Direct download: CivilWar09.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 6:53pm MDT

In which we look at the Presidential Election of 1848, the crisis over the admission of California as a free state, & how Henry Clay laid the groundwork for Stephen Douglas to sweep in and save the day with the Compromise of 1850.

Direct download: CivilWar8.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 7:54pm MDT

In which we follow along as Winfield Scott marches on Mexico City & captures it in September 1847.  We continue spotlighting some of the American officers, almost all West Point graduates, who fight in Mexico and then go on to some measure of fame in the Civil War.

 

Direct download: CivilWar07.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 11:04am MDT

In which we continue our discussion of America's war with Mexico. We talk about the military action in California & New Mexico, then cover a battle in Congress over something called the Wilmot Proviso. Finally, we move back down to the Rio Grande, where Zachary Taylor captures Monterrey and then wins the hard-fought Battle of Buena Vista in February 1847.

Direct download: CivilWar06.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 11:09am MDT

In which we look at how tensions rose along the U.S.'s southern border, and then discuss how hostilities with Mexico commenced in April 1846.

Direct download: CivilWar05.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 8:06pm MDT

In which we discuss the Tariff of Abominations, the Nullification Crisis of 1832/33, and we wonder who had the pre-Civil War era's most impressive head of hair: John C Calhoun or Andrew Jackson. Plus, Manifest Destiny beckons & we set the stage for the war with Mexico in 1846. 

Direct download: CivilWar04.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 1:03pm MDT

In which we take a look at the crisis surrounding Missouri's admission into the Union as a slave state, and Henry Clay's pivotal role in brokering the ensuing compromise in 1820. 

Direct download: CivilWar_3.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 6:47pm MDT

In which we take a look back at American history to see how slavery, even from the colonial period, played a major role in shaping & defining the country's political landscape. 

Direct download: CivilWar_2.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 6:17pm MDT

In which we give an introduction to the podcast, share a bit about ourselves, & discuss why we think the Civil War is still deserving of attention & study today. 

Direct download: CW001.mp3
Category:History -- posted at: 11:23am MDT