History Analyzed

Thomas Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence; he was a driving force in America's religious freedoms and the separation of church and state; and he doubled the size of the U.S. with the Louisiana Purchase. He also owned approximately 600 people in his lifetime. This episode explores his great achievements, as well as the failings in his personal life, particularly regarding slavery.

Instead of a regular History Analyzed episode, we are doing a crossover with another podcast: History Daily. Every weekday, History Daily presents a "this day in history"; meaning they explore a momentous event that happened on that date. This episode covers one of the greatest speeches by any American: the Gettysburg Address. You can find History Daily on all podcast apps or simply go to historydaily.com. Or click here: https://www.historydaily.com/

Because of the Electoral College, individual Americans do not directly vote for their president. This episode explores: what is the Electoral College; why slavery was the main reason for this system; some bizarre and undemocratic election results; an analysis of whether the Electoral College is a fair system; and the structure of the Federal government.

On May 6, 1937, the hydrogen filled zeppelin known as the Hindenburg exploded as it was landing in New Jersey. Surprisingly, 62 of the 97 people on board survived. Experts still argue as to what caused an airship the size of the Titanic to be destroyed in approximately 34 seconds.

For a few months in 1898, the United States was at war with Spain. This essentially marked the end of the Spanish Empire and the beginning of the U.S. as a world power. As a result of this brief war, Theodore Roosevelt became president, Cuba became an independent country, Puerto Rico and Guam became American territories, and the U.S. occupied the Philippines for 48 years. That occupation led to the much longer Philippine-American War (1899-1902).