This American President

She survived a deadly explosion aboard a presidential warship, married the president of the United States, transformed herself into one of Washington’s most glamorous and politically savvy first ladies—and eventually sided with the Confederacy during the Civil War.
In this episode, historian Christopher J. Leahy discusses his new book, Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler. We explore Julia’s remarkable rise to the White House, her pioneering use of publicity and image, her influence on President John Tyler, and the controversial choices that defined her later life. Along the way, we ask a bigger question: just how much power can a first lady wield without ever holding elected office?
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The Gettysburg Address may be the most famous speech in American history—but did Abraham Lincoln have a speechwriter?
In this episode, Jan Cigliano Hartman discusses her new book, John Hay: The Voice Behind the Legendary Oratory of Abraham Lincoln, arguing that Lincoln's trusted private secretary, John Hay, played a much greater role in developing the president's legendary speeches than most Americans realize. Together, we explore Hay's remarkable partnership with Lincoln, the story behind the Gettysburg Address and other iconic speeches, and why one of the most influential figures of the Civil War has largely been forgotten.

LINCOLN'S SPEECHWRITER: JOHN HAY AND THE FRIENDSHIP THAT INSPIRED AMERICAN ELOQUENCE
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FDGS72WM
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CREDITS
Host: Richard Lim
Producer: Michael Neal
Cover Art: Nip Rogers, www.NipRogers.com
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He has been called one of the most consequential presidents in American history—and one of the most complicated. He was described as crude and compassionate, domineering and deeply empathetic. A political force of nature, Lyndon B. Johnson possessed a legendary ability to persuade, cajole, and outmaneuver nearly anyone in his path. He shepherded landmark civil rights legislation through Congress, won one of the greatest landslide victories in American history, and is often regarded as the most effective legislator ever to occupy the White House. Yet by the end of his presidency, the Vietnam War had made him a deeply polarizing figure, besieged by protesters and increasingly isolated.
The president was Lyndon B. Johnson—and Tom Johnson had a front-row seat to it all.
In this episode, Tom Johnson, former aide to LBJ and later publisher of the Los Angeles Times and president of CNN, reflects on his years alongside the 36th president during one of the most turbulent periods in American history. Drawing from his new memoir, Driven: A Life in Public Service and Journalism from LBJ to CNN, Johnson shares what it was really like to work for LBJ amid the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the upheaval of the 1960s.
DRIVEN: A LIFE IN PUBLIC SERVICE AND JOURNALISM FROM LBJ TO CNN
https://www.amazon.com/Driven-Life-Public-Service-Journalism/dp/0820374539
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CREDITS
Host: Richard Lim
Producer: Michael Neal
Cover Art: Nip Rogers, www.NipRogers.com
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In the early years of the republic, the United States was a nation in name—but not always in practice. Vast distances and rugged mountains threatened to pull the young country apart.
In this episode, historian Brady Crytzer discusses his new book, The National Road, and explains how George Washington's vision of binding the states together through internal improvements ultimately became America's first great federal highway under Albert Gallatin. We explore how a single road helped transform a fragile republic into a more united nation.
THE NATIONAL ROAD: GEORGE WASHINGTON AND AMERICA'S FIRST HIGHWAY WEST
https://www.amazon.com/National-Road-Washington-Americas-Highway/dp/1635769493/
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CREDITS
Host: Richard Lim
Producer: Michael Neal
Cover Art: Nip Rogers, www.NipRogers.com
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Two leaders. Thousands of nuclear weapons. One meeting that changed everything.
In this episode, Michael Russell Gunn, director of Brink of War, explores the extraordinary Reykjavík Summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev—a meeting many believe paved the way for the end of the Cold War. We discuss Reagan's strategy of pursuing a nuclear-free world while preserving America's leverage, the remarkable relationship between the two leaders, and the making of the film starring Jeff Daniels, J.K. Simmons, and Jared Harris.

THE BRINK OF WAR
https://www.angel.com/movies/brink-of-war?
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CREDITS
Host: Richard Lim
Producer: Michael Neal
Cover Art: Nip Rogers, www.NipRogers.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.