The Magical History Tour Podcast

In this tour we’ll see the election of our first African-American President, Barak Obama. We’ll study the continued polarization as exemplified by Republican legislators who would refuse to work with the administration, as well as movements such as the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street movement. We’ll finally get a healthcare plan, and it is also here that we will see Putin’s first attempts to move into Ukraine. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

First we’ll tour important cultural shifts in the 90s and early 2000s, then we’ll take a look at the election of 2000, 9/11, and the War on Terrorism. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

Clinton's two terms in office were marked with impressive economic wins, as globalization changes the economic tableau, and dot coms and budget surpluses displayed a period of prolonged prosperity. At the same time, ups like welfare reform and helping to bring peace in the Balkans and downs like the inability to fix the healthcare system and the scandals that plagued the administration will make for a bumpy ride on this tour. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

Though only one term, George H. W. Bush governed during a time when a lot was going on geopolitically, including the collapse of Soviet communism, crisis in the Middle East that led to war, and the successful ousting of Manuel Noriega in Panama. All of that, coupled with a War on Drugs at home and a questionable economy will make for a busy four years. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

Take a tour of the Reagan years, and find out more about supply-side economics, lowering inflation, the deficit, the Iran-Contra Affair, and making America stand tall again. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

Both Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter inherited a lot of problems when they stepped into the Oval Office, and while they had good intentions, things like the Energy Crisis, massive inflation, and a hostage crisis will take their toll. In most instances, these two presidents make the choice to do what is right over what will get them re-elected. Come join our tour of the seventies! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

This week’s tour shows us the many different sides of President Richard Nixon. The moderate Republican, his environmental efforts, and his unfortunate paranoia that will lead to a number of scandals, including Watergate. Find out more about the Saturday Night Massacre, the public’s indignant response, and Nixon’s decision to resign. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

The decade of the sixties was chaotic, and dreams of a Great Society were dashed as the country was awash in protests against the Vietnam War, and for Civil Rights for African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Women, Homosexuals, and other underrepresented groups. Some Baby Boomers even pursued personal rebellion - turning on, tuning in, and dropping out with the counter culture. Buckle up - it’s a bumpy, wild tour! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

From working with Ho Chi Minh to expel the Japanese from Vietnam in World War II, to Ford’s refusal to get involved when Ho Chi Minh’s army overtook South Vietnam in 1975, we take a tour of each president and their involvement in Southeast Asia. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

This tour takes a look at the presidency of John F. Kennedy, including Kennedy’s New Frontier legislation, the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. We’ll also look at the Great Society legislation passed during Lyndon B. Johnson’s tenure in office after JFK’s assassination, and at the election of 1968. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

To round out our tour of the 1950s, we’ll take a look at some of the issues that were getting noticed during the time period, like the beatniks and the beginning of the counterculture movement, Rosa Parks and MLK, Jr. and the civil rights movement in the 50s, and things that were going on in foreign affairs, like the Kitchen Debate. Take the tour! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

The fifties is the era people often pinpoint as “the good old days,” and in this episode we see the rise of the Baby Boomers, television, and suburbia…all those Stepford Wives, you know…We’ll also see how people react to the idea of nuclear war, now that both sides have the ability to destroy the world. And still, all those pesky communists living just around the corner. Good times in the fifties….come take the tour! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

In the late 1940s we see growing concern of a “communist menace” in America. The House Unamerican Activities Committee begins investigating those who might be communist spies, or tools of the communists. Things like loyalty oaths and people like Joseph McCarthy only fuel the paranoia, and people’s jobs and reputations are affected. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

My apologies for the post-laryngitis voice, but I felt the need to honor our 39th President of the United States this week as he is laid to rest. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

Truman has a hard time transitioning out of the wartime economy, has to run for reelection when he’s not the most popular, and then gets involved in a “conflict” in Korea…and MacArthur finally gets his comeuppance. He doesn’t lose the war - only his job. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

On this tour we’ll see the beginnings of the cold war between the United States and the Soviets, try out the containment policy, and see how we draw a line in the sand with the Berlin Airlift. We’ll also briefly look at the formation of the United Nations, the IMF and World Bank, and NATO. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

In this tour we’ll see the difficulties in fighting Japan in the Pacific, as well as learn about the Manhattan Project and the dropping of the first atomic bomb. We’ll also get a glimpse of the Cold War to come… This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

Our tour takes us to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S. official entry into the war. We’ll take a look at anti-Japanese sentiments and their results, and see the fighting through until we achieve victory in Europe. Also, be sure to check out the newsletter for some visuals from D-Day and book recommendations. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

In part one of our World War II tour we'll take a look at the rise of fascism in Italy and Germany, as well as the rise of Japan. We'll also see how Great Britain, France, and the United States practice appeasement with Germany and Japan, and just how well (or not!) that works out for them... This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

Here we tour Roosevelt’s attempts to bring us out of the Great Depression, taking a look at some of the programs, problems, and successes of New Deal America, as well as its lasting effects. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

Today we’ll tour the economic issues that led to the stock market crash of 1929, and just how that affected the United States and the rest of the world. Hoover can’t seem to do anything right, and things are looking pretty bleak until FDR comes along promising a New Deal for the American people. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

Harding tries to dismantle social and economic components of progressivism, Coolidge lets business take the reins economically, and we decide we don’t like unions again. Additionally, companies like Listerine created ads that made everyone really self-conscious about their bad breath and modern advertising is born… This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

We’ll see the issues over immigration and racism, the rise and decline of the KKK, the flowering Harlem Renaissance, and Marcus Garvey’s separatist movement. We’ll also check in on how those Prohibition laws are working for us (hint - they aren’t), and observe the Scopes Trial, where the country argues over science versus religion. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

Our tour takes a look at the attitudes stemming from the Great War. We go from extremely positive, we’ll-perfect'-society-or-else outlooks to very negative, did-you-see-what-happened-in-the-war-people-are-awful outlooks. We’ll examine the literature, the politics, and even the newspapers, all of which show a sense of disillusionment weighing heavily on society. **Be sure to check out the BONUS Newsletter that goes along with this podcast, or check out the articles on my blog at www.hollisknodewrites.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

In this tour, President Wilson heads to Europe to negotiate peace talks with his 14 Points…which dwindle quickly down to almost no points other than the League of Nations. But surprise! We don’t even join the entity that we created! And not listening to Wilson is a bad idea, but we’ll let the rise of Hitler speak for itself later…. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

In this tour, future President Hoover does some really good work for America…but you just wait…he’ll ruin that good rep when he becomes President. Additionally, we see how America comes together, but also gets a bit intolerant if you happen to be German, and how civil liberties fly out the window in many cases. Women gain the vote, African Americans hope their help in the war will lead to better civil rights, and while we hated labor unions before, during the war we love them. This love/hate relationship with labor will continue ad nauseam even into today. Wanna find out more? Come take the tour! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

From the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand to the armistice, we tour the Great War. Part one of this Great War series looks at the events that led to war, how it became a stalemate, and how the U.S. was drawn in. Come take the tour! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

After the Spanish-American War we are looking outward much more. Teddy Roosevelt builds a canal in Panama, we have a rocky relationship with Japan, and we meddle in Mexico’s civil war, causing issues that just might hurt us in the war to come… This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

We’ll wrap up our tour of the progressive period with a look at the three progressive presidents of the era - T.R., Taft, and Wilson. We’ll see a LOT of Teddy Roosevelt, so what else can I say? You’ve gotta take the tour! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

We’ll tour the automobile factories of Henry Ford and see businesses changing to achieve maximum efficiency with the Principles of Scientific Management, a horrible fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory that led to reform, and various progressive movements like prohibition and the feminists. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

This week we take an overview of the progressive period…and we’ll find out it’s actually a conservative movement - What? Progressives are conservative?! We’ll see the muckrakers digging into the seamier side of life to highlight the problems that need to be addressed, and Upton Sinclair giving everyone some severe nausea when he exposes the grossness that was the meatpacking industry. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

I know you occasionally hear from my Teaching Assistants in my podcast, but the majority of their “help” is edited out…here’s a quick look at what really goes on while I’m recording! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

We’ll be talking about the hypocrisy of the United States taking colonies, touring the Spanish-American War with our favorite Rough Rider, Teddy Roosevelt, seeing the rise of Yellow Journalism and the NY Newspaper Wars, and being shocked that we were in a war with the Philippines that most people probably didn’t know about.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

In this episode we cover the politics of the late 1800s, including the rise of the Populist party, how The Wizard of Oz can help you remember all the crazy politics of the era, and a couple more presidential assassinations….enough to finally make us realize we might need to organize the Secret Service. Plus Teddy Roosevelt makes an appearance, which is always entertaining. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

Come take a tour of the frontier in the late 1800s that will include getting a glimpse of people like Buffalo Bill Cody and General Custer. We'll see how the native tribes were faring in the late 1800s and how the United States gradually took over the rest of the West. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

This tour we’ll look at how pro sports like baseball become our national pastime. We’ll also tour city politics, the changes in education and literature, the expansion of the middle class, and a little Supreme Court ruling called Plessy v. Ferguson that established the idea of separate but equal. We’ll even meet distinguished black educators Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois, so come take the tour! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

This episode looks at immigration in the late 1800s - who’s coming over and why, and how they’re treated by the immigrants who were here before them. We also see signifcant growth in the cities on our tour, and how that affects the people living there. Come join the tour! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

In the last episode we saw a rise of big business and the problems that came along with that, and now we see the reactions of the working class. Between the 1870s and the turn of the century we’ll see a lot of labor unrest and attempts to get better working conditions, hours, and pay for the working class by setting up labor unions. Come check it out! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

Today we're touring the inventors, the entrepreneurs, and the big businesses formed after the Civil War, as well as taking a look at the results of these burgeoning industries - things like the widening income gap, the working conditions, and just who was working at what jobs.  Come join the tour! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

The second half of American history begins next week! Stay tuned, and catch up on all of your previous tours while you wait. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

Here we see the different plans of Lincoln, Johnson, and Congress to put the Union back together again once the war was over. Additionally, we’ll tour post-war attempts to give newly freed slaves civil rights, and see how that works out in the end. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

Today’s tour takes us to the Battle of Bull Run all the way through the end of the war, and Lincoln’s assassination. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

In this episode, we see the reaction from the Supreme Court’s sectional decision of the Dred Scott Case, tour the election of 1860, and see the South’s reaction to Lincoln’s election. We’ll then tour the kickoff of the Civil War, which takes place at Ft. Sumpter. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

This tour takes us down the road to the Civil War, beginning with arguments over extending slavery into the new territories won in the Mexican-American War. We’ll tour the Kansas-Nebraska territory as the settlers fight it out over whether to become a slave or free state, and wind up with the election of 1856 and the rise of the Republican party. Take the tour! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

We’ll take about half a second to look at William Henry Harrison’s presidency – which is about how long it lasted. He’ll be followed by John Tyler and James K. Polk, who will work to significantly expand the United states westward. We’ll tour the Alamo and a little Texas history, and we’ll see the Mexican-American war. It’s our Manifest Destiny to see a LOT of history today! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

We’ll see how religion affects culture in the mid-1800s, and take a look at the outpouring of great literature. Additionally, we’ll tour the reform movements like temperance, abolition, and women's rights. Finally, our tour takes us to the really interesting utopian societies that spring up throughout the country. It's a wild ride, so take the tour! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

This tour takes a look at the South and the institution of slavery, including slave owners, slave life, rebellions, and reactions.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

This tour takes us through the scandal of the Petticoat Affair and the problems between Jackson and his Vice President, Calhoun. We'll get into the elections of 1832 and 1836, where we see the rise of the Whig party in response to Jackson's handling of the bank issue. Lots more drama in the Jackson years that you won't want to miss! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

In the election of 1824 there were five candidates, one popular winner, and a completely different candidate elected. This led us to a very nasty, bitter election in 1828. On this tour we watch the drama unfold between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. You won’t want to miss it! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com

Monroe had the luck to be President when the country was relatively free of divisive issues. Patriotism from the Battle of New Orleans abounded…but what bad feelings might have been lurking under the surface? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hollisknodewrites.substack.com