Best Prof Greg Jackson Podcasts (2025)

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Introducing: What We Spend 13:01

3h ago13:01

13:01

A new HTDS episode about The Hoover Dam debuts May 5th. Meanwhile, we'd like to introduce a new show from our partners at Audacy: What We Spend. Imagine if you could ask someone anything you wanted about their finances. On What We Spend, people from across the country and across the financial spectrum are opening their wallets—and their lives—to te…

1
America 250: The Boston Campaign 1775-76: A Leadership Discussion with Gen. William Rapp 1:03:28

7d ago1:03:28

1:03:28

This is a conversation to kick off the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Retired U.S. Army Major General and history buff, Bill Rapp, drops some knowledge on how the colonies weren't exactly gung-ho for a full-blown revolution before April 1775. Turns out, they were mostly ticked off and feeling rebellious in response to intolerable Bri…

1
177: An Epilogue to the New Deal and CCC Deep Dive with Neil Maher 54:46

21d ago54:46

54:46

A discussion of the recent HTDS narrative episodes on FDR and the New Deal. Think of it as a book club for additional insights into these latest chapters of the HTDS chronological story of America. Professor Greg Jackson is joined by Professor Lindsey Cormack to discuss the government's response to the Great Depression and the legacy of the New Dea…

1
176: FDR v. “The Nine Old Men” (The New Deal pt. 3): Court Packing and Closing the New Deal 1:11:18

1M ago1:11:18

1:11:18

“No matter how great and good a man may be, executive aggrandizement is not safe for democracy.” This is the story of Franklin’s second term and his battle with the Supreme Court. It’s no secret that SCOTUS hasn’t really been ruling in the New Deal’s favor. But with such an overwhelming victory at the polls, Franklin feels confident that he can cir…

1
175: The Dirty Thirties (The New Deal pt. 2): Dust, Doubts, and the “Second” New Deal 1:11:28

2M ago1:11:28

1:11:28

“I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet.” This is the story of FDR’s first term after facing down the initial emergency. 100 days down, about 1,300 more to go—for this term at least. After the whirlwind of new bills and “alphabet agencies” (AAA, CCC, etc.), the nation is adjusting to and examining FDR’s New De…

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174: The First “First Hundred Days:” FDR Kicks Off the New Deal 1:07:05

2M ago1:07:05

1:07:05

“[We] had forgotten to be Republicans or Democrats. We were just a bunch of men trying to save the banking system.” This is the story of FDR’s first 100 days in office. In early 1933, banks foreclose on thousands upon thousands of homes and farms every month. The banks have little choice–they too are failing! Meanwhile, unemployment is hovering nea…

1
173: From Hyde Park to the White House: The Early Life and Election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1:11:24

3M ago1:11:24

1:11:24

“First of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself-–nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” This is the story of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s journey to the White House. Even as a young boy, Franklin admires his fifth cousin Theodore Roosev…

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172: Breadlines, Bank Failures, & the Bonus Army: Hoover & the Early Great Depression 1:06:40

4M ago1:06:40

1:06:40

"Too much praise cannot be given to the President for the prompt and resolute and skillful way in which he has set about reassuring the country after the financial collapse.” This is the story of Herbert Hoover’s facing the early years of the Great Depression. Just after the stock market crash of 1929, people aren’t expecting the worst. Most, inclu…

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171: Christmas Special VIII: Festivities in the Jazz Age 34:10

5M ago34:10

34:10

“There is a million dollars here for the asking!” This is the story of Christmas in the 1920s. Yeah, the whole decade—why not? One hundred years ago, people were just beginning (or reviving) traditions that are entrenched in our holiday celebrations today. Charitable giving at Christmas is ever present, and the winter of 1920 features the Great Hum…

1
170: The Crash of 1929 & Meeting President Herbert Hoover 1:06:14

5M ago1:06:14

1:06:14

“A wise man never sells out at the first sign of trouble. That’s for the pikers.” This is the story of the 1929 Wall Street Crash. On October 24, or “Black Thursday,” stock prices plunge unexpectedly. Early the next week, whatever was left of the bottom falls out on “Black Tuesday.” The New York Stock Exchange has crashed. The Roaring 20s are over.…

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169: An Epilogue to the 1920s: Youth culture, The Great Gatsby, and more with Professor Sarah Churchwell 44:36

6M ago44:36

44:36

Our last few episodes have reveled in stories of the popularization of movies, music and sports during the Roaring 1920s. In this epilogue episode, Professor Jackson steps out of storytelling mode and into classroom mode (that doesn’t suck). To help us better understand the lasting cultural impact of this period, he’s invited Dr. Sarah Churchwell w…

1
168: Halloween Special IV: Nosferatu and Silent Horror 40:17

6M ago40:17

40:17

“His Lordship from Transylvania would like to purchase a nice house in our small town . . . it will take a bit of effort . . . a bit of sweat and perhaps . . . a bit of blood . . .” This is the story of the Great Death in Wisborg in 1838. Nosferatu is a 1922 classic horror film, one of the first ever made. It sort of recalls Bram Stoker’s Dracula—e…

1
167: The Golden Age of Sports: Horse Racing, Boxing, Basketball, Football, & Jim Thorpe 59:43

7M ago59:43

59:43

“We have a basket and a ball, and it seems to me that would be a good name for it.” This is the story of America’s varied athletic endeavors (besides baseball). Though each sport could provide enough material for an entire episode, it would probably run us into overtime, and the 1920s are drawing to a close. As Black Thursday approaches, it’s time …

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166: A Conversation on Negro Leagues Baseball History with Bob Kendrick 52:58

7M ago52:58

52:58

As a follow up to episode 165 America’s Favorite Pastime: Baseball, we’re proud to share an interview with Bob Kendrick, the President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO. Founded in 1990, the NLBM is the world’s only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of African-American baseball and its profound im…

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165: America’s Favorite Pastime: Baseball, the Negro Leagues, and the Great Bambino 1:02:35

7M ago1:02:35

1:02:35

"As I hit the ball, every muscle in my system, every sense I had, told me that I had never hit a better one . . . I didn't have to look. But I did. That ball . . . hit . . . exactly the spot I had pointed to." This is the story of the most American sport: baseball. Americans have been playing ball for a good long while now—even General Washington e…

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164: Harlem Renaissance: The Great Migration, Jazz, and the Flowering of Black Culture 1:04:33

8M ago1:04:33

1:04:33

“Harlem is the queen of the black belts, drawing Aframericans together in a vast humming hive . . . from the different states, from the islands of the Caribbean, and from Africa . . . It is the Negro capital of the world.” This is the story of the Harlem Renaissance. In the early twentieth century, many Black families and individuals down South are…

1
163: The Show (Boat) Must Go On: Broadway and the American Musical 1:01:46

8M ago1:01:46

1:01:46

“Miller, Lyles, and I were standing near the exit door . . . Blake stuck out there in front, leading the orchestra—his bald head would get the brunt of the tomatoes and rotten eggs.” This is the story of American musical theater and the dawn of modern Broadway. Popular entertainment is evolving fast in the early twentieth century. Minstrel shows ju…

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162: The Birth of the Movies: From Silent Cinema to the Rise of Hollywood & the First “Talkie” 1:04:06

9M ago1:04:06

1:04:06

“Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain’t heard nothing yet!” This is the story of the silver screen. In the late nineteenth century, technology is advancing rapidly. Eadweard Muybridge’s trip-wire camera work, made famous by a “motion study” of a galloping horse, is giving way to smoother and longer projections. Some see these short films simply as…

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161: An Epilogue Toast to Prohibition’s End with Author Daniel Okrent 39:11

9M ago39:11

39:11

Cheers to Professor Jackson’s post Prohibition conversation with distinguished author Daniel Okrent! Dan is the the author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, winner of the American Historical Association’s prize for the year’s best book of American History when it was published in 2011. Last Call was a go-to book in the HTDS bibliograp…

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160: Al Capone & the End of Prohibition 1:05:35

10M ago1:05:35

1:05:35

“Only Capone kills like that.” This is the story of the rise and fall of Al Capone, and the last gasps of Prohibition. No other gangster compares to Scarface. He’s remained prominent in the American consciousness for 100 years due to his overt violence and lavish lifestyle, funded by *ahem* unsavory business practices. He brazenly orders murders li…

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159: Scofflaws, Moonshiners, Bootleggers, and Crime Lords 1:01:51

10M ago1:01:51

1:01:51

“Don’t ask me nothin’! You hear me? Don’t ask! And don’t bring anybody in here for me to identify. I won’t identify them even if I know they did it!” This is the story of the nation’s up-and-coming criminal underground. By 1920, with few exceptions, producing, buying, and selling alcohol is outlawed, but that doesn’t stop enterprising Americans. Ma…

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158: Prohibition - So You Wanna Be a Rum Runner? 58:25

11M ago58:25

58:25

“You’re Bill McCoy.” “Never heard of him.” This is the story of a crazy decade-plus when America outlawed booze…but the liquor kept flowing. The Prohibition era marks a partial return to the Golden Age of Piracy, with bootleggers frequenting old haunts in the Caribbean, including Nassau, capital of The Bahamas. These sailors are also buying, sellin…

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157: Temperance, Prohibition, and the Path to the 18th Amendment 1:02:31

11M ago1:02:31

1:02:31

Episode Description: “Farewell, you good-for-nothing, God-forsaken, iniquitous, bleary-eyed, bloated-faced old imp of perdition, farewell!” This is the story of the path to prohibition. Early America drinks a lot – I mean, A LOT. Alcohol doesn’t give you dysentery, it’s used as a medicine, and in the first decades of the Republic, whiskey is cheape…

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156: The Presidency of “Silent” Cal Coolidge 1:03:03

11M ago1:03:03

1:03:03

“I believe I can swing it.” This is the story of the Coolidge Administration. Calvin Coolidge isn’t the most talkative guy–he’s painfully shy, to be frank–but “Silent Cal” does care deeply about public service. Over the years, the thrifty, hard-working New Englander moves up the ranks, from municipal offices to state offices, until, as Massachusett…

1
155: The Life & Times of Warren G. Harding & The Teapot Dome Scandal 1:09:11

12M ago1:09:11

1:09:11

“If you knew of a great scandal in our administration, would you for the good of the country and the party expose it publicly or would you bury it?” This is the story of a brilliant man’s presidency and the greatest presidential scandal to precede Watergate. This is the story of Warren G. Harding and the Teapot Dome Scandal. Growing up in Ohio, War…

1
154: An Epilogue Discussion with Ben Sawyer 1:03:35

1y ago1:03:35

1:03:35

The Prof. sits down with fellow Prof. Ben Sawyer of the Road to Now Podcast and Middle Tennessee State University to chat through the last volume episodes. Russia, the Red Scare, the second Klan, and more, while Ben gets Greg to share behind-the-scenes details on the writing process. Enjoy! ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into e…

1
153: West Virginia’s Mine Wars: From Trouble in Matewan to the Battle of Blair Mountain 1:04:36

1y ago1:04:36

1:04:36

“I want to say make no settlement until they sign up that every bloody murderer of a guard has got to go.” This is the story of the largest uprising in the United States since the Civil War. As unions spread across the Progressive-Era United States, West Virginia mine owners manage to keep them out. They have some good reasons (tough margins) and s…

1
152: The Second Ku Klux Klan: Racism, Anti-Semitism, & Anti-Catholicism in the 1920s 1:04:49

1y ago1:04:49

1:04:49

“Every official except one elected yesterday at the first municipal election of this borough had been endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan.” This is the story of the Second Ku Klux Klan. It’s been nearly half a century since the Third Enforcement Act killed off the Klan in 1871. But amid Jim Crow segregation in 1915, the lynching of a Jewish Georgian Leo F…

1
151: The First Red Scare - Bombings, The Palmer Raids, Eugene Debs, and J. Edgar Hoover 1:04:52

1y ago1:04:52

1:04:52

“Palmer, do not let this country see red.” This is the story of America’s First Red Scare. On June 2, 1919, Attorney General Mitchell Palmer is just going to bed when the first floor of his home is blown apart. It was a bomb, and part of a larger plot to attack several national leaders. It’s the work of anarchists. Shaken to the core, Mitch is dete…

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150: The Great War’s Aftermath: Coming Home, The Spanish Flu, & The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 1:06:01

1y ago1:06:01

1:06:01

“I keep wondering if the Unknown Soldier is one of my men.” This is the story of the United States coping with and facing the aftermath of World War I. The American Expeditionary Force in France is breaking up but that means a lot of different things as doughboys occupy Germany, go fight in Russia, convalesce, or just head home. If only going home …

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149: WWI Epilogue 52:49

1+ y ago52:49

52:49

The Episode to end all … World War I episodes. Professor Jackson sits down with Kelsi Dynes to talk through all the things that didn’t make it into the final Great War episodes and go big picture on the Meuse-Argonne, Armistice, and Treaty of Versailles. Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendat…

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148: Tales of Christmas from World War I (A Truce, Plum Pudding, and Love) 38:42

1+ y ago38:42

38:42

“The circumstances under which we are spending this particular Christmas are unusual.” This is the story of the Christmases of World War I. Germans and British troops, singing carols together. French and German troops, kicking, playing sports and exchanging treats. It may not last, but for a brief moment–for Christmas of 1914–these opposing armies …

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147: Peacemaking in Paris: The Treaty of Versailles 1:09:04

1+ y ago1:09:04

1:09:04

“A Peace which cannot be defended in the name of justice before the whole world would continually call forth fresh resistance” This is the story of peacemaking in 1919–a fraught peacemaking. With the Armistice signed, some 30 nations (led by the major Allied Powers) are gathering in Paris, France, to deliberate on the terms they’ll give to Germany.…

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146: The Armistice of November 11, 1918 1:07:47

1+ y ago1:07:47

1:07:47

“The German delegation has come to receive the proposals of the Allied Powers looking to an armistice.” This is the story of guns falling silent across war-ravaged fronts–the story of the Great War’s armistice between Germany and the Allied Powers. Sailors are mutinying. Soldiers are breaking. A revolution–possibly a Bolshevist revolution–is knocki…

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145: Halloween Special III: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 51:10

1+ y ago51:10

51:10

“If I can but reach that bridge,” thought Ichabod, “I am safe.” This is the story of schoolmaster Ichabod Crane and his ride home after an evening spent trying to woo Katrina Van Tassel at a party hosted by her father at their idyllic farm in rural New York. It’s a terrifying ride–perhaps as deadly as Ichabod’s pursuer is headless. For this third H…

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144: A Conversation with Ken Burns - Storytelling and the American Buffalo 35:38

1+ y ago35:38

35:38

Professor Greg Jackson sits down with legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns about his latest film The American Buffalo which has a two-part premiere in the US on PBS beginning Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. Some refer to Ken Burns as a historian, but he would be quick to tell you that he considers himself a storyteller. His latest documentary The Ameri…

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143: The Meuse-Argonne Offensive (pt.2) – Breaking the Kriemhilde Line 1:01:32

1+ y ago1:01:32

1:01:32

“All right, General. We’ll take it, or my name will head the list.” This is the story of Meuse-Argonne and the Americans’ continued struggles to take the Kriemhilde Line. Tennessean Alvin York hates war, yet he finds himself an unlikely hero when his youthful days of hunting turn him into a prisoner-taking sharpshooter as the US First Army presses …

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142: The Meuse-Argonne Offensive (pt.1) – “The Lost Battalion” 58:48

1+ y ago58:48

58:48

“Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it.” This is the story of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive’s beginnings. “Tout le monde à la bataille.” So says Ferdinand Foch as the Allies hit the Germans from several pressure points at once. For the Americans, that means fighting between the thick woods of the Argonne F…

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141: Wartime Interlude 1:11:48

1+ y ago1:11:48

1:11:48

Time to review! Greg and Kelsi talk through the main takeaways of the American story in World War I to date, from causes to new inventions and social changes. We get a little behind the scenes on episodes, a few stories that didn’t make in, and set the stage for the last battle of the Great War. ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep i…

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140: WWI Aviators: From the Lafayette Escadrille to the Red Baron and More 58:51

1+ y ago58:51

58:51

“Something has happened to one of the boys.” This is the story of the Great War’s flyboys – particularly, Americans taking to the skies to fight for France. Long before the United States will enter the Great War, hundreds of American men head to Europe to fight for the French Republic. Some drive ambulances. Some fight in the French Foreign Legion.…

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139: From Yeomen (F) to “Hello Girls:” American Women in World War I 1:01:44

1+ y ago1:01:44

1:01:44

“Is there any regulation which specifies that a Navy yeoman be a man?” This is the story of the United States in the Great War and the role of women in that changing world. Women of the Progressive Era are all about change. They’re fighting for several reforms — including their own right to vote — and as the United States enters the Great War, they…

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138: The 15th New York/369th or The Harlem Hellfighters 1:04:50

2y ago1:04:50

1:04:50

“My men never retire. They go forward, or they die!” This is the story of the 15th New York, a.k.a, the 369th, or the Harlem Hellfighters. James “Big Jim” Europe is one of the most talented musicians in the world. His ragtime and early jazz sounds electrify New York City. That’s exactly why Colonel William “Big Bill” Hayward, who’s just been named …

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137: The First Battle of the First American Army: St. Mihiel 1:02:50

2y ago1:02:50

1:02:50

“Marshal Foch, you have no authority as Allied Commander-in-Chief to call upon me to yield up my command of the American Army and have it scattered among the Allied Forces where it will not be an American army at all.” This is the story of the first battle of the First American Army. Fresh off of an Allied victory at Amiens, Supreme Commander Ferdi…

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136: The German Spring Offensive’s End, or The Second Battle of the Marne 58:28

2y ago58:28

58:28

“Every time I have felt annoyed since then at France, this picture comes to mind and my anger softens.” This is the story of the Great War’s turning point. After a fourth and failed Spring Offensive operation, German General Erich Luddendorf is ready to make a fifth push. He’s making a pincer movement around the city of Reims, and to its west, on t…

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135: Belleau Wood – A Cut Deeper with Captain Mac Caldwell 1:09:12

2y ago1:09:12

1:09:12

The impact of the 1918 Battle of Belleau Wood on the US Marine Corps is hard to overstate. Though in existence since 1775, the Corps was reborn in those woods. Not only did it give rise to new lore, but a whole generation of future leaders. Given its significance, Greg sits down with Captain Mac Caldwell of the US Marine Corps to go several cuts de…

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134: (Most of) The German Spring Offensive of 1918 & The Fight for Belleau Wood 1:00:14

2y ago1:00:14

1:00:14

This is the story of the first real battles of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in World War I. Carrying out his third operation of the German Spring Offensive, General Erich Ludendorff is hoping to distract the French before delivering a KO punch to the Brits farther north in Flanders. But this offensive is going far too well to let up. Germ…

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133: Heading “Over There:” “Black Jack” Pershing & Creating WWI’s American Expeditionary Force 1:02:53

2y ago1:02:53

1:02:53

“Lafayette, nous sommes ici!” (Lafayette, we are here!) This is the story of a nation building an army from nothing. After years of trying to avoid entanglements with and war in Europe, President Woodrow Wilson has asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany. But that’s easier said than done. The US might be the world’s greatest industr…

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132: The US Enters WWI (RMS Lusitania, Black Tom Island, & The Zimmermann Telegram) 1:00:11

2y ago1:00:11

1:00:11

“I still think I see the struggling of poor passengers in the water.” This is the story of the United States’ path into the Great War. The United States wishes to stay out of the Great War. Woodrow Wilson wins reelection (barely) on that very basis. But as Germany contends with Britain’s blockade, its submarines, or “U-boats,” are attacking merchan…

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131: Epilogue on World War 1 before the US 1:10:15

2y ago1:10:15

1:10:15

Starting the Great War (World War I) and covering this massive conflict up to 1917 has been a pretty big task unto itself. So, before we go in close on America's role, Greg and Kelsi sit down to digest and talk through a few aspects of the War, as well as share a few additional stories and experiences. ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go…

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130: Russia: From the Great War to Revolution with Deputy Provost Kat Brown 1:19:52

2y ago1:19:52

1:19:52

To say Russia had a difficult go of it during World War I would be a gross understatement. Millions of dead, lost territory, soldiers charging into battle without guns, starvation, a less than savory holy man influencing the Czar and Czarina, and of course, revolution! How do we even begin to wrap our heads around all of that, let alone contemplate…

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