Election College | Presidential Election History

Did you know that Pilgrims probably weren't the first people to celebrate Thanksgiving? And they definitely didn't celebrate it in the way we know now.  In this episode we talk about... the reason the Pilgrims came to America, how multiple groups celebrated a day of Thanksgiving, George Washington's day(s) of Thanksgiving, Sarah Hale, Abe Lincoln and Edward Winslow, and much more! Visit electioncollege.com/144 for complete show notes! Ready for your holiday party? Is it an ugly sweater party? Do you want to turn it into an ugly sweater party? We've got just the things for you... check out our store! __________________________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99 with your Audible subscription! ___________________________ Support the show! Use this link to do your shopping on Amazon. It won't cost you a penny more and it wi

If you're like us, you've often wondered how the president gets away with pardoning people during their terms. Are all pardons the same? Does it get erased off of your permanent record after you're pardoned? Can you be pardoned for any crime? On this episode we talk about... what a pardon is and isn't, the differences between pardons, reprieves, and commutations, the first presidential pardon ever performed, where the president gets permission to pardon people, controversial pardons, a rejected pardon, requirements to be pardoned, and much more! Check out our detailed show notes at electioncollege.com/143 ________________________ Ready for your holiday party? Is it an ugly sweater party? Do you want to turn it into an ugly sweater party? We've got just the things for you... check out our store! __________________________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/Duel

Today we talk about everyone's favorite topic... gerrymandering! Okay, maybe it sounds a bit more like a guy you knew back in high school than a political maneuver - so we're going to tell you how it works. Gerrymandering is a process where one (or multiple) political party adjusts the boundaries of a congressional district to better suit their party. Sounds illegal, doesn't it? In this episode we're going to tell you... where gerrymandering got its name, how it can sometimes actually be a good thing, if the Supreme Court has ever issued an opinion on it, and much more! ________________________ Ready for your holiday party? Is it an ugly sweater party? Do you want to turn it into an ugly sweater party? We've got just the things for you... check out our store! __________________________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99

Did you know that there are few things in the world that have more of an influence on our government than that census that is conducted every 10 years in the United States? It's true! In this episode we talk about... a census being in the Constitution, fines for people who don't comply with the census, how census data is used to configure representatives and districts, the 72 year rule,  and much, much more! __________________________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99 with your Audible subscription! ___________________________ Support the show! Use this link to do your shopping on Amazon. It won't cost you a penny more and it will help us out!  ElectionCollege.com/Amazon ________________________ Be sure to subscribe to the show! Leave us a review on iTunes - It really helps us out! Facebook  |  Twitter  | Instagram __

The election of 2016 just happened, and we're already talking about it! History is history after all. In this episode we talk about... unpredictable polls, Bernie Sanders and the independent vote, Donald Trump challenges Hillary Clinton, and much more! In a time where everyone has an opinion, we do our best to just give you the facts! __________________________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99 with your Audible subscription! ___________________________ Support the show! Use this link to do your shopping on Amazon. It won't cost you a penny more and it will help us out!  ElectionCollege.com/Amazon ________________________ Be sure to subscribe to the show! Leave us a review on iTunes - It really helps us out! Facebook  |  Twitter  | Instagram ________________________ Get a free month of Audible and a free audiobook to

It's Election Day! In case you didn't know, that's kind of like a birthday, Christmas and every other holiday all rolled into one for a couple of election enthusiasts like ourselves... In today's episode we discuss... why you should get out and vote, the Electoral College, how people voted in early America and beyond, people getting paid in money and in liquor to vote certain ways, voter fraud and, the history of the secret ballot in America. Come along for the ride! Also, don't forget to VOTE! Links we mention in the show... Our Listener Survey (Deadline TODAY!) JP Sears Electoral College Video Electoral College Episode of Election College A Glimpse Into Voting In Early America __________________ Help us out! We have a survey and would really appreciate it if you could give us just a few minutes of your time to fill it out! ElectionCollege.com/Survey __________________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free wit

Help us out! We have a survey and would really appreciate it if you could give us just a few minutes of your time to fill it out! ElectionCollege.com/Survey ___________________ This week Jason and Ben riff on some ideas and facts about voter turnout and how it ebbs and flows. We talk about a variety of subjects such as... How Wyoming and California are equal (sort of) Who votes more - women or men? Are votes from young people declining? Does your neighborhood setting determine if you will go vote? Should Election Day be a national holiday? And lots more! HEY! Election Day is next Tuesday. Get informed and go vote. SERIOUSLY! GO VOTE! ___________________________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99 with your Audible subscription! ___________________________ Support the show! Use this link to do your shopping on Amazon. It w

Help us out! We have a survey and would really appreciate it if you could give us just a few minutes of your time to fill it out! ElectionCollege.com/Survey ___________________ October Surprises have had a name since the early 1970s, but they've been around for a lot longer than that! Sometimes they're intentional on the part of the opposing party. Other times, they're just the result of bad luck. Join us as we discuss a few outstanding ones! Van Buren tries to expose election fraud, Garfield can't remember if he wrote a letter about imigrants, FDR loses the black vote and wins it back just as fast, Nixon slides one by, Reagan "lucks out" on the Iran hostage crisis, W gets a DUI, and several others! ___________________________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99 with your Audible subscription! ___________________________

In this episode we discuss the amazing subject that is the history of the capital of the United States of America, as well as the actual building and city that has now become our Capitol! (We know... it can get confusing) Join us to hear... -The real first location of the capital -Who designed the building? -What are the different parts inside the building? -How much does the Capitol Rotunda weigh? -And More! ___________________________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99 with your Audible subscription! ___________________________ Support the show! Use this link to do your shopping on Amazon. It won't cost you a penny more and it will help us out!  ElectionCollege.com/Amazon ________________________ Be sure to subscribe to the show! Leave us a review on iTunes - It really helps us out! Facebook  |  Twitter  | Instagram __

In this supplemental episode, we’re talking to Jen Briney, host of Congressional Dish!   Jen has a degree from Loyola Marymount University and is the host of Congressional Dish. In December of 2010, Jen was watching C-SPAN when she realized that a congressman had attached an amendment to a government funding bill that had nothing to do with the bill itself! After that, she started researching and then podcasting - and the rest is history. Check out Congressional Dish by visiting http://www.congressionaldish.com and be sure to follow Jen on Twitter @JenBriney and @CongressDish. _______________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99 with your Audible subscription! ___________________________ Support the show! Use this link to do your shopping on Amazon. It won't cost you a penny more and it will help us out!  ElectionCollege.com

What happens when a President's term expires and the newly elected President refuses to be sworn in because it's a Sunday?  In this episode we talk about David Rice Atchison, who may or may not have been President on March 4, 1849.  ___________________________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99 with your Audible subscription! ___________________________ Support the show! Use this link to do your shopping on Amazon. It won't cost you a penny more and it will help us out!  ElectionCollege.com/Amazon ________________________ Be sure to subscribe to the show! Leave us a review on iTunes - It really helps us out! Facebook  |  Twitter  | Instagram ________________________ Get a free month of Audible and a free audiobook to keep at ElectionCollege.com/Audible ________________________ Music from: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-

In this episode we talk about the life of Andrew Johnson from his first run for President in 1824 and on to his time in the White House in 1828. Andrew Jackson makes a run for the Presidency in 1824, gets the most popular votes, but not a majority. So, the House of Representatives votes in John Quincy Adams (with a little help from Henry Clay). The next three-and-a-half years, Andy Jack sets his sight on winning.  He does win in 1828–big time. But not without a cost. During the campaign his wife, Rachel, was accused of bigamy. She had been previously been married and it was later found out that her divorce had not yet been finalized when she married Jackson.  Jackson claimed that the stress from the campaign caused her death soon after the election (and before his inauguration). The president-elect blamed Henry Clay and the Adams campaign for her demise. He was quoted as saying, "I can and do forgive all my enemies. But those vile wretches who have slandered her must look to God for mercy." We also discuss th

"I was born for a storm, and a calm does not suit me." – Andrew Jackson From the beginning of his life, Andrew Jackson's life was anything but calm. In this episode we discuss: *His father's death 3 weeks prior to his birth *Was he born in North or South Carolina? *At the age of 13, he was a courier during the Revolutionary War  *Two brothers died young *Became an orphan at fourteen years of age *If you're British, he hates you *Becomes a saddle maker and studies law *Moves west to what is now Tennessee *Serves as Congressman, Senator, and Supreme Court Judge for Tennessee *Plantation owner *Slave owner *Wars with Native Americans _______________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99 with your Audible subscription! ___________________________ Support the show! Use this link to do your shopping on Amazon. It won't cost you a p

Unless you’re from Maine, you probably didn’t hear too much in your history class about Abraham Lincoln’s first Vice President. Hannibal Hamlin came from a distinguished New England family and stood firm against the expansion of slavery in the territories. It only made sense for a Midwestern Republican like Lincoln to join forces with a New Englander (after all, the Republicans weren’t going to get very much support from the South in 1860). And, what caused him not to serve as Lincoln’s running mate four years later? So, why don’t we hear very much about Hamlin? After all, he only missed the Presidency by a few weeks. In this episode we discuss:  *Hamlin’s New England Upbringing *His Kids Were Cousins (Yeah, it’s totally legit, too) *His Role in Maine Politics *The Example He Sought to Set by Going to War While He Was Vice President _______________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial a

In the last episode, we talked about John Quincy Adams' upbringing which led to many travels around Europe. He was a foreign relations all-star. After serving in the Monroe administration as Secretary of State, he runs for President and that's where we pick-up in this episode where we discuss . . . *How JQA emerges as the President in 1824 (even though he finished in third place) *Helps build infrastructure during his presidency *Has a rough ride as President and loses to Andy Jack in 1828 *Goes back to serve in Congress *Opposes slavery and mistreatment of Native Americans *Ignores the gag rule about mentioning slavery in Congress *Is a link between the Revolution and Civil War - Knew the Founding Fathers and Abraham Lincoln _______________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99 with your Audible subscription! ____

John Quincy Adams was quite the guy. Before he was President, he traveled all over Europe–he had the ultimate homeschool experience.  By the time he was 20, Q knew several languages, had translated the New Testament, and had a prolific blog (well, he had a diary).  While he might have wished to stay home, his dad - John Adam - encouraged him to take his experience on the road. George Washington appointed him as Minister to the Netherlands at the age of 26.  Q served as James Monroe's Secretary of State and wrote the document that we now know as the Monroe Doctrine.  All that to say . . .If there was a Foreign Affairs All Star team from the early 1800s, The Q would be batting clean-up.    _______________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99 with your Audible subscription! ___________________________ Support the show! Use this

In this supplemental episode, we’re talking to Victoria Van Voorhies, founder and CEO of Second Avenue Learning. Tory is not only a highly sought-after speaker and Digital Rochester Technology Woman of the Year . . . She has also served as the Principle Investigator for both Department of Education and National Science Foundation grants. Her company, Second Avenue Learning, is behind the gaming resource, “Voters Ed.” Voters Ed is designed to “put the power of the pundits in educators’ hands so students of all ages can understand our presidential election process.” Check out Voters Ed by visiting http://electioncollege.com/voters-ed. Connect with them on Twitter @VotersEd. _______________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99 with your Audible subscription! ___________________________ Support the show! Use this link to do your

One of the biggest perks about winning a Presidential election is that you don't have to sit next to that guy who takes his shoes off on the plane anymore. In this episode we talk about . . . *The history of the aircraft US Presidents fly in. *If your name is "Roosevelt" and you're the President, you're going to fly! *How they came up with the name "Air Force One." *Where can you go aboard an Air Force One today. *How much does it cost to operate the Chief Executive's airplane?  *Who gets to fly on Air Force One (and what happens if they put you in the back). *Do Presidents ever still fly commercial aircraft? *Why you don't want to mess around with this plane.   _______________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99 with your Audible subscription! ___________________________ Support the show! Use this link to do your shopping

  In this episode we finally talk about what you want to hear - the Lincoln/Douglass debates! Stephen Douglas was a man who constantly found himself walking a very thing line on almost every subject he touched. If he said one thing he would anger one set of people - but if he said the opposite, someone else would be upset instead! Join us in this episode as we again talk about Stephen Douglas! _______________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99 with your Audible subscription! ___________________________ Support the show! Use this link to do your shopping on Amazon. It won't cost you a penny more and it will help us out!  ElectionCollege.com/Amazon ________________________ Be sure to subscribe to the show! Leave us a review on iTunes - It really helps us out! Facebook  |  Twitter  | Instagram ________________________ Get a f

The Douglas/Lincoln debates are some of the most famous debates in all of American history! But before he debated Lincoln, Stephen Douglas had built quite the resume on his own. A semi-national leader for the Democrats as a Senator and statesmen, Stephen Douglas is a truly interesting character in our past. He was a wealthy landowner and was hugely influential on many fronts. _______________ We recorded an audiobook! It’s about the letters between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr before their fateful duel. Get it for free with a 30 day Audible trial at ElectionCollege.com/DuelingLetters or get it for only $3.99 with your Audible subscription! ___________________________ Support the show! Use this link to do your shopping on Amazon. It won't cost you a penny more and it will help us out!  ElectionCollege.com/Amazon ________________________ Be sure to subscribe to the show! Leave us a review on iTunes - It really helps us out! Facebook  |  Twitter  | Instagram ________________________ Get a free month of Audib