It can be scary to learn how much our democracy relies on norms and convention when the rule of law is put to the test. But, at least our Founding Fathers had an excellent understanding of authoritarianism when they drafted the U.S. Constitution. Are the guardrails they created enough to prevent a dictator, though? 

Bob calls up Jeffrey Rosen (former President and CEO of the National Constitution Center) to answer this question. 

It can be scary to learn how much our democracy relies on norms and convention when the rule of law is put to the test. But, at least our Founding Fathers had an excellent understanding of authoritarianism when they drafted the U.S. Constitution. Are the guardrails they created enough to prevent a dictator, though?&nbsp;
Bob calls up Jeffrey Rosen (former President and CEO of the National Constitution Center) to answer this question.&nbsp;

Bob Crawford searches for the best historians and experts to answer listener questions about American history — from the Revolutionary War to rock & roll feuds. Got a question? Send it to AmericanHistoryHotline@gmail.com.

Bob Crawford searches for the best historians and experts to answer listener questions about American history &mdash; from the Revolutionary War to rock &amp; roll feuds. Got a question? Send it to AmericanHistoryHotline@gmail.com.

American History Hotline

Listen to this collection of top episodes from iHeartRadio and iHeartPodcasts. 

Listen to this collection of top episodes from iHeartRadio and iHeartPodcasts.&nbsp;

Podcasts from iHeartRadio

American History Hotline with Bob Crawford

The Constitution vs. Authoritarianism

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3b14e7d6-3479-4c26-9305-b3fa015e8e9b/transcript

Bob Crawford of The Avett Brothers explores the post-presidential legacy of America’s sixth president: John Quincy Adams. Though often only seen as a failed one-term president and the son of a Founding Father, Adams spent his final decades in Congress fighting the slavocracy and forming a bridge between the founding of America and the era of Lincoln. Founding Son features Patrick Warburton as the voice of John Quincy Adams, Nick Offerman as the voice of Andrew Jackson, and Grey DeLisle as the voice of Louisa Adams.

Bob Crawford of The Avett Brothers explores the post-presidential legacy of America’s sixth president: John Quincy Adams. Though often only seen as a failed one-term president and the son of a Founding Father, Adams spent his final decades in Congress fighting the slavocracy and forming a bridge between the founding of America and the era of Lincoln. Founding Son features Patrick Warburton as the voice of John Quincy Adams, Nick Offerman as the voice of Andrew Jackson, and Grey DeLisle as the voice of Louisa Adams.

Founding Son: John Quincy's America

And everywhere that Mary went, the typhoid was sure to go. 

The story of Mary Mallon (AKA Typhoid Mary) is one we're living every day to a small degree: the balance between public safety and personal liberty. Luckily for us, we'll never be imprisoned for being an symptomatic carrier of a disease. Well, never say never. 

To learn more about the life of Mary Mallon we call up author Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America). Why was Mary's story so popular in the early 1900s? And why is her name so familiar even today? 

 

And everywhere that Mary went, the typhoid was sure to go.&nbsp;
The story of Mary Mallon (AKA Typhoid Mary) is one we're living every day to a small degree: the balance between public safety and personal liberty. Luckily for us, we'll never be imprisoned for being an symptomatic carrier of a disease. Well, never say never.&nbsp;
To learn more about the life of Mary Mallon we call up author Susan Campbell Bartoletti (<a href="https://susancampbellbartoletti.com/books/nonfiction/terrible-typhoid-mary/">Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America</a>). Why was Mary's story so popular in the early 1900s? And why is her name so familiar even today?&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Mary Had a Little Typhoid

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/91acc97e-66a9-4f50-a45e-b3f1010dd125/transcript

During the Great Depression, millions of Americans were out of work, but they still managed to make it to the movies. In fact, Hollywood didn't just survive one of our country's greatest economic downturns, it thrived. 

So how did movie studios stay afloat when audiences could barely afford food? And why did people keep buying movie tickets during one of the darkest economic periods in U.S. history?

We dial up Rotten Tomatoes correspondent Mark Ellis to explore how Hollywood weathered the Great Depression and how this period changed filmmaking for rest of the 20th century. From the rise of sound films and lavish musicals to monster movies, gangster films, and sweeping epics like The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind, film became a national escape during a difficult decade.

It’s a historical look at Hollywood that resonates today with new threats (like AI and consolidation) constantly emerging. 

During the Great Depression, millions of Americans were out of work, but they still managed to make it to the movies. In fact, Hollywood didn't just survive one of our country's greatest economic downturns, it thrived.&nbsp;
So how did movie studios stay afloat when audiences could barely afford food? And why did people keep buying movie tickets during one of the darkest economic periods in U.S. history?
We dial up Rotten Tomatoes correspondent Mark Ellis to explore how Hollywood weathered the Great Depression and how this period changed filmmaking for rest of the 20th century. From the rise of sound films and lavish musicals to monster movies, gangster films, and sweeping epics like The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind, film became a national escape during a difficult decade.
It&rsquo;s a historical look at Hollywood that resonates today with new threats (like AI and consolidation) constantly emerging.&nbsp;

How Did Hollywood Survive the Great Depression? 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0fdbec89-c724-4060-9cf2-b3b20103dd27/transcript

She was just 16 years old when she rode nearly 40 miles through the night rallying the militia as the British attacked during the American Revolution.

Bob calls up Karen Romano Young (Sybil Ludington: Revolutionary War Hero) to get the story of Sybil Ludington. They explore what parts of her story are fact or fiction, and why she was nearly forgotten.

She was just 16 years old when she rode nearly 40 miles through the night rallying the militia as the British attacked during the American Revolution.
Bob calls up Karen Romano Young (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sybil-Ludington-Revolutionary-Rider-Based/dp/1250104122">Sybil Ludington: Revolutionary War Hero</a>) to get the story of Sybil Ludington. They explore what parts of her story are fact or fiction, and why she was nearly forgotten.

Sybil Ludington: 16-Year-Old Hero of the American Revolution

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/f2d58689-563d-4995-b99b-b3fa0111584b/transcript

The Constitution vs. Authoritarianism

Founding Son: John Quincy's America

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American History Hotline with Bob Crawford

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