On this episode of Our American Stories, before he became Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard, James Best lived a life filled with hardship, discipline, and creativity. Orphaned at three, shaped by his service with the Military Police in wartime Germany, and later admired for his work as the gentle lawman with Flash, the show’s basset hound, he carried a depth that never reached the screen. He appeared years earlier on The Andy Griffith Show as Jim Lindsey, yet it was his later work guiding young actors in Hollywood that revealed the heart of a man who understood struggle, humor, and the art of performance.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, before he became Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard, James Best lived a life filled with hardship, discipline, and creativity. Orphaned at three, shaped by his service with the Military Police in wartime Germany, and later admired for his work as the gentle lawman with Flash, the show&rsquo;s basset hound, he carried a depth that never reached the screen. He appeared years earlier on The Andy Griffith Show as Jim Lindsey, yet it was his later work guiding young actors in Hollywood that revealed the heart of a man who understood struggle, humor, and the art of performance.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories tells stories that aren&rsquo;t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we&rsquo;ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

Before Hazzard County: How James Best Became the Man Behind Rosco P. Coltrane

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1acb573c-d098-4b16-a5ae-b3a2016f7068/transcript

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Bass Reeves was born into slavery in Arkansas in 1838. During the Civil War, he escaped bondage and made his way to Indian Territory. Years later, he returned there carrying a badge. For more than three decades, Reeves served federal warrants across some of the most dangerous country in the West, tracking fugitives, working in disguise, and earning a reputation so formidable that some outlaws reportedly chose surrender over facing him.

Professor Art T. Burton, author of Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves, shares the story of the man behind the legend. Burton's own search through court records, newspapers, and family history uncovered a career that had nearly slipped from public memory: an escaped slave who became one of the most respected and relentless lawmen of the American frontier.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, Bass Reeves was born into slavery in Arkansas in 1838. During the Civil War, he escaped bondage and made his way to Indian Territory. Years later, he returned there carrying a badge. For more than three decades, Reeves served federal warrants across some of the most dangerous country in the West, tracking fugitives, working in disguise, and earning a reputation so formidable that some outlaws reportedly chose surrender over facing him. Professor Art T. Burton, author of <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2F1496233425%3Flv%3Dshuf%26hvlocphy%3D9013748%26hvptwo%3D%26hvnetw%3Dg%26mcid%3D%26hvext%3D372747318757%26hvadid%3D812931974608%26language%3Den_US%26hvpone%3D%26hvlocint%3D%26hvcampaign%3D23946702451%26hydadcr%3D17463_13842071_2502601%26hvpos%3D%26hvdev%3Dc%26hvdvcmdl%3D%26hvocijid%3D1552707620649882661--%26hvqmt%3Da%26hvexpln%3D0%26tag%3Dsmgglusdsadts-20%26hvtargid%3Dkwl-2484167636399%26adgrpid%3D197419379213%26hvrand%3D1552707620649882661%26channelId%3D500%26ref_%3D%26plpRedirect%3DmhFallback&amp;data=05%7C02%7CUraelBlackshear%40iheartmedia.com%7C695024ef91b34ef0da8908df1e5cbce7%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C639263055812725685%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=uLhAZSqDgxQgB5ODVo5HekUq%2B8rloIUJ%2FusuFHfqntE%3D&amp;reserved=0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3">Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves</a>, shares the story of the man behind the legend. Burton's own search through court records, newspapers, and family history uncovered a career that had nearly slipped from public memory: an escaped slave who became one of the most respected and relentless lawmen of the American frontier.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

Bass Reeves: The Former Slave Who Tamed the Wild West

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0c1ee580-a6b8-4253-b9f3-b4d40151aeff/transcript

On this episode of Our American Stories, Tim Leuliette was only 23 when he found himself presenting multimillion-dollar proposals to Lee Iacocca and Henry Ford II at Ford Motor Company. Working in product planning during the 1970s energy crisis meant long nights, five-minute presentations, and learning how to strip away the fluff and get straight to the facts.

Leuliette, who went on to become a prominent automotive executive and turnaround specialist, remembers the lessons, pressure, and occasional practical joke that made working for Lee Iacocca and Ford one of the greatest business educations of his life.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Tim Leuliette was only 23 when he found himself presenting multimillion-dollar proposals to Lee Iacocca and Henry Ford II at Ford Motor Company. Working in product planning during the 1970s energy crisis meant long nights, five-minute presentations, and learning how to strip away the fluff and get straight to the facts. Leuliette, who went on to become a prominent automotive executive and turnaround specialist, remembers the lessons, pressure, and occasional practical joke that made working for Lee Iacocca and Ford one of the greatest business educations of his life.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

What Lee Iacocca and Henry Ford II Taught a 23-Year-Old Newbie

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/30a30d49-7f22-4baf-bc0d-b4d40151aefd/transcript

On this episode of Our American Stories, on March 31, 1870, Thomas Mundy Peterson walked into Perth Amboy City Hall in New Jersey to vote on a local charter. Nothing about the election seemed especially historic. But when Peterson cast his ballot, he became the first Black American known to vote under the protection of the newly ratified 15th Amendment.

Historian Elliott Drago of the Jack Miller Center shares the story of Peterson's vote and the larger struggle it represented. In the years after the Civil War, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments forced the country to answer some of its most fundamental questions about freedom, citizenship, and who had the right to participate in American democracy.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, on March 31, 1870, Thomas Mundy Peterson walked into Perth Amboy City Hall in New Jersey to vote on a local charter. Nothing about the election seemed especially historic. But when Peterson cast his ballot, he became the first Black American known to vote under the protection of the newly ratified 15th Amendment. Historian Elliott Drago of the <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jackmillercenter.org%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7CUraelBlackshear%40iheartmedia.com%7C695024ef91b34ef0da8908df1e5cbce7%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C639263055812692823%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=Y%2Fx5p8DpxJhr79%2Fe1LFt%2FxnTYN6bpIBFvhqpv4Rw7ps%3D&amp;reserved=0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">Jack Miller Center </a>shares the story of Peterson's vote and the larger struggle it represented. In the years after the Civil War, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments forced the country to answer some of its most fundamental questions about freedom, citizenship, and who had the right to participate in American democracy.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

Thomas Mundy Peterson: The First Black Voter Under the 15th Amendment

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/345f6555-2332-45e0-b264-b4d40151aeff/transcript

Before Hazzard County: How James Best Became the Man Behind Rosco P. Coltrane

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