Claim OwnershipCivics & Coffee: A History Podcast
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© 2026 Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast
Description
Civics & Coffee delivers bite-sized U.S. history with clear, engaging storytelling — all in the time it takes to drink your morning cup of coffee. Host Alycia brings America’s past to life with well-researched episodes that are approachable, human, and impossible to forget.
In 2026, Civics & Coffee dives into the Gilded Age - a transformative era of booming industry, powerful presidents, labor uprisings, immigration waves, inequality, and social reformers. From national crises like the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 to personal stories of figures such as Rutherford B. Hayes, Lucy Webb Hayes, and the Exodusters, each episode uncovers the people, tensions, and turning points that shaped modern America.
Whether you’re a longtime history lover or just history-curious, Civics & Coffee offers context without the homework and storytelling without the fluff. Grab your mug and join the conversation, one cup at a time.
316 Episodes
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Entering the White House as women's roles in the United States were rapidly evolving, Lucy Webb Hayes represented a potential bridge for many. Would she be a champion for suffrage and temperance? Would she use her position as First Lady to usher in a new era for the United States? Tune in to find out. Support the show
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 stands as a pivotal moment in American labor history, illustrating the clash between workers' rights and corporate power. Sparked by wage cuts amid an economic depression, this strike transcended its origins, morphing into a widespread social revolution that echoed the frustrations of ordinary Americans across the nation. Tune in to learn all about the causes, lessons, and legacies of the Great Strike of 1877 and how it influenced future labor movements. ...
Join me this week as I sit down with Rachel Lee Perez to discuss her book The Real Jaws: The Attacks That Inspired the Movies. Learn how a series of deadly attacks along the New Jersey shore in the summer of 1916 inspired the 1975 summer blockbuster movie Jaws and permanently altered Americans relationship with sharks -- and how we can become better stewards of the ocean. To hear more from Rachel, be sure to check her out over on her podcast Hashtag History or at her website. Support th...
Join me this week as I wrap up my coverage of Rutherford B. Hayes. Learn how the president jumped from one domestic crisis to another: from demands to recall federal troops in the south to tackling the issue of civil service reform. How did Hayes deal with the anti-Chinese sentiment brewing out west? Or the debates over land distribution regarding Indigenous Americans? Tune in to find out. And don't forget to tune into the episode dedicated to the election of 1876 so you know just how H...
He came to office after a hotly contested election and served only a single term. How did Rutherford B. Hayes change the presidency and the United States? Tune into this episode where I lay the groundwork for understanding the twentieth president of the United States. Learn about Hayes' early days, his military service, and his pre-presidential political appointments. When you are done listening to this introductory episode, be sure to check out the episode dedicated to the electi...
The Gilded Age began as the United States marked the 100th anniversary of independence, entering an era of rapid industrial growth and profound social change. This introductory episode sets the stage for what you can expect in my coverage of the Gilded Age, exploring how new technologies, expanding railroads, and rising industrial power transformed everyday life. Learn how as wealth accumulated at the top and economic inequality widened workers organized and demanded better and safer working ...
Was the American Revolution really just a colonial rebellion against Britain? According to historian Dr. Richard Bell, the answer is no. In this episode, we discuss Bell’s book The American Revolution and the Fate of the World, which reframes the Revolution as a global, transnational conflict with consequences stretching far beyond North America—from Spain and the Caribbean to Indigenous nations and British India. Bell challenges familiar myths about the Revolution, including the simplistic p...
Join me as I sit down with Dr. Nicole Nehrig to discuss her book With Her Own Hands: Women Weaving Their Stories which explores the historical and psychological significance of textiles and knitting. She emphasizes the critical role of textiles in human survival, community building among women, and the economic participation of women throughout history. Our conversation also touches on the connections between textile work and witchcraft accusations, the impact of influential figures like...
Join me as I sit down with historian Ronald Angelo Johnson to explore his groundbreaking book Entangled Alliances: Black Internationalism in the Early American Republic. Johnson reveals how free Black communities, Caribbean revolutionaries, and geopolitical alliances shaped the rise of U.S. diplomacy during the nation’s formative decades. From the Haitian Revolution to the complex relationship between African American activists and U.S. officials, Johnson explains why early American history c...
Join me as I welcome historian and bestselling author Dr. Elizabeth Cobbs about her book Fearless Women and her powerful concept of patriotic feminism. Dr. Cobbs explains how generations of American women have pushed the nation to live up to its founding ideals, often pairing a deep love of country with a bold willingness to demand change. Our conversation explores the women who shaped U.S. history—famous and forgotten—and the surprising ways their activism, labor, and leadership moved the co...
The presidential election of 1876 stands as one of the most contested and consequential turning points in American history. In this episode, I explore the dramatic showdown between Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden, unfolding at a moment when the country was still grappling with the legacy of Reconstruction. Join me as I highlight how a political crisis emerged when disputed returns from the South threw the nation into chaos without a constitutional remedy. What follow...
Your favorite history podcasters are back again! Join myself, Kenny from Abridged Presidential Histories, Howard from Plodding Through the Presidencies, and Jerry from The Presidencies of the United States as we chat about the upcoming 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, our dream historical projects, and our affinity for dueling. Happy Holidays! Support the show
What really happened at the Battle of Little Bighorn and how did a single momentous victory seal the fate of the Plains tribes? Join me this week as I dive into the events that led to Custer’s defeat, the broken treaties and gold rush that fueled the conflict, and how the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho achieved one of the most decisive Native victories in U.S. history. I also explore how the aftermath reshaped federal policy, public opinion, and the future of the Great Plains. Support...
In this episode, I sit down with Jonathan Mahler, author of The Gods of New York, to explore the four years that transformed America’s greatest city—and foretold the divisions that would come to define the nation. From Wall Street’s boom to the crack epidemic, from Howard Beach to the Central Park jogger case, from ACT UP to Spike Lee, the New York of 1986–1989 was a city teeming with conflict, creativity, and change. Mahler paints a vivid portrait of a metropolis at war with itself: between ...
Passed in 1798 as part of the notorious Alien and Sedition Acts, the Alien Enemies Act has outlived its controversial siblings — and it’s still on the books today. In this episode, I trace its origins in the fear and politics of the early republic, how presidents from Madison to FDR have invoked it in times of war, and what it means that this 18th-century law remains active in the 21st century. From the tension between liberty and security to the ways old laws shape modern policy, this is th...
In this episode, I look back on the Reconstruction era — a period that represented both a second founding of the United States and one of its greatest unfinished revolutions. Over the past year, I explored the political battles, social transformations, and cultural reckonings that defined Reconstruction. Now, I reflect on what that history means and how it set the stage for the Gilded Age that followed. Support the show
Join me as I sit down with author Matthew Davis to discuss his new book, A Biography of a Mountain, an in-depth look at the creation, meaning, and legacy of Mount Rushmore. Davis explores how the monument came to symbolize both American pride and historical injustice, tracing its evolution from a tourist attraction to a contested landmark at the heart of U.S. public history. Learn more about Matthew at his website: www.matthewdaviswriter.com Support the show
The Insurrection Act has stood at the crossroads of law, power, and public order for over two centuries. This episode traces its roots from the Militia Acts of 1792 and 1795 to its modern interpretations in moments of national crisis. Discover how this rarely invoked law has shaped presidential authority, balanced federal and state power, and influenced some of the most turbulent chapters in American history. A civics deep dive into how one statute continues to test the boundaries of democrac...
She was a child clairvoyant, the first woman to own a Wall Street brokerage firm—and in 1872, she became the first woman to run for president of the United States. Join me as I sit down with author Eden Collinsworth to unpack the astonishing, unconventional, and often-overlooked life of Victoria Woodhull. Drawing from her new book The Improbable Victoria Woodhull, Collinsworth shares insights into Woodhull’s rise from spiritualist and outsider to a figure who challenged nearly every social an...
What kind of epidemic could turn a thriving American city into a ghost town almost overnight? Join me as I explore the chilling story of the 1878 yellow fever epidemic—a public health disaster that decimated Memphis and echoed far beyond the Mississippi River Valley. While yellow fever had haunted the U.S. since the slave trade, it was the post–Civil War era—with its railroads, riverboats, and lack of national infrastructure—that turned an outbreak into a catastrophe. The fever emptied cities...
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