Reframing America
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Frame by frame, the faces of US presidents are hung from the walls of America's history classrooms — but are those men REALLY the faces of America's history? Who REALLY belongs in the picture frames that line America's history classrooms? Welcome to "Reframing America," the podcast that explores American history — president by president, frame by frame — to determine the best faces to symbolize the evolution of American history. Join us for "Historical Hot Takes", the "Worst Person in America award," "What Actor Should Play this President?" and more!
29 Episodes
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In the second episode of this two-part season finale, Ryan Rasmussen and Tony Rydberg dig deeper into the implications of World War I. They discuss how World War I impacted America, for better and worse. They answer unanswerable questions, serve up some hot takes, and ultimately bestow a "bonus" picture frame to the person who should symbolize America's involvement in the so-called "War to End All Wars."
A lot can change in eight years, especially if you’re Woodrow Wilson from 1913-1921. Politically, he transformed the economy, strengthened the presidency, oversaw the prohibition of alcohol, and secured women’s right to vote - to say nothing of his leadership during World War I. Personally, he lost his first wife, fell in love again, got remarried, and suffered a debilitating stroke. Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen focus on the domestic side of Wilson’s two terms in office, which transformed the country, the world, and the man himself.
Thought to be unsinkable, it went down on its maiden voyage after a fateful and fatal collision: this is the story of the RMS Titanic, but it’s also the story of William Howard Taft’s presidency. Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen retrace the path that led Roosevelt’s hand-picked successor to an ignominious one-term defeat - a defeat largely caused by Roosevelt himself.
To paraphrase the first line of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan: all presidents, except one, grow up. Theodore Roosevelt started life as the sickly son of a wealthy New York family, and he ended it as an acclaimed author, a US President, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, and one of four faces to be carved onto Mount Rushmore. Yet, through all of his achievements, he always retained the same youthful pluck he'd had when he was the little boy known as "Teedie." Both his supports and his detractors attest that Theodore Roosevelt redefined the office of the American President like few others have ever done. Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen trace the origins of this remarkable figure in world history and gauge his lasting impact on the American story.
Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte... William McKinley? Does America's 25th president really deserve a place on the list of historical figures who conquered vast regions and established an empire? He seems to be an ill-fitting member of this elite group. Yet, there he was, commander-in-chief when the US burst beyond its continental bounds and reached across the seas. But was America an empire? Is it one today? Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen examine the humble origins of the man and the repercussions of the "splendid little war" he waged.
From 1885-1897, America didn't know what (or whom) she wanted in a president: she dumped Grover Cleveland for Benjamin Harrison, only to dump Harrison for another go with Cleveland. Why all the dithering? Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen play love doctors for a nation in need of some straight talk and tough lough. From two of the most improbable ascents to the presidency to two of the most awkward presidential love stories ever, Tony and Ryan deliver the goods (just in time for Christmas!).
Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, and Chester A. Arthur: all Presidents who have been dubbed the "lost Americans." On the other hand, perhaps it was not the Presidents who were lost, but the American political establishment itself. Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen pick apart the events of 1877-1885, eight years that span these three presidencies. Despite being often overlooked, this era contributed a variety of drastic and irreversible changes to the American story, from America's most controversial election to the assassination of one of its presidents. Tony and Ryan retrace the battle lines that defined the era and determine who (if anyone) came out of the battle a winner.
How should history remember Ulysses S. Grant? As a general, was he a bloodthirsty butcher or a brilliant strategist? As president, was he a beacon of equality or a tyrannical dictator? Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen explore the best and the worst America's 18th president gave to his country.
The Civil War was over, but the fight had just begun. In the wake of President Lincoln's assassination, the reeling nation needed a steady hand and a unified government for guidance. Unfortunately, America got President Andrew Johnson instead. Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen sift through the rubble of Andrew Johnson's disastrous presidency, an administration that offered the nation its first impeachment, a no-holds-barred fight between the executive and legislative branches, and an enormous step backward on the path to racial justice.
From the rubble of the Civil War through World War I, Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen will dissect the history of America and figure out how were the true movers and shakers in American history. The first episode of season 3 will arrive on September 23!
Abraham Lincoln's face is universally recognizable, but do we really know him? His speeches are immortalized, but do we really understand his mind? On the Season 2 finale, Ryan Rasmussen and Tony Rydberg unpack the man, the myth, and the legend known as "Honest Abe" Lincoln. From his birth in a Kentucky log cabin to his assassination in Ford's Theatre, Ryan and Tony tackle the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Illinois Rail-splitter.
We're so excited to return to Reframing America for season 2, where we will reframe 1809 to 1865. We'll be covering, discovering, and uncovering some of the most consequential, controversial and downright bizarre moments in our nation's history. Subscribe now -- and don't forget to brush up on Season 1!
America from 1921-1929 was, in some ways, a nation defined by crime. From greasing the wheels of business with bribes to making a fortune selling illegal liquor during Prohibition, everyone was wetting their beak - and that's just the politicians. In their Season 4 premiere, Ryan Rasmussen and Tony Rydberg jump 100 years back in time to examine America during the presidencies of Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge to answer the question: What separates the politicians from the criminals?
In the first episode of this two-part Season 3 finale, Ryan Rasmussen and Tony Rydberg sketch out the underlying causes of World War I, why the US tried to stay out of it, and ultimately what pulled America into the global conflict.
What events led to the Civil War? How could America's leaders have allowed things get so out of control? Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen explore 1853-1861, the eight years immediately preceding America's Civil War, to determine the cause of America's bloodiest crisis. How much blame can be attributed to Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan, two of America's most obscure presidents (and two of the worst)? Were they the cause, or was the country's course already so derailed that no engineer would have been able to steer us back onto the tracks?
Despite having next to nothing in common, Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore rose through the American political system to become President and Vice President in 1849. Upon Taylor's untimely death in 1850, Fillmore took the reins of power himself. Overseeing massive migration due to the California Gold Rush and trying to mitigate hostilities between Northern and Southern factions, Taylor and Fillmore rumble, bumble, and stumble their way through a four-year winter of American discontent. Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen explore this odd pair of presidents to see what good they did - if any at all.
In four short years, James K. Polk transformed the United States into a coast-to-coast behemoth. Through diplomacy, war, and relentlessness, Polk achieved every major agenda item he set out to accomplish, and yet somehow he has fallen short of the mythical status of other presidents -- even less accomplished ones. Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen explore the administration of James K. Polk, a president who, more than any other, embodies the American obsession with stretching itself from sea to shining sea: an obsession named "Manifest Destiny."
Just when America began to expect eight-year presidencies, the country stumbles from 1837 to 1845 with not one, not two, but three presidents. In quick succession, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, and John Tyler took their shot at the top spot -- and if you think they came out of it battered and bruised, you should see what they did with the nation.
He was a self-made American hero. He was also the catalyst for one of the nation's greatest sins. A beacon for the common man, he was also an owner of enslaved people. Andrew Jackson's life of polarizing contradictions comes into focus as Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen tackle eight of the most tumultuous years in American history: the reign of "Old Hickory."
John Quincy Adams served the United States from his teens to his 80s. So, why did his presidency go so pear-shaped? Tony Rydberg and Ryan Rasmussen explore the elusive and enigmatic administration of America's sullen Founding Son.
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