Mar 2, 2016
This week at In The Past Lane, the American history podcast, we
take a look at the history behind something that's dominating the
news these days: political primaries. Their origin dates not to
1787 and the Constitutional Convention, but rather to ca. 1900 and
the efforts of Progressives to reduce political corruption and
increase the voice of the people in elections.
Here's the lineup:
1) The origin and history of the political primary
2) History Skinny segment where we discuss how history has made
headlines in recent days, everything from Donald Trump relating a
story about an incident from the Spanish American War that never
happened, to Mississippi declaring April Confederate Heritage
Month. 3) Mercy Street Rewind - ITPL's Senior Correspondent,
historian Megan Kate Nelson, provides her insightful assessment of
Episode 6 of "Mercy Street." Note - to avoid spoilers, Mercy Street
Rewind appears as a separate segment in this podcast feed.
Show notes and credits at
www.InThePastLane.com
Episode 006 credits:
Suggested Readings about the History of Political Primaries:
Geoffrey Cowan, Let the People Rule: Theodore Roosevelt and the Birth of the Presidential Primary (2016)
David W. Moore and Andrew E. Smith, The First Primary: New Hampshire’s Outsize Role in Presidential Nominations (2015)
Alan Ware, The American Direct Primary: Party Institutionalization and Transformation in the North (2002)
Links for stories Discussed in The History Skinny segment:
Donald Trump and the Pig Blood Myth
Donald Trump cites dubious legend
about Gen. Pershing, pig’s blood and Muslims
Mississippi Declares April Confederate Heritage Month
Historian Kevin Levin weighs in via
his blog, Civil War Memory
New data shows declining American interest in historic sites
http://humanitiesindicators.org/content/indicatordoc.aspx?i=101
National Geographic –
Science Helps Trace Slaves to Their
African Homelands
“What if Washington, Hamilton, Lincoln and Kennedy had
Twitter?”
http://flip.it/.gMmL
Music:
Jay Graham, ITPL Intro (courtesy, JayGMusic.com) Kevin McCleod, “Impact Moderato” (Free Music Archive)
Lee Rosevere, “Going Home” (Free Music Archive)
Andy Cohen, “Trophy Endorphins” (Free Music Archive)
The Bell, “I Am History” (Free Music Archive)