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342 episodes — Page 6 of 7

"Joe Paterno, Jerry Sandusky and the Crisis in Penn State Athletics: Wounded Lions" with Ronald A. Smith

In Wounded Lions, acclaimed sport historian and longtime Penn State professor Ronald A. Smith heavily draws from university archives to answer the How? and Why? at the heart of the scandal. The Sandusky case was far from the first example of illegal behavior related to the football program or the university's attempts to suppress news of it. As Smith shows, decades of infighting among administrators, alumni, trustees, faculty, and coaches established policies intended to protect the university, and the football team considered synonymous with its name, at all costs.

Mar 13, 201757 min

"A Civil War Captain and His Lady" with Gene Barr

More than 150 years ago, 27-year-old Irish immigrant Josiah Moore met 19-year-old Jennie Lindsay, a member of one of Peoria, Illinois's most prominent families. The Civil War had just begun, Josiah was the captain of the 17th Illinois Infantry, and his war would be a long and bloody one. Their courtship and romance, which came to light in a rare and unpublished series of letters, forms the basis of Gene Barr's memorable "A Civil War Captain and His Lady: A True Story of Love, Courtship, and Combat."

Mar 8, 201758 min

"The Life & Songs of Stephen Foster" with JoAnne O'Connell

The Life and Songs of Stephen Foster offers an engaging reassessment of the life, politics, and legacy of the misunderstood father of American music. Once revered the world over, Foster's plantation songs, like "Old Folks at Home" and "My Old Kentucky Home," fell from grace in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement due to their controversial lyrics. Foster embraced the minstrel tradition for a brief time, refining it and infusing his songs with sympathy for slaves, before abandoning the genre for respectable parlor music. The youngest child in a large family, he grew up in the shadows of a successful older brother and his president brother-in-law, James Buchanan, and walked a fine line between the family's conservative politics and his own pro-Lincoln sentiments. Foster lived most of his life just outside of industrial, smoke-filled Pittsburgh and wrote songs set in a pastoral South—unsullied by the grime of industry but tarnished by the injustice of slavery. JoAnne O'Connell has a background in history and classical vocal music. She earned her PhD at the University of Pittsburgh where she began researching her revisionist biography of the Pittsburgh born composer Stephen Collins Foster. She has taught at colleges and universities in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and currently spends her time researching and writing. Description courtesy of Rowman & Littlefield.

Feb 28, 201758 min

"Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge" with Erica Armstrong Dunbar

When George Washington was elected president, he reluctantly left behind his beloved Mount Vernon to serve in Philadelphia, the temporary seat of the nation's capital, after a brief stay in New York. In setting up his household he took Tobias Lear, his celebrated secretary, and nine slaves, including Ona Judge, about which little has been written. As he grew accustomed to Northern ways, there was one change he couldn't get his arms around: Pennsylvania law required enslaved people be set free after six months of residency in the state. Rather than comply, Washington decided to circumvent the law. Every six months he sent the slaves back down south just as the clock was about to expire. Though Ona Judge lived a life of relative comfort, the few pleasantries she was afforded were nothing compared to freedom, a glimpse of which she encountered first-hand in Philadelphia. So, when the opportunity presented itself one clear and pleasant spring day in Philadelphia, Judge left everything she knew to escape to New England. Yet freedom would not come without its costs. At just twenty-two-years-old, Ona became the subject of an intense manhunt led by George Washington, who used his political and personal contacts to recapture his property. Erica Armstrong Dunbar is the Blue and Gold Professor of Black Studies and History at the University of Delaware. In 2011, Professor Dunbar was appointed the first director of the Program in African American History at the Library Company of Philadelphia. She has been the recipient of Ford, Mellon, and SSRC fellowships and is an Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lecturer. Her first book, A Fragile Freedom: African American Women and Emancipation in the Antebellum City was published by Yale University Press in 2008. Description courtesy of Atria Books.

Feb 23, 201758 min

"The Politics of Black Citizenship" with Andrew Diemer

Considering Baltimore and Philadelphia as part of a larger, Mid-Atlantic borderland, "The Politics of Black Citizenship" shows that the antebellum effort to secure the rights of American citizenship was central to black politics—it was an effort that sought to exploit the ambiguities of citizenship and negotiate the complex national, state, and local politics in which that concept was determined. In this book Andrew Diemer examines the diverse tactics that free blacks employed in defense of their liberties—including violence and the building of autonomous black institutions—as well as African Americans' familiarity with the public policy and political struggles that helped shape those freedoms in the first place. Andrew K. Diemer is assistant professor of history at Towson University. His work has been published in the Journal of Military History, Slavery and Abolition, and the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Description courtesy of University of Georgia Press.

Feb 13, 201758 min

"Playing Through the Whistle" with S.L. Price

In "Playing Through the Whistle," celebrated sportswriter S. L. Price tells the story of a remarkable place, its people, its players, and, through it, a wider story of American history from the turn of the twentieth century. Aliquippa has been many things—a rigidly controlled company town, a booming racial and ethnic melting pot, a battleground for union rights, and, for a brief time, a sort of workers' paradise. Price expertly traces this history, following the growth and decline of industry and the struggles and triumphs of Eastern European immigrants and blacks from the South willing to trade their grueling labor for a better life for their families. S. L. Price, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated since 1994, is the author of three previous books: Heart of the Game; Pitching Around Fidel, which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; and Far Afield. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his family. Description courtesy of Grove Atlantic.

Jan 30, 201758 min

"Mission: Jimmy Stewart & the Fight for Europe" with Robert Matzen

On a Saturday in March 1941, Jimmy Stewart, America's boy-next-door actor, left Hollywood behind and took the oath of service in the United States Army Air Corps. Once in the service, Stewart ducked the press at every opportunity and to a large extent for the next four years remained behind the secure perimeters of air bases in the Western Hemisphere serving his country. Then at war's end he refused to discuss what had happened "over there," and continued to be tight lipped about it to the end of his life. In effect, Jimmy Stewart took the story of his military service with him to the grave. "Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe" tells that story by presenting the first in-depth look behind the scenes at Jimmy Stewart's life in the skies over Germany through 20 combat missions, and, ultimately, his return to Hollywood the changed man who embarked on production of his first post-war film, "It's a Wonderful Life." Robert Matzen spent 10 years working in communications for NASA Headquarters. He is also a filmmaker whose work has been nationally broadcast and has won major awards. His 2001 historical documentary, "When the Forest Ran Red," was broadcast on PBS and is now recognized as the classic interpretation of the French and Indian War in America.

Jan 19, 201758 min

"The Framers' Coup" with Michael J. Klarman

The Framers' Coup narrates how the Framers' clashing interests shaped the Constitution--and American history itself. The Philadelphia convention could easily have been a failure, and the risk of collapse was always present. Had the convention dissolved, any number of adverse outcomes could have resulted, including civil war or a reversion to monarchy. Not only does Klarman capture the knife's-edge atmosphere of the convention, he populates his narrative with riveting and colorful stories: the rebellion of debtor farmers in Massachusetts; George Washington's uncertainty about whether to attend; Gunning Bedford's threat to turn to a European prince if the small states were denied equal representation in the Senate; slave staters' threats to take their marbles and go home if denied representation for their slaves; Hamilton's quasi-monarchist speech to the convention; and Patrick Henry's herculean efforts to defeat the Constitution in Virginia through demagoguery and conspiracy theories. Michael J. Klarman is Kirkland & Ellis Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and author of the Bancroft Prize-winning "From Jim Crow to Civil Rights."

Dec 20, 201658 min

"Running The Rails" with James Wolfinger

In "Running the Rails," James Wolfinger uses the history of Philadelphia's sprawling public transportation system to explore how labor relations shifted from the 1880s to the 1960s. As transit workers adapted to fast-paced technological innovation to keep the city's people and commerce on the move, management sought to limit its employees' rights. Raw violence, welfare capitalism, race-baiting, and smear campaigns against unions were among the strategies managers used to control the company's labor force and enhance corporate profits, often at the expense of the workers' and the city's well-being. This book offers readers a different, historically grounded way of thinking about the people who keep their cities running.

Dec 12, 201658 min

"Slavery & The Underground Railroad in South Central PA" with Cooper H. Wingert

Much like the rest of the nation, South Central Pennsylvania struggled with slavery. The institution lingered locally for more than fifty years, although it was virtually extinct everywhere else within Pennsylvania. Gradually, antislavery views prevailed. The Appalachian Mountains and the Susquehanna River provided natural cover for fleeing slaves, causing an influx of travel along the Underground Railroad. Locals like William Wright and James McAllister assisted these runaways while publicly advocating to abolish slavery. Historian Cooper Wingert reveals the struggles between slavery and abolition in South Central Pennsylvania. Cooper H. Wingert is the author of ten books and numerous articles on slavery and the American Civil War. He is the recipient of the 2012 Dr. James I. Robertson Jr. Literary Award for Confederate History, in recognition for his book "The Confederate Approach on Harrisburg."

Dec 12, 201658 min

"Labor Unrest in Scranton" with Margo L. Azzarelli & Marne Azzarelli

On an August morning in 1877, a dispute over wages exploded between miners and coal company owners. A furious mob rushed down Lackawanna Avenue only to be met by a deadly hail of bullets. With its vast coal fields, mills and rail lines, Scranton became a hotbed for labor activity. Many were discontented by working endless and dangerous hours for minimal pay. The disputes mostly ended in losses for labor, but after a strike that lasted more than one hundred days, John Mitchell helped win higher wages, a shorter workday and better working conditions for coal miners. The legendary 1902 Anthracite Coal Strike Commission hearings began in Scranton, where famed lawyer Clarence Darrow championed workers' rights. Margo L. Azzarelli, a historian and researcher, has written four local history books for Arcadia Publishing and The History Press and is the local history columnist for "Our Town, Lackawanna County." Marnie Azzarelli is a local historian and docent for the Lackawanna Historical Society. In 2014, she graduated from Marywood University with a bachelor's degree in English and received the J. Harold Brislin award for distinction in creative writing.

Nov 28, 201653 min

"The Carnival Campaign" with Ronald Shafer

Pulitzer Prize–nominated former Wall Street Journal reporter Ronald G. Shafer tells the colorful story of the election battle between sitting president Martin Van Buren, a professional Democratic politician from New York, and Whig Party upstart William Henry Harrison, a military hero who was nicknamed "Old Tippecanoe" after a battlefield where he fought and won in 1811. Shafer shows how the pivotal campaign of "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" marked a series of firsts that changed presidential politicking forever: the first presidential campaign as mass entertainment, directed at middle- and lower-income voters; the first "image campaign," in which strategists painted Harrison as an everyman living in a log cabin sipping hard cider (in fact, he was born into wealth, lived in a twenty-two-room mansion, and drank only sweet cider); the first campaign in which a candidate, Harrison, traveled and delivered speeches directly to voters; the first one influenced by major campaign donations; the first in which women openly participated; and the first involving massive grassroots rallies, attended by tens of thousands and marked by elaborate fanfare, including bands, floats, a log cabin on wheels, and the world's tallest man.Some of history's most fascinating figures—including Susan B. Anthony, Charles Dickens, Abraham Lincoln, Edgar Allan Poe, Thaddeus Stevens, and Walt Whitman—pass through this colorful story, which is essential reading for anyone interested in learning when image first came to trump ideas in presidential politics. Ronald G. Shafer was an editor, reporter, and columnist at the Wall Street Journal for thirty-eight years, based in Chicago, Detroit, and Washington, DC, where he was the political features editor. In 1990 he was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism. Shafer is now a freelance writer and lives in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Nov 1, 201658 min

"Benjamin Franklin in London" with George Goodwin

For more than one-fifth of his life, Benjamin Franklin lived in London. He dined with prime ministers, members of parliament, even kings, as well as with Britain's most esteemed intellectuals—including David Hume, Joseph Priestley, and Erasmus Darwin. In this fascinating history, George Goodwin gives a colorful account of Franklin's British years. The author offers a rich and revealing portrait of one of the most remarkable figures in U.S. history, effectively disputing the commonly held perception of Franklin as an outsider in British politics. It is an enthralling study of an American patriot who was a fiercely loyal British citizen for most of his life—until forces he had sought and failed to control finally made him a reluctant revolutionary at the age of sixty-nine. George Goodwin is the author of numerous articles and two previous histories, Fatal Colours: Towton 1461 and Fatal Rivalry: Henry VIII, James IV, and the Battle for Renaissance Britain. He is currently Author in Residence at the Benjamin Franklin House in London and was a 2014 International Fellow at the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, Monticello. He lives close to London's Kew Gardens.

Sep 19, 201658 min

"Amiable Scoundrel: Simon Cameron, Lincoln's Scandalous Secretary of War" with Paul Kahan

From abject poverty to undisputed political boss of Pennsylvania, Lincoln's secretary of war, senator, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and a founder of the Republican Party, Simon Cameron (1799–1889) was one of the nineteenth century's most prominent political figures. The political changes of the early nineteenth century enabled him not only to improve his status but also to exert real political authority. The changes caused by the Civil War, in turn, allowed Cameron to consolidate his political authority into a successful, well-oiled political machine. A key figure in designing and implementing the Union's military strategy during the Civil War's crucial first year, Cameron played an essential role in pushing Abraham Lincoln to permit the enlistment of African Americans into the U.S. Army, a stance that eventually led to his forced resignation. Yet his legacy has languished, nearly forgotten save for the fact that his name has become shorthand for corruption, even though no evidence has ever been presented to prove that Cameron was corrupt. Paul Kahan is a lecturer at Ohlone College in Fremont, California. He is the author of "The Bank War: Andrew Jackson, Nicholas Biddle, and the Fight for American Finance" and "The Homestead Strike: Labor, Violence, and American Industry."

Sep 6, 201658 min

"The Second Day at Gettysburg" with David Shultz & Scott Mingus

Based upon a faulty early-morning reconnaissance, General Robert E. Lee decided to attack up the Emmitsburg Road in an effort to collapse the left flank of General George Meade's Army of the Potomac and decisively defeat it. The effort got underway when General James Longstreet's First Corps troops crushed General Sickles' Peach Orchard salient and turned north and east to drive deeply into the Union rear. A third Confederate division under Richard Anderson, part of A. P. Hill's Third Corps, joined in the attack, slamming one brigade after another into the overstretched Union line stitched northward along the Emmitsburg Road. The bloody fighting stair-stepped its way up Cemetery Ridge, tearing open a large gap in the center of the Federal line that threatened to split the Union army in two. The fate of the Battle of Gettysburg hung in the balance. In addition to demonstrating how the fighting on the far Union left directly affected the combat to come in the center of General Meade's line, the authors also address some of the most commonly overlooked aspects of the fighting: what routes did some of the key units take to reach the front? What could the commanders actually see, and when could they see it? How did the fences, roads, farms, trees, ravines, creeks, and others obstacles directly affect tactical decisions, and ultimately the battle itself? David L. Shultz is the author of numerous books, pamphlets, and articles concerning the Battle of Gettysburg. He is the recipient of numerous awards including special citations from the House of Representatives and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for Meritorious Public Service for Battlefield Preservation. Scott L. Mingus, Sr. is an author, tour guide, multiple award-winning miniature wargamer, patented scientist, and history buff based near York, Pennsylvania.

Jul 19, 201658 min

"The First Congress" with Fergus Bordewich

The First Congress tells the dramatic story of the two remarkable years when George Washington, James Madison, and their dedicated colleagues struggled to successfully create our government, an achievement that has lasted to the present day. The Constitution was a broad set of principles. It was left to the members of the First Congress and President George Washington to create the machinery that would make the government work. Fortunately, James Madison, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and others less well known today, rose to the occasion. During two years of often fierce political struggle, they passed the first ten amendments to the Constitution; they resolved bitter regional rivalries to choose the site of the new national capital; they set in place the procedure for admitting new states to the union; and much more. But the First Congress also confronted some issues that remain to this day: the conflict between states' rights and the powers of national government; the proper balance between legislative and executive power; the respective roles of the federal and state judiciaries; and funding the central government. Other issues, such as slavery, would fester for decades before being resolved. Fergus M. Bordewich is the author of several books, among them "Washington: The Making of the American Capital" and "Bound for Canaan," a national history of the Underground Railroad. His articles have appeared in many magazines and newspapers. He lives in San Francisco.

Jun 28, 201658 min

"Sickles at Gettysburg" with James Hessler

Sickles at Gettysburg" No individual who fought at Gettysburg was more controversial, both personally and professionally, than Major General Daniel E. Sickles. By 1863, Sickles was notorious as a disgraced former Congressman who murdered his wife's lover on the streets of Washington and used America's first temporary insanity defense to escape justice. With his political career in ruins, Sickles used his connections with President Lincoln to obtain a prominent command in the Army of the Potomac's Third Corps-despite having no military experience. At Gettysburg, he openly disobeyed orders in one of the most controversial decisions in military history. No single action dictated the battlefield strategies of George Meade and Robert E. Lee more than Sickles' unauthorized advance to the Peach Orchard, and the mythic defense of Little Round Top might have occurred quite differently were it not for General Sickles. Fighting heroically, Sickles lost his leg on the field and thereafter worked to remove General Meade from command of the army. Sickles spent the remainder of his checkered life declaring himself the true hero of Gettysburg. James Hessler works in the financial services industry and is a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park. He has taught Sickles and Gettysburg-related courses for Harrisburg Area Community College and the Gettysburg Foundation.

Feb 10, 201658 min

"Shop Pomeroy's First" with Michael Lisicky

For over one hundred years, Pomeroy's was a beloved household name for the shoppers of central and eastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1876, the store began under another name in Reading and soon expanded to Harrisburg, Pottsville and Wilkes-Barre. George Pomeroy bought out his partners in 1923, and Pomeroy's became known for its exemplary service and a devoted sales force. From the extraordinary window displays and the annual Christmas parade to a bite at the Tea Room, the stores were a social hub where sweethearts first met and families did their Saturday shopping. Though the final stores closed in 1990, the memories live on. Department store historian Michael Lisicky chronicles the history of Pomeroy's and takes readers back in time with reminiscences of former employees, interviews with store insiders and a selection of classic recipes. Michael Lisicky has been credited as a nationally recognized department store "historian," "lecturer," "expert," "guru," "aficionado," "junkie" and "maven" by several major newspapers. He is the author of several best-selling books, including Wanamaker's: Meet Me at the Eagle, Hutzler's: Where Baltimore Shops, and Woodward and Lothrop: A Store Worthy of the Nation's Capital. Mr. Lisicky resides in Baltimore, where he is an oboist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and a master's degree candidate in museum studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Feb 10, 201658 min

"Semisweet" with Johnny O' Brien

The Milton Hershey School is the richest and wealthiest K-12 residential school in the world. Its $12 billion trust fund, financed by sales of the iconic Hershey candy, eclipse that of Cornell, Dartmouth, and Johns Hopkins combined. Even more stunning is that the school for orphans owns The Hershey Company and not the other way around.As the twentieth-century drew to a close, the School's Board of Managers creatively interpreted the Founder's mission and tried to turn the refuge for extremely needy children into more of a middle-class boarding school. The alumni "Homeguys" challenged the Board and, after a decade of legal struggle and national publicity, won the battle to reclaim the soul of the school.Johnny O'Brien, an orphan who lived at the school growing up, helped to lead the successful alumni protest. In a shocking turn of events, he was then selected to become Milton Hershey School's eighth president and tasked with restoring the mission, morale, and character-building culture of "the Home." He would need all his orphan resilience, Princeton and Johns Hopkins wisdom, and his good friends, to transform this unusual and remarkable school.In a riveting and haunting account, O'Brien tells a universal story about the vulnerability of needy children, describes the madness that consumed his beloved brother, explores the cruelty of bullies—both young and old, exposes the corrupting influence of money, and shows how the Milton Hershey School continues its sacred mission of saving thousands of America's neediest children. Johnny O'Brien is the former president of the Milton Hershey School in Hershey, PA. He spent his formative years from age 4 through 18 as a student at the School where he emerged as a leader of his Class of 1961 in sports, academics, and student government. He earned degrees in psychology and education at Princeton and Johns Hopkins Universities. Throughout his career, which includes serving as a Princeton University Trustee, he has specialized in education and issues related to leadership. He founded Renaissance Leadership, an executive leadership coaching firm, in 1978. He has been a keynote speaker, seminar leader and high performance coach for more than 50,000 managers and executives at leading American companies including Pfizer, AT&T, and American Express. He lives in Easton, Maryland and Vero Beach, Florida with his wife Gail.

Feb 10, 201656 min

"Seeking the Greatest Good" with Char Miller

Char Miller chronicles the history of the Pinchot Institute for Conservation Studies and describes its iconic national historic site, Grey Towers, offered by Pinchot's family as a lasting gift to the American people. As a union of the United States Forest Service and the Conservation Foundation, the institute was created to formulate policy and develop conservation education programs. Miller explores the institute's unique fusion of policy makers, scientists, politicians, and activists and their efforts to increase our understanding of and responses to urban and rural forestry, water quality, soil erosion, air pollution, endangered species, land management and planning, and hydraulic fracking. Char Miller is W. M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis and director of the Environmental Analysis Program at Pomona College. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Gifford Pinchot and the Making of Modern Environmentalism; Public Lands/Public Debates: A Century of Controversy; Out of the Woods: Essays in Environmental History; and Between Ruin and Restoration: An Environmental History of Israel.

Feb 10, 201658 min

"Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in PA" with Andrew M. Wilson, Daniel W. Brauning and Robert S. Mulvihill

"Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in PA" Twenty years after the first Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania was published, the Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania brings our knowledge of the state's bird populations up to date, documenting current distribution and changes in status for nearly two hundred bird species. More than two thousand dedicated birdwatchers completed surveys of birds across the state from 2004 to 2009. The data amassed reveal the distribution of each species and show changes in distribution since the publication of the first Atlas. Additionally, a highly trained survey crew carried out bird counts at more than 34,000 locations statewide. These counts tabulated not just species but individual birds as well, in a manner that—for the very first time—enabled precise estimates of the actual statewide populations for more than half of the 190 breeding species detected. In all, more than 1.5 million sightings were compiled for the second Atlas, providing an unprecedented snapshot of the bird life of Pennsylvania—and perhaps of any comparably sized region in the world. The introductory chapters to the second Atlas describe and discuss recent changes in climate and bird habitats within Pennsylvania. The data gathered and summarized for this volume were used by the more than forty contributing authors to write comprehensive and authoritative accounts of each species. These accounts are illustrated by photographs, usually taken somewhere within the state. Up to three maps per species show in fine detail their current distribution based on the second Atlas, changes in distribution since the first Atlas, and, for more than one hundred species, their abundance in Pennsylvania. Andrew M. Wilson is Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Gettysburg College. Daniel W. Brauning is an ornithologist with the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Robert S. Mulvihill is Conservation Outreach Manager at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh.

Feb 10, 201658 min

"Saint Katharine" with Cordelia Frances Biddle

When Katharine Drexel was born in 1858, her grandfather, financier Francis Martin Drexel, had a fortune so vast he was able to provide a loan of sixty million dollars to the Union's cause during the Civil War. Her uncle and mentor, Anthony, established Drexel University to provide instruction to the working class regardless of race, religion, or gender. Her stepmother was Emma Bouvier whose brother, John, became the great-grandfather of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Katharine Drexel's family were American royalty. As a Philadelphia socialite, "Kitty," as she was often called, adored formal balls and teas, rowing regattas, and sailing races. She was beautiful, intelligent, and high-spirited. But when her stepmother died in 1883, and her father two years later, a sense of desolation nearly overwhelmed her. She was twenty-seven and in possession of a staggering inheritance. Approached for aid by the Catholic Indian Missions, she surprised her family by giving generously of money and time. It was during this period of acute self-examination that she journeyed to Rome for a private audience with Pope Leo XIII. With characteristic energy and fervor, she detailed the plight of the Native Americans, and begged for additional missionaries to serve them. His reply astonished her. "Why not, my child, yourself become a missionary?" In Saint Katharine: The Life of Katharine Drexel, Cordelia Frances Biddle recounts the extraordinary story of a Gilded Age luminary who became a selfless worker for the welfare and rights of America's poorest persons. After years of supporting efforts on behalf of African Americans and American Indians, Katharine finally decided to follow her inner voice and profess vows. The act made headlines. Like her father and grandfather, she was a shrewd businessperson; she retained her financial autonomy and established her own order, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. Until her death in 1955, she devoted herself and her inheritance to building much-needed schools in the South and Southwest, despite threats from the Ku Klux Klan and others. Pragmatic, sometimes willful—she corresponded with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt urging him to sign anti-lynching legislation—ardent, and a charismatic leader, Katharine Drexel was an indefatigable champion of justice and parity. When illness incapacitated her in later years, divine radiance was said to emanate from her, a radiance that led to her canonization on October 1, 2000. Cordelia Frances Biddle teaches creative writing at Drexel University's Pennoni Honors College and received the college's Outstanding Teaching Award in 2012. A member of the Authors Guild, she is the author of Beneath the Wind, Without Fear, Deception's Daughter, and The Conjurer. She has contributed to Town and Country, Hemispheres and W, and won the 1997 SATW Lowell Thomas travel-writing award for "Three Perfect Days in Philadelphia." She is a descendant of Francis Martin Drexel, grandfather of Saint Katharine Drexel.

Feb 10, 201657 min

"Roads to Gettysburg" with Brad Gottfried

"Roads to Gettysburg" The men of the Union and Confederate armies experienced a mix of emotions during Robert E. Lee's first phase of the Gettysburg campaign. Lee's veterans experienced a sense of wonder and excitement as they journeyed north from Fredericksburg, Virginia, while the Federal troops showed resolve and some depression. All were footsore by the long marches and often had little food or water. Roads to Gettysburg: Lee's Invasion of the North, 1863 provides a day-by-day account of the preliminary phases of the campaign and follows the two armies from their positions in central Virginia after the Battle of Chancellorsville to their final arrival on the battlefield. Numerous quotes and maps richly illustrate the armies' activities during this seminal period. Dr. Bradley M. Gottfried holds a Ph.D. in zoology and is currently dean of academic affairs at Montgomery County Community College in Pennsylvania. His lifelong interest in the Civil War has resulted in a number of articles.

Feb 10, 201659 min

"The Return of George Washington" with Edward Larson

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward J. Larson recovers a crucially important—yet almost always overlooked—chapter of George Washington's life, revealing how Washington saved the United States by coming out of retirement to lead the Constitutional Convention and serve as our first president. After leading the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War, George Washington shocked the world: he retired. In December 1783, General Washington, the most powerful man in the country, stepped down as Commander in Chief and returned to private life at Mount Vernon. Yet as Washington contentedly grew his estate, the fledgling American experiment floundered. Under the Articles of Confederation, the weak central government was unable to raise revenue to pay its debts or reach a consensus on national policy. The states bickered and grew apart. When a Constitutional Convention was established to address these problems, its chances of success were slim. Jefferson, Madison, and the other Founding Fathers realized that only one man could unite the fractious states: George Washington. Reluctant, but duty-bound, Washington rode to Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 to preside over the Convention. Although Washington is often overlooked in most accounts of the period, this masterful new history from Pulitzer Prize-winner Edward J. Larson brilliantly uncovers Washington's vital role in shaping the Convention—and shows how it was only with Washington's support and his willingness to serve as President that the states were brought together and ratified the Constitution, thereby saving the country. Edward Larson is University Professor of History and holds the Hugh & Hazel Darling Chair in Law at Pepperdine University. His numerous books include Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion, for which he received a Pulitzer Prize in History. Larson splits his time between Georgia and California.

Feb 10, 201658 min

"Retreat from Gettysburg" with Kent Masterson Brown

"Retreat from Gettysburg" Kent Masterson Brown's "Retreat from Gettysburg: Lee, Logistics, and the Pennsylvania Campaign" offers the first comprehensive history of General Robert E. Lee's logistical nightmare following the Army of Northern Virginia's defeat at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. The book follows Lee through enemy territory, moving tens of thousands of troops, many of whom are wounded, and an almost equal amount of livestock, and more than fifty-seven miles of supply trains over mountains, through rain and deep mud, to safety. Gettysburg is placed in a broad historical perspective, situating the battle as the culmination of Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania. Kent Masterson Brown is an attorney in Lexington, Kentucky. He is author of "Cushing of Gettysburg: The Story of a Union Artillery Commander" and editor of "The Civil War in Kentucky."

Feb 10, 201659 min

"The Quiet Don" with Matt Birkbeck

Secretive—even reclusive—Russell Bufalino quietly built his organized crime empire in the decades between Prohibition and the Carter presidency. His reach extended far beyond the coal country of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and quaint Amish farms near Lancaster. Bufalino had a hand in global, national, and local politics of the largest American cities, many of its major industries, and controlled the powerful Teamsters Union. His influence also reached the highest levels of Pennsylvania government and halls of Congress, and his legacy left a culture of corruption that continues to this day. A uniquely American saga that spans six decades, The Quiet Don follows Russell Bufalino's remarkably quiet ascent from Sicilian immigrant to mob soldier to a man described by a United States Senate subcommittee in 1964 as "one of the most ruthless and powerful leaders of the Mafia in the United States." Matt Birkbeck is an award winning investigative journalist and author of "A Deadly Secret: The Strange Disappearance of Kathie Durst." His work has appeared in Reader's Digest, People magazine, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, among others.

Feb 10, 201658 min

"The Quartet" with Joseph Ellis

We all know the famous opening phrase of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this Continent a new Nation." The truth is different. In 1776, thirteen American colonies declared themselves independent states that only temporarily joined forces in order to defeat the British. Once victorious, they planned to go their separate ways. The triumph of the American Revolution was neither an ideological nor a political guarantee that the colonies would relinquish their independence and accept the creation of a federal government with power over their autonomy as states.The Quartet is the story of this second American founding and of the men most responsible—George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison. These men, with the help of Robert Morris and Gouverneur Morris, shaped the contours of American history by diagnosing the systemic dysfunctions created by the Articles of Confederation, manipulating the political process to force the calling of the Constitutional Convention, conspiring to set the agenda in Philadelphia, orchestrating the debate in the state ratifying conventions, and, finally, drafting the Bill of Rights to assure state compliance with the constitutional settlement. Joseph Ellis is the author of many works of American history including Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize; and American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, which won the National Book Award. He recently retired from his position as the Ford Foundation Professor of History at Mount Holyoke College and lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with his wife and their youngest son.

Feb 10, 201658 min

"The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia, Second Edition" with David Finoli & Bill Ranier

The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the most storied histories in the annals of baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia captures these fabulous times through the stories of the individuals and the collective teams that have thrilled the Steel City for 125 years. The book breaks down the team with a year-by-year synopsis of the club, including biographies of more than 180 of the most memorable Pirates through the ages as well as a look at each manager, owner, general manager, and announcer who has served the club proudly.Now updated through the 2014 season, The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia will provide Pirates fans as well as baseball fans in general a complete look into the team's history, sparking memories of glories past and hopes for the future. David Finoli is a sports writer from Monroeville, PA. The Duquesne University graduate has penned seventeen other books, including The Pittsburgh Pirates and The Birthplace of Professional Football: Southwestern Pennsylvania. Bill Ranier is the co author, with David Finoli, of When the Bucs Won It All: The 1979 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates and When Cobb Met Wagner: The Seven-Game World Series of 1909.

Feb 10, 201659 min

"Pickett's Charge in History and Memory" with Carol Reardon

"Pickett's Charge in History and Memory" If, as many have argued, the Civil War is the most crucial moment in our national life and Gettysburg its turning point, then the climax of the climax, the central moment of our history, must be Pickett's Charge. But as Carol Reardon notes, the Civil War saw many other daring assaults and stout defenses. Why, then, is it Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg--and not, for example, Richardson's Charge at Antietam or Humphreys's Assault at Fredericksburg--that looms so large in the popular imagination? As this innovative study reveals, by examining the events of 3 July 1863 through the selective and evocative lens of 'memory' we can learn much about why Pickett's Charge endures so strongly in the American imagination. Over the years, soldiers, journalists, veterans, politicians, orators, artists, poets, and educators, Northerners and Southerners alike, shaped, revised, and even sacrificed the 'history' of the charge to create 'memories' that met ever-shifting needs and deeply felt values. Reardon shows that the story told today of Pickett's Charge is really an amalgam of history and memory. The evolution of that mix, she concludes, tells us much about how we come to understand our nation's past.

Feb 10, 20161h 0m

"The Philadelphia Nativist Riots" with Kenneth Milano

The outskirts of Philadelphia seethed with tension in the spring of 1844. By May 6, the situation between the newly arrived Irish Catholics and members of the anti-immigrant Nativist Party took an explosively violent turn. When the Irish asked to have their children excused from reading the Protestant version of the Bible in local public schools, the nativists held a protest. The Irish pushed back. For three days, riots scorched the streets of Kensington. Though the immigrants first had the upper hand, the nativists soon put the community to the torch. Those who fled were shot. Two Catholic churches burned to the ground, along with several blocks of houses, stores, a nunnery and a Catholic school. Local historian Kenneth W. Milano traces this tumultuous history from the preceding hostilities through the bloody skirmishes and finally to the aftermath of arrests and trials. Discover a remarkably intimate and compelling view of the riots with stories of individuals on both sides of the conflict that rocked Kensington. Kenneth Milano is a historical and genealogical researcher with over twenty years experience in the history of Philadelphia's neighborhoods of Fishtown and Kensington, as well as the metropolitan area of Philadelphia. He was born and raisedin Kensington and still lives in that section of Philadelphia, where his mother's German ancestors first arrived from Unterleichtersbach, Bavaria in 1844.

Feb 10, 201655 min

"Philadelphia Freedoms" with Michael Awkward

Michael Awkward's Philadelphia Freedoms captures the disputes over the meanings of racial politics and black identity during the post-King era in the City of Brotherly Love. Looking closely at four cultural moments, he shows how racial trauma and his native city's history have been entwined. Awkward introduces each of these moments with poignant personal memories of the decade in focus, chronicling the representation of African American freedom and oppression from the 1960s to the 1990s. Philadelphia Freedoms explores NBA players' psychic pain during a playoff game the day after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination; themes of fatherhood and black masculinity in the soul music produced by Philadelphia International Records; class conflict in Andrea Lee's novel Sarah Phillips; and the theme of racial healing in Oprah Winfrey's 1997 film, Beloved. Awkward closes his examination of racial trauma and black identity with a discussion of candidate Barack Obama's speech on race at Philadelphia's Constitution Center, pointing to the conflict between the nation's ideals and the racial animus that persists even into the second term of America's first black president. Michael Awkward, Gayl A. Jones Professor of Afro-American Literature and Culture at the University of Michigan, is the author, most recently, of Burying Don Imus: Anatomy of a Scapegoat and Soul Covers: Rhythm and Blues Remakes and the Struggle for Artistic Identity.

Feb 10, 201658 min

"The Pennsylvania Reserves in the Civil War" with Uzal Ent

Until its soldiers mustered out of service in mid–1864, the Pennsylvania Reserve Division was one of only a few one-state divisions in the Union army. Known as the Pennsylvania Reserves, or simply the Reserves, the division saw action in most of the major battles of the Civil War, including Mechanicsville, New Market Crossroads, Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House. This history chronicles the division's service from its organization in May 1861 through June 1864, when most of its soldiers reached the end of their service commitment. The book includes short biographical sketches, most with photographs, of the Reserves leadership. Throughout, excerpts from letters, journals, diaries, and books from more than 150 members of the Reserves provide a personal perspective on the action and reveal the human side of battle. Uzal Ent, a brigadier general retired from a 34 year military career, is the author of three books and has published work in 19 magazines and five encyclopedias. He lives in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

Feb 10, 201658 min

"Paterno Legacy: Enduring Lessons from the Life and Death of My Father" with Jay Paterno

This biography of Joe Paterno by his son Jay is an honest and touching look at the life and legacy of a beloved coaching legend. Jay Paterno paints a full picture of his father's life and career as well as documenting that almost none of the horrific crimes that came to light in 2012 took place at PennState. Jay Paterno clear-headedly confronts the events that happened with cool facts and with passion, demonstrating that this was just one more case of an innocent man convicted by the media for a crime in which he had no part. Noting that the scandal itself was but a short moment in Joe Paterno's life and legacy, the book focuses on Paterno's greatness as a father and grandfather, his actions as a miraculous coach to his players, and his skillful dealings with his assistant coaches. A memorial to one of the greatest coaches in college football history, the book also reveals insightful anecdotes from his son and coaching pupil. Jay Paterno is the son of Joe Paterno and was on Penn State's coaching staff for 17 seasons, 12 of which he served as the quarterback coach. He is a writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including the Centre Daily Times, the Penn Stater, and USA Today. His columns for StateCollege.com have been cited by Sports Illustrated and ESPN. He lives in State College, Pennsylvania. Phil Knight is the cofounder and chairman of Nike, Inc. and one of America's most well-known entrepreneurs in the sporting world. Nike is the official athletic supplier of Penn State football's jerseys and shoes. He lives in Beaverton, Oregon.

Feb 10, 201657 min

"On the Edge of Freedom" with David Smith

"On the Edge of Freedom" In "On the Edge of Freedom," David Smith breaks new ground by illuminating the unique development of antislavery sentiment in south central Pennsylvania—a border region of a border state with a complicated history of slavery, antislavery activism, and unequal freedom. During the antebellum decades every single fugitive slave escaping by land east of the Appalachian Mountains had to pass through the region, where they faced both significant opportunities and substantial risks. While the hundreds of fugitives traveling through south central Pennsylvania (defined as Adams, Franklin, and Cumberland counties) during this period were aided by an effective Underground Railroad, they also faced slave catchers and informers. "Underground" work such as helping fugitive slaves appealed to border antislavery activists who shied away from agitating for immediate abolition in a region with social, economic, and kinship ties to the South. And, as early antislavery protests met fierce resistance, area activists adopted a less confrontational approach, employing the more traditional political tools of the petition and legal action. Smith traces the victories of antislavery activists in south central Pennsylvania, including the achievement of a strong personal liberty law and the aggressive prosecution of kidnappers who seized innocent African Americans as fugitives. He also documents how their success provoked Southern retaliation and the passage of a strengthened Fugitive Slave Law in 1850. The Civil War then intensified the debate over fugitive slaves, as hundreds of escaping slaves, called "contrabands," sought safety in the area, and scores were recaptured by the Confederate army during the Gettysburg campaign. David Smith received his Ph.D. in American History from the Pennsylvania State University in 2006. A social historian of the Civil War period, his research centers on the intersection of war, societal conflict, and race. He currently works as a consultant to the Department of Defense.

Feb 10, 201657 min

"Native Americans in the Susquehanna River Valley, Past and Present" with David Minderhout

This first volume in the new Stories of the Susquehanna Valley series describes the Native American presence in the Susquehanna River Valley, a key crossroads of the old Eastern Woodlands between the Great Lakes and the Chesapeake Bay in northern Appalachia. Combining archaeology, history, cultural anthropology, and the study of contemporary Native American issues, contributors describe what is known about the Native Americans from their earliest known presence in the valley to the contact era with Europeans. They also explore the subsequent consequences of that contact for Native peoples, including the removal, forced or voluntary, of many from the valley, in what became a chilling prototype for attempted genocide across the continent. Euro-American history asserted that there were no native people left in Pennsylvania (the center of the Susquehanna watershed) after the American Revolution. But with revived Native American cultural consciousness in the late twentieth century, Pennsylvanians of native ancestry began to take pride in and reclaim their heritage. This book also tells their stories, including efforts to revive Native cultures in the watershed, and Native perspectives on its ecological restoration. David Minderhout is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Bloomsburg University, Pennsylvania. In addition to his work with Native Americans in Pennsylvania, he has conducted research on creole languages in the southern Caribbean, African American English in the Washington, D.C., public schools, and Pennsylvania German traditional medicine. He is the coauthor of Invisible Indians: Native Americans in Pennsylvania and numerous scholarly articles.

Feb 10, 201655 min

"Murder in the Stacks" with David DeKok

On Nov. 28, 1969, Betsy Aardsma, a 22-year-old graduate student in English at Penn State, was stabbed to death in the stacks of Pattee Library at the university's main campus in State College. For more than forty years, her murder went unsolved, though detectives with the Pennsylvania State Police and local citizens worked tirelessly to find her killer. The mystery was eventually solved—after the death of the murderer. This book will reveal the story behind what has been a scary mystery for generations of Penn State students and explain why the Pennsylvania State Police failed to bring her killer to justice. More than a simple true crime story, the book weaves together the events, culture, and attitudes of the late 1960s, memorializing Betsy Aardsma and her time and place in history. David DeKok is the author of Fire Underground: The Ongoing Tragedy of the Centralia Mine Fire (Globe Pequot Press), which previously appeared as Unseen Danger. A former award-winning investigative reporter for the Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he has been a guest on Fresh Air and The Diane Rehm Show. In 2009, he appeared at length in Episode 6 of the History Channel's Life After People series discussing Centralia, Pennsylvania.

Feb 10, 201658 min

"Mr. President" with Harlow Giles Unger

Although the framers gave the president little authority, Washington knew whatever he did would set precedents for generations of his successors. To ensure their ability to defend the nation, he simply ignored the Constitution when he thought it necessary and reshaped the presidency into what James Madison called a monarchical presidency. Modern scholars call it the "imperial presidency." A revealing new look at the birth of American government, "Mr. President" describes George Washington's assumption of office in a time of continual crisis, as riots, rebellion, internecine warfare, and attacks by foreign enemies threatened to destroy the new nation. Drawing on rare documents and letters, Unger shows how Washington combined political cunning, daring, and sheer genius to seize ever-widening powers to solve each crisis. In a series of brilliant, but unconstitutional, maneuvers, Washington forced Congress to cede control of the four pillars of executive power: war, finance, foreign affairs, and law enforcement. Then, in the absence of Congress, he sent troops to fight Indian wars, crush tax revolts, and put down threats of secession by three states. Constantly weighing preservation of the Union against preservation of individual liberties and states' rights, Washington assumed more power with each crisis. Often only a breath away from reestablishing the tyranny he pledged to destroy in the Revolutionary War, he imposed law and order across the land while ensuring individual freedom and self-government. A veteran journalist, broadcaster, educator, and historian, Harlow Giles Unger is a former Distinguished Visiting Fellow in American History at Mount Vernon and the author of twenty books, including six biographies of America's Founding Fathers and three other histories of the early republic.

Feb 10, 201658 min

"Mob Files" with George Anastasia

For more than 25 years as a reporter with the Philadelphia Inquirer George Anastasia has made tracking the American Mafia his regular beat, writing investigates pieces, profiles and slices of underworld life. Mobfiles is a compilation of his best work -- stories told from street level and often based on insights and access provided by investigators, prosecutors and the mobsters themselves. Mobfiles provides the true stories around which classics like The Godfather and The Sopranos have been built. George Anastasia, a veteran reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, is the grandson of Sicilian immigrants who settle in South Philadelphia. He is the author of five books of nonfiction, including Blood and Honor, which Jimmy Breslin called the "best gangster book ever written." He has won many awards for investigative journalism and magazine writing.

Feb 10, 201657 min

"The Milliner-Koken Collection of American Fiddle Tunes" with Walt Koken & Clare Milliner

"Old-Time" music could be loosely described as that body of music containing fiddle tunes, banjo tunes, ballads, and ensemble pieces in various instrumental combinations including the guitar, mandolin, autoharp, dulcimer, mouth harp, jaw harp, dobro, piano, and other related non-electrified instruments. "Old-Time" music has often been preserved before the industrial age in the relative isolation of the Appalachian mountains. "The Milliner-Koken Collection of American Fiddle Tunes" contains transcriptions of over 1400 fiddle tunes. The book includes an artist profiles section with brief bios of the 347 fiddlers/bands represented in the book. A majority of these fiddlers were born before 1900. The collection also contains a comments section with interesting information about the tunes and fiddlers. Walt Koken began playing the five string banjo in 1959. He has played the banjo and fiddle in a variety of groups including "The Busted Toe Mudthumpers," "Fat City," "The Highwoods Stringband," and the "Orpheus Supertones." In the late 70's, he retired from the old-time music business and worked as a carpenter. In the early 1990's, he began playing banjo again, released several CD's, and formed Mudthumper Music. The company is dedicated to the preservation of non-electrified, fiddle-banjo oriented music. Clare Milliner grew up in Chester County, Pennsylvania, not far from the original site of the Brandywine Friends of Old Time Music's annual Mountain Music Festival. She studied piano and violin, but when she heard fiddle tunes at the Old Fiddler's Picnic at Lenape Park near her home, it changed her approach to playing. She plays often for square dances, usually with the "Cacklin' Hens and Roosters Too," and she and Walt play double fiddles, as well as fiddle-banjo duets.

Feb 10, 201659 min

"Making Good Neighbors" with Abigail Perkiss

In the 1950s and 1960s, as the white residents, real estate agents, and municipal officials of many American cities fought to keep African Americans out of traditionally white neighborhoods, Philadelphia's West Mount Airy became one of the first neighborhoods in the nation where residents came together around a community-wide mission toward intentional integration. As West Mount Airy experienced transition, homeowners fought economic and legal policies that encouraged white flight and threatened the quality of local schools, seeking to find an alternative to racial separation without knowing what they would create in its place. In Making Good Neighbors, Abigail Perkiss tells the remarkable story of West Mount Airy, drawing on archival research and her oral history interviews with residents to trace their efforts, which began in the years following World War II and continued through the turn of the twenty-first century. Abigail Perkiss is Assistant Professor of History at Kean University and lives in West Mount Airy.

Feb 10, 201658 min

"Making Ideas Matter" with Dwight Evans

Making Ideas Matter is a primer on mobilizing political power to achieve enlightened goals in a democracy. This is a book about how good politicians can compromise without abandoning moral principles. This is a book that will inspire future political leaders to hold on to their idealism rather than spiral into a cynical distrust of politics and government. Pennsylvania State Rep. Dwight Evans shows us that politics is a noble art, and with enough research, hard work and knowledge of the legislative process, politics can be the art of the possible. Dwight Evans is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He has represented the 203rd District (Philadelphia County) since 1981.

Feb 10, 201657 min

"Louis I. Kahn" with Charles Dagit

Few people in the history of art and architecture have planted a seed of inspiration that grew to become a towering oak of lasting influence. There are those, particularly colleagues and students of Louis I. Kahn, who would say that he was one of these people. Certainly Kahn was one of the foremost architects of the twentieth century, designing such famous landmarks as the National Assembly Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh; the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California; and the Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. In this commemorative volume, Charles E. Dagit, Jr. shows the power and influence that Kahn displayed at the University of Pennsylvania department of architecture in the 1960s. Since Dagit knew Kahn personally, this is a factual history as well as a glimpse into Kahn's personal wisdom and humanity. Charles E. Dagit, Jr. taught at Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Drexel University, where he is now a thesis advisor as well as conductor of a seminar on American Architectural History. Awarded the American Institute of Architects Pennsylvania's Medal of Distinction, his work has been published in Progressive Architect, Interiors Magazine, and Yale Perspecta.

Feb 10, 201658 min

"Lost Triumph" with Tom Carhart

"Lost Triumph: Lee's Real Plan at Gettysburg and Why It Failed" Conventional wisdom holds that General Robert E. Lee risked everything at Gettysburg. Victory would have virtually ensured Confederate triumph in the war, forcing the Union into submission. In "Lost Triumph: Lee's Real Plan at Gettysburg and Why It Failed" West Point graduate and military historian Tom Carhart asserts that Lee had an as-yet undiscovered plan for victory at Gettysburg. Drawing from institutional records, official reports, and private correspondence, Carhart painstakingly recreates the events of those crucial days, shedding new light on Lee's dramatic failure. Tom Carhart has been a lawyer and historian or the Department of the Army in Washington, DC. He is a graduate of West Point, a twice-wounded Vietnam veteran, and has earned a Ph.D. in American and Military History from Princeton University. He authored four previous books of military history and is Adjunct Professor of History at the University of Mary Washington near his home in the Washington DC area.

Feb 10, 201659 min

"Liberty's First Crisis" with Charles Slack

When the United States government passed the Bill of Rights in 1791, its uncompromising protection of speech and of the press were unlike anything the world had ever seen before. But by 1798, the once-dazzling young republic of the United States was on the verge of collapse: Partisanship gripped the weak federal government, British seizures threatened American goods and men on the high seas, and war with France seemed imminent as its own democratic revolution deteriorated into terror. Suddenly, the First Amendment, which protected harsh commentary of the weak government, no longer seemed as practical. So that July, President John Adams and the Federalists in control of Congress passed an extreme piece of legislation that made criticism of the government and its leaders a crime punishable by heavy fines and jail time. In Liberty's First Crisis, writer Charles Slack tells the story of the 1798 Sedition Act, the crucial moment when high ideals met real-world politics and the country's future hung in the balance. Charles Slack is the author of three previous nonfiction books, including the critically acclaimed Hetty: The Genius and Madness of America's First Female Tycoon and Noble Obsession: Charles Goodyear, Thomas Hancock, and the Race to Unlock the Greatest Industrial Secret of the Nineteenth Century. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and their daughters.

Feb 9, 201658 min

"Lenape Country" with Jean Soderlund

Lenape Country is a sweeping narrative history of the multiethnic society of the Delaware Valley in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. After Swanendael, the Natives, Swedes, and Finns avoided war by focusing on trade and forging strategic alliances in such events as the Dutch conquest, the Mercurius affair, the Long Swede conspiracy, and English attempts to seize land. Drawing on a wide range of sources, author Jean R. Soderlund demonstrates that the hallmarks of Delaware Valley society—commitment to personal freedom, religious liberty, peaceful resolution of conflict, and opposition to hierarchical government—began in the Delaware Valley not with Quaker ideals or the leadership of William Penn but with the Lenape Indians, whose culture played a key role in shaping Delaware Valley society. The first comprehensive account of the Lenape Indians and their encounters with European settlers before Pennsylvania's founding, Lenape Country places Native culture at the center of this part of North America. Jean Soderlund is Professor of History at Lehigh University and editor of William Penn and the Founding of Pennsylvania: A Documentary History, also available from the University of Pennsylvania Press.

Feb 9, 201657 min

"The Last to Fall" with Richard Fulton & James Rada

There's more than one way to fight the Civil War The 1863 Battle of Gettysburg resulted in horrific slaughter that ultimately ended the Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania. But after the Allied victory of World War I in 1918, people began to wonder what if some of the post-world war military technology had been available to the armies during the American Civil War? The marine officers who were debating these questions had the capability to test their theories. The purpose and results were supposed to be safe. The exercises and associated reenactments were meant to merely serve as being training maneuvers, along with strikingly realistic, horrific battle, by substituting their "modern-day" military equipment for that which had been used during the Civil War. On June 19, 1922, more than 5,000 marines left Quantico, heading north to the battlefield of Gettysburg. They would reach the battlefield on June 26, but their arrival would be marred by the sudden, tragic deaths of two of their numbers, when a de Havilland fighter would crash, resulting in the plane's pilot and observer being the last U.S. soldiers killed in the line of duty on the Gettysburg battlefield. But even as a pall, following in the wake of the deaths, descended upon the encampment established on the Codori Farm, the marine mission had to proceed as planned. For ten days, battle would rage once again on the fields and ridges where thousands had perished 59 years prior... climaxing on July 4 when the marines would fight the Battle of Gettysburg... with "modern" weapons and tactics. Includes more than 155 photos (some of which have never before been published), maps, and illustrations to help recreate this historic march for the reader.

Feb 9, 201655 min

"La Citadelle" with Leanard Bethel

Layle Lane was an educator, a social activist, and a political leader. She was a key organizer of the first march on Washington, D.C., which led to the creation of the Fair Employment Practices Act and Commission after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's executive order in 1941. Lane also played a major role in the March on Washington Movement, headed by A. Philip Randolph. In 1948, Lane encouraged President Harry Truman to desegregate the American military through her involvement in the movement. After taking on Washington, D.C., Lane ran for political office in New York City where she played a major role in the city's social changes. During the 1950s, she ran a camp for inner city boys in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, to expose them to a way of life different from the city streets. It is on this property that a street presently runs through called Layle Lane—the first street named after an African American woman in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. La Citadellechronicles the life of a real American hero who paved the way for future social activists. Leonard Bethel is a retired Presbyterian minister and professor emeritus from Rutgers University. Bethel is the author of Advancement Through Service: A History of the Frontiers International,Plainfield's African American: From Northern Slavery to Church Freedom, Africana: An Introduction and Study, and Educating African Leaders: Missionism in America.

Feb 9, 201658 min

"The Ku Klux Klan in Western Pennsylvania, 1921-1928" with John M. Craig

This study examines Ku Klux Klan activities in Pennsylvania's twenty-five western-most counties, where the state organization enjoyed greatest numerical strength. The work covers the period between the Klan's initial appearance in the state in 1921 and its virtual disappearance by 1928, particularly the heyday of the Invisible Empire, 1923–1925. This book examines a wide variety of KKK activities, but devotes special attention to the two large and deadly Klan riots in Carnegie and Lilly, as well as vigilantism associated with the intolerant order. Klansmen were drawn from a pool of ordinary Pennsylvanians who were driven, in part, by the search for fraternity, excitement, and civic betterment. However, their actions were also motivated by sinister, darker emotions and purposes. Disdainful of the rule of law, the Klan sought disorder and mayhem in pursuit of a racist, nativist, anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish agenda. John M. Craig is a professor of history from Slippery Rock University. Golden Arms: Six Hall of Fame Quarterbacks from Western Pennsylvania

Feb 9, 201657 min

"Keystone Corruption" with Brad Bumsted

Keystone Corruption: A Pennsylvania Insider s View of a State Gone Wrong traces the cyclical nature of misconduct in Pennsylvania government over the course of the last hundred years. Most of the book focuses on corruption since the 1970s, when the author had a front-row seat during the unprecedented scandals of 2007 through 2012. Bumsted witnessed the prosecutions of current and former lawmakers for the theft of some $14 million in taxes, and he provides an insightful analysis of the rise and fall of several of Pennsylvania s most colorful political characters, including Boies Penrose, Matt Quay, R. Budd Dwyer, John Perzel, William DeWeese, Al Benedict, Ernie Preate, Jeffrey Habay, Vincent Fumo, Mike Veon, Michael Manzo and state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin.

Feb 9, 201657 min

"Just Tell Me I Can't" with Jamie Moyer

Long-time fans of the National Pastime have known Moyer's name for more than 25 years. That's because he's been pitching in the bigs for all those years. With his trademark three pitches - slow, slower, and slowest - the left-handed Moyer is a pinpoint specialist whose won-lost record actually got better as he got older -- from his 20s to his 30s and into 40s. He's only a few wins shy of 300 for his amazing career.But this is where the book takes an unusual turn. Moyer was just about finished as a big leaguer in his mid-20s until he fatefully encountered a gravel-voiced, highly confrontational sports psychologist named Harvey Dorfman. Listening to the "in-your-face" insights of Dorfman, Moyer began to re-invent himself and reconstruct his approach to his game. Moyer went on to become an All-Star and also a World Series champion. Yogi Berra once observed that "Half of this game is 90% mental." And Moyer's memoir proves it. Jamie Moyer turned 50 this past fall, and by all accounts, he has now finished his big league career. He started pitching in the majors in 1986.

Feb 9, 201657 min