S2E17 - Oh, how we wish the queerest president wasn’t one of our nation’s worst! So gay, so terrible, y’all. Trent and Marissa talk out Buchanan’s long-term relationship with Rufus King, the many scandals of his administration, and his chronic inaction in the lead up to the Civil War. Plus, gallons of oysters, Russian czarinas, slippery leather pumps, and a D.C. love shack! This is the end of Season Two, but we’ll be back in the spring with Lincoln and his (allegedly) beautiful thighs!  Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!   Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources The Worst President – The Story of James Buchanan by Gary Boulard Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King by Thomas J. Balcerski https://open.spotify.com/episode/3xLd0ePyZ4m0SF2Kw6Nmym?si=ea13bea683c9451f https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/james-buchanan-why-is-he-considered-americas-worst-president#:~:text=Buchanan%20supported%20the%20theory%20that,wedge%20into%20the%20Democratic%20Party. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/president-james-buchanan-directly-influenced-outcome-dred-scott-decision-180962329/ https://www.battlefields.org/learn/topics/john-browns-harpers-ferry-raid

S2E16 - Tune in as Trent and Marissa break down the infamous Kansas-Nebraska Act and its bloody consequences.  Signed into law by hot loser Franklin Pierce in 1854, it allowed the people themselves to decide whether or not to allow slavery in the territories. What could possibly go wrong? Well, just voter fraud, the beating of a congressman, broadswords, fleeing governors, killing sprees, the death of a political party, the birth of a political party… and the inevitability of civil war.  Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!   Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources Franklin Pierce by Michael F. Holt https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-law-that-ripped-america-in-two-99723670/ https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/kansas-nebraska-act https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/caning-charles-sumner https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/bleeding-kansas

S2E15 - Known for being one of our hottest presidents but also one of the worst, the story of Franklin Pierce is full of tragedies, horse accidents, drinking, bad timing, and fainting. President during a time of deepening political divides, Pierce made all the wrong choices and hung out with all the wrong people. Trent and Marissa talk through it all, including the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Gadsden Purchase, why Nathaniel Hawthorne sucks, and more!    Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)! Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources  Franklin Pierce by Michael F. Holt https://millercenter.org/president/pierce/essays/king-1853-vicepresident#:~:text=In%20March%201853%2C%20King%20became,reaching%20his%20home%20in%20Alabama. https://open.spotify.com/episode/36KKuLl9HvQkT1zhcbUOV1?si=d03545ccaced4933 https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=eXjhS8pjy6RXMIHH&v=2X6-eGSd0LA&feature=youtu.be

S2E14 - As the Whig Party dies and the Republican Party begins forming, a party based on bigotry and xenophobia surges in popularity. Trent and Marissa track the secret societies that end up creating the Know Nothing Party, profile its major players, and analyze the impact the party had on American History. Plus, a best-selling book that turns out to be a hoax, Martin Scorcese’s Gangs of New York, trains taking jobs, voter fraud, and more!  Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)! Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA5i4AQ7lB8 https://www.jstor.org/stable/25012185?typeAccessWorkflow=login&seq=6 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/immigrants-conspiracies-and-secret-society-launched-american-nativism-180961915/

S2E13 - A political nobody, Fillmore rose to the presidency when Zachary Taylor died in office, and then promptly screwed everything up! Listen in as Trent and Marissa talk sh*t about this guy’s Nativist views, his whiny baby behavior, and his idiotic choices as president. This episode also features an explanation of the Compromise of 1850, appearances from Queen Victoria and the Pope, plus a scandalous spilling of the Masons’ secrets!!!   Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!   Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey McKinney   Sources  Millard Fillmore by Paul Finkelman https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-families/abigail-powers-fillmore/ https://millercenter.org/president/fillmore

S2E12 - Think you know the Gold Rush? Think again! Trent and Marissa discuss the scams, the schemes, the gambling, the price-gouging, and the really, really long boat rides to California. The Gold Rush and its population boom caused a genocide of the Native Californian Peoples, the destruction of land, the growth of San Francisco and Sacramento, the construction of railroads, a wave of Chinese immigration, and many broken dreams. Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!   Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources  The California Gold Rush and the Coming of the Civil War by Leonard L. Richards https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/goldrush-california/ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/goldrush-samuel-brannan/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2bpBAXvJew https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ZONGwfOoZxP9CnaWVw9Yn?si=1bf24a0ddd2145e4 https://open.spotify.com/episode/1f44sphaUmOAKlOgjAhJ9O?si=670f5fee2f724a89

S2E11 - The first man to become president with zero political experience! Like, absolutely none! He was never an elected official, had no party affiliation, and never voted. His wife even prayed that he wouldn’t win the election! Join Marissa & Trent as they follow the story of how Zachary Taylor, a run-of-the-mill military man, rose to the highest office in the land. Don’t worry, we talk about his tasty treat of ice milk and cherries that killed him! Or did they?!? Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)! Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey McKinney   Sources Zachary Taylor by John S.D. Eisenhower https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2013/02/margaret-taylor.html https://millercenter.org/president/taylor https://www.thezacharytaylorproject.com/zachary-taylor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ5W8clGneI https://open.spotify.com/episode/51XyeqPVviuTNahOTPLnVa?si=fe3d9bb06f514574

S2E10 - As Texans, Marissa and Trent are obligated to share the story of the Lone Star State! Tune in for a wild tale that takes us from colonization to statehood, including mini-biographies of the three men who served as PRESIDENT of Texas (this is a presidential history podcast, after all). This episode is a quick and dirty rundown of Texas, sprinkled with hot takes about coaches as teachers, sharing nachos with America, and desperate straight men.  Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!   Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey McKinney   Sources https://texasourtexas.texaspbs.org/the-eras-of-texas/early-statehood/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwJsazGuICo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpuYHu4NUi8 https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/alamo-republic/ https://www.tsl.texas.gov/treasures/republic/index.html https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/texas-revolution-1835-1836/

S2E09 - Known for accomplishing everything he set out to do as president, Polk is considered one of the most effective presidents in U.S. History. But that won’t stop Marissa and Trent from absolutely tearing this self-righteous jerk to shreds! Polk doubled the size of the United States, but with consequences that have rippled through the ages. Join us for a tale that includes botched surgery, Andrew Jackson as matchmaker, a walking log, a war started out of lust, and a hide-and-seek game with cholera.  Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)! Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America by Walter R. Borneman https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/oregon-territory https://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-20-1-a-president-polk-and-the-taking-of-the-west.html

S2E08 - Rhode Island might be small but it is packed with massive drama! The Dorr Rebellion is a footnote in history too juicy not to share. Take a really old royal charter, a fight for suffrage, a stubborn governor, and some guy who’s willing to stick it to the man, and BAM, we’ve got a rebellion! And an illegal election! And faulty cannons! And a public relations campaign! And Marissa and Trent not letting go of a mediocre joke! Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)! Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler by Christopher J Leahy https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/concepts-african-american-history/rhode-island-constitution-of-1842/ https://daily.jstor.org/the-dorr-rebellion-for-voting-rights/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvSnU0T5Kzg&t=21s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr5Yo6c4D70 https://www.providencejournal.com/story/opinion/columns/2020/11/21/hidden-ri-history-racism-and-black-suffrage-dorr-rebellion/6318512002/

S2E07 - The worse the president, the better the gossip. John Tyler was made vice president under William Henry Harrison almost as an afterthought. Throw in an untimely death, and this Virginia-born brat takes the highest seat in the land. He fathered 15 children, was fiercely oppositional, fell in love while president, and was kicked out of his political party. This episode has everything a gossip-loving presidential history buff could ask for: a secret wedding, a deadly cruise party, a stepmother younger than her stepchildren, and dying as a traitor!   Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)! Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources: President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler by Christopher J Leahy John Tyler, the Accidental President by Edward P. Crapol

S2E06 - Marissa and Trent put on their plaid detective hats to solve the mystery of what REALLY killed William Henry Harrison. They follow the clues through porous swamp soil, unfortunately located hills, night soil buckets, and stupid doctors! Listen in for details about 1840s Washington D.C. that will shake you to your core. AND SPOILER ALERT: Harrison wasn’t the only presidential victim of this elusive White House killer! Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)! Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources:  https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/science/what-really-killed-william-henry-harrison.html https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Ox2zzLXdmiR2YDiNARrZQ?si=Udgt9UnWRyuDmMWRUgC_bw https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/59/7/990/2895539 https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/04/killer-in-the-white-house/

S2E05 - William Henry Harrison is the record holder for the teensiest-weensiest-ittiest-bittiest presidential term at just 31 days. And in this episode, he must face the seering judgements of Marissa and Trent! He was a follower, father of ten children, stealer of lands, and a man who, despite never having lived in a log cabin, was the face of a very log-cabin-heavy political campaign. Although he's the most mediocre guy we’ve seen in the office so far, his presidential campaign and untimely death had huge repercussions on the course of United States History!  Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!   Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources:  Mr. Jefferson's Hammer: William Henry Harrison and the Origins of American Indian Policy by Robert M. Owens William Henry Harrison by Gail Collins

S2E04 - The first major financial crisis in the United States? What could possibly be relevant or interesting about that? Well, sweet listener, history likes to repeat itself, especially when it comes to financial crises. Trent and Marissa break down important questions like, “What is money?”, “Is capitalism bad?” and “What were the logistics of buying land with literal, physical gold?” Money talks, but not as much as Trent and Marissa!   Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!   Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources:  https://www.brandeis.edu/magazine/2013/spring/inquiry/depression.html https://www.marketplace.org/2017/04/26/how-panic-1837-predicted-great-recession/  https://historyincharts.com/panic-of-1837-causes/ https://economic-historian.com/2020/11/panic-of-1837/ https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/corporate-monopolies/development_rr.html Martin Van Buren by Ted Widmer

S2E03 - You may know him for his sideburns, but Martin Van Buren was so much more! He was a sneaky little fox who schemed and gossiped his way from his Dutch roots in Kinderhook, NY all the way into the highest office in the land. He created the Democratic Party, made the word “OK” popular, and orchestrated many devious dealings behind closed doors. All while wearing the fanciest of outfits! Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)! Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources:  Martin Van Buren by Ted Widmer https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-enslaved-households-of-martin-van-buren

S2E02 - Ah yes, the White House’s first true sex scandal. Listen in to learn how Margaret Eaton, the spicy daughter of a tavern keeper, scandalized the ladies of Washington society, caused a major rift in Andrew Jackson’s cabinet, and inadvertently affected the future of the presidency. This episode has it all: gossip, possible infidelity, Italian scam artists, and vice-presidential scheming.    Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!   Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources:  The First Populist: The Defiant Life of Andrew Jackson by David S. Brown The Petticoat Affair : Manners, Mutiny, and Sex in Andrew Jackson's White House by John F. Marszalek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIHY7_iatbs https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2013/03/peggy-eaton.html

S2E01 - Season Two of Pardon Me?! kicks off with a man that needs no introduction. Honestly, how do you even summarize this guy? Tragic childhood! Countless brushes with death! A scandalous marriage! The Battle of New Orleans! Irritable bowels! The rise of Populism! An unchecked amount of executive power! Truly evil policies regarding the seizure of Native American lands that affect generations! Tune-in for a wild story about a real jerk who is still on our twenty-dollar bill.    Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)!   Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources: American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham The First Populist: The Defiant Life of Andrew Jackson by David S. Brown Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil, and the Presidency (PBS Documentary) https://thehermitage.com/andrew-jackson-junior/ https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2014/marchapril/feature/hannah-andrew-jacksons-slavehttps://millercenter.org/president/jackson/domestic-affairs

Season two is right around the corner, and since everyone in class has been on their best behavior, Trent and Marissa are previewing the silly presidential men coming to your podcast feed this year! First episode of season two will be available May 1st, with episodes every other Monday for the rest of 2023.    Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please)! Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney

S1E13 - We’re wrapping up season one with a real banger of an election! 1824 ushered in our boyfriend, John Quincy Adams, to the presidency, but not without heckin’ controversy! With only one major party on the ballot, and four candidates splitting up the vote, what could possibly go wrong? Tune in for a breakdown of how this election led to new political parties, campaign tactics, the inevitability of Andrew Jackson, and why we don’t think the “corrupt bargain” was all that corrupt.   Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please).    Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources: https://millercenter.org/president/jqadams/campaigns-and-elections https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8nPsa1Vr1o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjS9b0laRPs https://open.spotify.com/episode/5A94Iu6pVr0GZGiJ6ENZ5U?si=482bd888d0d94cbd

S1E12 - Is John Quincy Adams a window into our own souls? A product of overbearing parents, John and Abigail Adams, JQA had a lackluster presidency but a truly extraordinary life. He was a well-traveled prodigy child, an aspiring poet, translator of German literature, hobby gardener, metric-system enthusiast, fierce abolitionist, HATER of Andrew Jackson, celebrated orator, statesman, and the only president to serve in the House of Representatives after his presidency. We love him, and if you love a TRUE public servant, then you will too!    Email pardonme.presidentialpod@gmail.com to contact us or issue corrections (with sources, please).    Produced and Edited by Trent Thomson and Marissa Macy Original music by Noise of Approval Graphic design by Darcey Mckinney   Sources: John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life by Paul C. Nagel http://www.john-adams-heritage.com/timeline-john-quincy-adams/