Have you ever heard about the Ladies Land League? 

Tune in this week to learn how Irish American women joined a land reform movement for their countrymen across the Atlantic and used their platform to challenge gender norms and enter the public sphere - all while maintaining respectability and femininity. Learn about League Leaders Fanny and Anna Parnell and their efforts at mobilizing women throughout the United States and Ireland - and why we do not know more about these trailblazers. 

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Join me this week as I conclude my coverage of the Commodore and Railroad King, Cornelius Vanderbilt. Learn how Vanderbilt aided the Union during the Civil War by offering his steamships and how he got into the industry that sear his name into the minds of Americans for generations: the railroad. 

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Sitting down with me this week is Dr. Nancy Bernhard. She is a historian who recently published her first historical novel The Double Standard Sporting House which explores the women of a high class brothel in Gilded Age New York - and one woman in particular who decides to take on the Tammany Hall criminal syndicate. Join us as we discuss what motivated the story, how women have consistently fought against the limitations of society, and why a work of fiction about the Gilded Age resonates in our current moment. 

When you are done listening, you can learn more about Nancy and her work by visiting her website at: www.nancybernhard.com

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Known as the Commodore and the King of the Rail, Cornelius Vanderbilt is one of the most famous men in American history. Born of meager means, Vanderbilt built several empires, mastering the sea and the rail. Join me as I start exploring the life and impacts of one of the titans of the Gilded Age. 

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Join me as I sit down with Dr. Robert May to discuss his latest book Debunking the Yule Log Myth: The Disturbing History of a Plantation Legend. In this episode we discuss Dr. May's approach to history, his decision to tackle the Yule Log myth , including how it originated and the reasons it persists in American culture. Learn more about how myths are created, spread, and believed - and how you can become a better consumer of history. 

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An obscure, little known gun fight over land speculation in central California in May 1880 helped shaped local residents opinions about the railroad industry for a generation. Tune in this week as I dive into the story of the Mussel Slough Tragedy and explore how the fight between local settlers and the Southern Pacific Railroad highlights the conflicts over land, resources, and corporate power during the Gilded Age.

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Activists fighting for female suffrage faced a series of hurdles during their decades-long battle before they achieved victory. Suffrage was a campaign that had many starts and stops and was filled with tensions over race and class. Join me this week as I dive into a bit of this history: where did female suffrage stand after Reconstruction? Why did the movement splinter? And where did it end up in the Gilded Age? Find out all of this and more! 

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Join me as I sit down with Dr. Austin McCoy to explore the cultural and musical evolution of De La Soul, highlighting their innovative contributions to hip hop from the 1980s to today. Discover how their work challenged norms, expanded definitions of black masculinity, and influenced future artists, all woven with personal insights and historical context.

To learn more about Dr. McCoy visit his website here. 

You get your copy of the book, consider visiting my affiliate shop through bookshop here. 

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Industrialists of the Gilded Age were addicted to consumption. While some spent vast sums of money on public projects, several dedicated their time and energy into building palatial estates to demonstrate just how rich and powerful they had become. Competing for the attention and respect of the classic elites, the newly elite built mansions that emulated their European neighbors. Tune in as I explore the opulence and cultural significance of Gilded Age mansions, their architectural styles, and the social ambitions behind their construction. 

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Lucretia "Crete" Garfield outlived her president husband by almost forty years, yet most only know her as the widowed First Lady from the Gilded Age. Join me this week as I explore the life and legacy of Lucretia Garfield - including her early life, her marriage to James Garfield, and her work to ensure her husband's legacy. 

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Sitting down with me this week is author Shannon McKenna Schmidt to discuss her book You Can't Catch Us: Lady Bird Johnson's Trailblazing 1964 Campaign Train and the Women Who Rode with Her. Our conversation covers the preparation and significance of Johnson's tour, Lady Bird's unique style compared to her husband LBJ, her role as a trailblazer for women, and the security challenges faced during the tour. Tune in to learn about this and so much more - and then snag a copy of the book for yourself wherever fine books are sold. 

To learn more about Shannon, visit her website here. 

If you want to purchase the book through my affiliate page on bookshop.org, click here. 

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