52 episodes

The Harrison Podcast is an extension from a lengthy research project on the one month presidency of William Henry Harrison. For those who don’t know, Harrison was inaugurated in March 4th, 1841 and died on April 4th, 1841. It was a time positioned between the Revolution and the Civil War filled with characters who played a pivotal role in American history. Harrison rode into office with a decisive majority in 1840, beating incumbent president Martin Van Buren but was just in the midst of getting his administration going when his life was cut short. The podcast series will examine the America of 1841, some of the major figures of the time, the issues that were being faced, and attempt to answer the question of why the one month president is more important than he’s been portrayed to date in histories of the time.

Harrison Podcast Jerry Landry

    • History
    • 4.6 • 11 Ratings

The Harrison Podcast is an extension from a lengthy research project on the one month presidency of William Henry Harrison. For those who don’t know, Harrison was inaugurated in March 4th, 1841 and died on April 4th, 1841. It was a time positioned between the Revolution and the Civil War filled with characters who played a pivotal role in American history. Harrison rode into office with a decisive majority in 1840, beating incumbent president Martin Van Buren but was just in the midst of getting his administration going when his life was cut short. The podcast series will examine the America of 1841, some of the major figures of the time, the issues that were being faced, and attempt to answer the question of why the one month president is more important than he’s been portrayed to date in histories of the time.

    REBROADCAST – 11 – Essentially, Radically Changed: The Inauguration Speech Part 2

    REBROADCAST – 11 – Essentially, Radically Changed: The Inauguration Speech Part 2

    In honor of the 177th anniversary of William Henry Harrison’s inauguration, I am reposting my two-part analysis of Harrison’s inaugural speech. In part two of the analysis (with 8,400+ words, of course there’s a part two), we find out more about what Harrison had in mind for the nation that he had anticipated leading for the next four years. Source information for this episode can be found at http://whhpodcast.blubrry.com.

    Intro music adapted from “Last Stand” courtesy of http://www.purple-planet.com.

    Featured Image: “Engraving of William Henry Harrison” by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, courtesy of Wikipedia

    • 20 min
    REBROADCAST – 10 – The Bout to Take the General Out: The Inauguration Speech Part 1

    REBROADCAST – 10 – The Bout to Take the General Out: The Inauguration Speech Part 1

    In honor of the 177th anniversary of William Henry Harrison’s inauguration as president, I am reposting my two-part analysis of his inauguration speech, to date the longest US presidential inauguration speech. To save folks the trouble, I read the 8,400+ words myself and found some quite important and even surprising aspects to this little-studied speech. Source notes for this episode can be found at http://whhpodcast.blubrry.com.

    Featured Image: “Lithograph of the Presidential inauguration of Wm. H. Harrison in Washington City, D.C., on the 4th of March 1841” by Charles Fenderich, courtesy of the Library of Congress and Wikipedia

    • 19 min
    REBROADCAST – 024 – The New Year’s Levee

    REBROADCAST – 024 – The New Year’s Levee

    As the world rings in a new year, I bring you this episode originally released on New Year’s Day 2017 for a look back on early American traditions with a focus on a New Year’s tradition from days gone by: the Presidential New Year’s Day Reception. From the very beginning to the last one in the 20th century, I examine how different presidents both before and after Harrison approached the event and what it meant for a nation working to develop its own identity after independence. For source notes and additional information, please visit http://whhpodcast.blubrry.com.

    Featured image: The White House, c. 1846, by John Plumbe Jr, courtesy of the Library of Congress and Wikipedia

    • 18 min
    047 – Old Hickory and Old Tip

    047 – Old Hickory and Old Tip

    Though never personal, throughout the course of the early 19th century, Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison found their lives intertwined for decades, through war and peace. Though they often found themselves in competition, there were also some rare instances where they could be found on the same side, and the story of their relationship over time provides much insight about the antebellum period of American history. Source information for this episode can be found at http://whhpodcast.blubrry.com.

    • 18 min
    046 – Fort Hill and Beethoven’s Crazy Racist Cousin

    046 – Fort Hill and Beethoven’s Crazy Racist Cousin

    Join me on a tour of Fort Hill, the home of John C Calhoun who served as the 7th vice president. Even more so than many of Harrison and Clay’s other contemporaries, Calhoun leaves a difficult legacy for students of history to consider as his concepts of nullification, states’ rights, and slavery as a ‘positive good’ were key justifications to lead the Southern states to secede and form the Confederacy just over a decade after Calhoun’s death, and Calhoun’s ideas and the events that they inspired continue to have an impact on the present day. The historic site provides great insight into Calhoun’s domestic situation and about the enslaved people whose lives Calhoun held in his hands, both as a slave owner and as a national leader.

    Pictures from the trip can be located at http://whhpodcast.blubrry.com

    The campus map can be located at the following link: http://www.clemson.edu/campus-map/

    Sources:



    * “Fort Hill Home of John C. Calhoun and Thomas Green Clemson.” Clemson University, Department of Historic Properties. Pamphlet.

    * “Fort Hill Plantation c. 1803.” Clemson University, Department of Historic Properties. Pamphlet.

    * “The African-American Experience at Fort Hill.” Clemson University, Department of Historic Properties. Pamphlet.

    • 14 min
    045 – The Compromiser’s Last Bow

    045 – The Compromiser’s Last Bow

    Though progressing into his seventh decade of life, Henry Clay was pulled back into the public sphere as the nation’s new president, James K Polk, led the nation into war with Mexico. Despite ill health and personal issues, Clay aimed one more time for the Executive Mansion and instead found himself being called to the Senate once more to prevent the disunion of the nation. Source information for this episode can be found at http://whhpodcast.blubrry.com.

    • 38 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
11 Ratings

11 Ratings

James Early ,

Excellent Series on a Forgotten President and Era

This is a terrific podcast. Landry does a great job of bringing to life not only Harrison's life, but also the entire era from Jackson through John Tyler. Highly recommended.

sailorfet ,

What Fun!

I commute a lot and stay sane with audio content. I always look for meaningful, educative material and I've found it here. Thanks for sharing your passion with the world!

gregfro ,

Just Awsome

It is wonderful to have someone with so much knowledge get to share it with the masses

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