Think Back

Richard Kreitner
  • 5.0 (21)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Think Back is a podcast about American history. www.thinkbackpod.com

  1. Democracy vs. the Constitution

    DEC 4

    Democracy vs. the Constitution

    In this episode of THINK BACK, I speak with the political scientist Stephen Skowronek about his book, The Adaptability Paradox: Political Inclusion and Constitutional Resilience. The book traces large-scale patterns across American history to understand how political change actually happens. As American democracy has expanded to include more people, Skowronek contends, the constitutional system has been stretched to its limits. We now face a profound contradiction between democracy and the Constitution—a conflict present since the founding but increasingly acute. Skowronek outlines why partisan diagnoses fall short and why the country may be approaching a choice between abandoning constitutional forms to preserve democracy or risking the collapse of both. The episode looks beyond day-to-day headlines to consider the structural forces shaping American politics and the challenges ahead. As we all struggle to make sense of our unsettled moment, Skowronek’s work offers a compelling framework for understanding, even as he rejects many of the usual prescriptions for how the country’s perilous political situation might be successfully addressed. * Stephen Skowronek, The Politics Presidents Make: Leadership from John Adams to Bill Clinton (1993) * Richard Kreitner, “What Time Is It? Here’s What the 2016 Election Tells Us About Obama, Trump, and What Comes Next,” The Nation (Nov. 22, 2016) * — , “What History Tells Us About Trump’s Implosion and Biden’s Opportunity,” The Nation (Oct. 12, 2020) Music by Akiko Sasaki (“The Union,” by Louis Moreau Gottschalk) and Zachary Solomon Get full access to Think Back at www.thinkbackpod.com/subscribe

    48 min
  2. Is It Time to Give Up Mount Rushmore?

    NOV 18

    Is It Time to Give Up Mount Rushmore?

    In this episode, I speak with journalist Matthew Davis, author of the new book A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore. Davis’s deeply reported narrative traces the contested history of the monument, from its carving into the sacred Black Hills to the political battles that have shaped its meaning ever since. Drawing connections between the monument’s origins, the dispossession of the Lakota, and Rushmore’s place in today’s culture wars, Davis explores how a democratic nation came to express itself through a mountain-sized tableau of presidential faces—and what that says about the ongoing debate over American ideals. The conversation delves into the symbols and rituals of America’s “civil religion,” and how Mount Rushmore fits into (and unsettles) that tradition. Davis recounts beginning the project during the early pandemic, spurred in part by President Trump’s 2020 speech at the site amid the George Floyd uprising. We talk about why the monument was built, whose stories it erases, and how its meaning continues to shift—especially in an age when national myths are being fiercely reconsidered. A Biography of a Mountain offers a fresh, accessible look at one of America’s most iconic and misunderstood symbols. Tune in for a lively discussion about the mountain, the monument, and what both reveal about the country today. Thank you so much to Abaye Steinmetz-Silber for playing the music for this episode. Check out his songs at Apple or Spotify or (my preferred streaming service) Qobuz. Matthew Davis, “The Empire Makers,” Slate, March 13, 2025. Get full access to Think Back at www.thinkbackpod.com/subscribe

    58 min
  3. 'America Among, Not America Alone'

    NOV 4

    'America Among, Not America Alone'

    In this episode of Think Back, I talk with historian Richard Bell about his fascinating new book The American Revolution and the Fate of the World—a work that completely rethinks the Revolution as a global story, not just an American one. As the 250th anniversary of the Revolution heats up, Bell’s book stands out for how boldly it connects the struggle for independence to events unfolding in places like China, India, Ireland, and West Africa. We talk about the Hessian mercenaries who fought for the British and later settled in America, the Catholic monarchs who backed a generally Protestant rebellion, and why understanding the Revolution in this wider context changes how we think about what it really was and who it was for. Bell teaches history at the University of Maryland and is also the author of Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped Into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home. I learned something new on nearly every page of his book, and really enjoyed this conversation—I hope you enjoy it too. If you can think of someone who’d enjoy this episode—or who might be curious about the overlooked sides of the American Revolution as we enter this fraught anniversary year—please share it with them. Thanks so much for helping spread the word. See also “The Hidden Origins of the American Revolution” (with Andrew Lawler), Think Back, April 16, 2025 Get full access to Think Back at www.thinkbackpod.com/subscribe

    57 min
  4. The Civil War's Wrenching Final Year

    OCT 21

    The Civil War's Wrenching Final Year

    In this episode, Scott Ellsworth talks about Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America. We revisit one of the most dramatic and transformative periods in American history and consider its resonances in the present. Why, 160 years later, does studying the Civil War still yield new insights? How does Ellsworth’s framing challenge and change what we thought we knew about Lincoln’s presidency and his death. We discuss the tension and fear gripping Washington as Confederate forces threatened the capital in 1864 and Lincoln’s re-election that fall seemed unlikely, and we follow Booth’s path to the balcony at Ford’s Theatre. See also: “What Really Happened on Sherman’s March?” (with Bennett Parten), July 9, 2025 Get full access to Think Back at www.thinkbackpod.com/subscribe

    47 min

  5. OCT 9

    The First Woman Who Ran for President

    On this week’s episode of THINK BACK, I speak with author Eden Collinsworth about her new book The Improbable Victoria Woodhull, a lively and surprising biography of the first woman to run for president. Woodhull’s 1872 campaign may have been a long shot, but it set off a national sensation—especially when she accused famed preacher Henry Ward Beecher of adultery, sparking one of the Gilded Age’s biggest scandals and leading to her own imprisonment and exile. We explore what made Woodhull such a fascinating and contradictory figure: a radical reformer with a checkered past, a champion of women’s rights and free love who moved in elite social circles, and a political visionary who might feel right at home in today’s media-saturated, personality-driven politics. Even if Woodhull had no chance of winning in the 19th century, she might have a pretty good one in the 21st. If you enjoy this episode, please consider sharing it. Thanks for listening. Get full access to Think Back at www.thinkbackpod.com/subscribe

    51 min

  6. SEP 25

    The Dark Origins of Modern Women's Health

    In this episode of THINK BACK, I talk with writer J.C. Hallman about his 2023 book Say Anarcha: A Young Woman, a Devious Surgeon, and the Harrowing Birth of Modern Women’s Health. The book tells the story of J. Marion Sims, the 19th-century doctor often hailed as the “father of modern gynecology,” who carried out cruel and nonconsensual experiments on enslaved women—most notably a young woman named Anarcha. Hallman’s research not only brings Anarcha’s story to the forefront but also played a role in the campaign to remove a statue of Sims that once stood near Central Park. We also get into his creative approach to history writing, the ethical questions of telling stories about suffering across racial and gender lines, and the need to move beyond overly rigid ways of narrating the past. I found our conversation to be eye-opening and deeply thought-provoking, and I hope you will too. If you enjoy this episode, please consider sharing it. Thanks for listening. Get full access to Think Back at www.thinkbackpod.com/subscribe

    47 min
  7. Murder on the Colonial Frontier

    SEP 9

    Murder on the Colonial Frontier

    In this episode, I talk with historian Nicole Eustace, winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for History, about her book Covered With Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America. The book explores the aftermath of a violent clash on the Pennsylvania frontier in 1722, a moment that reveals the early formation of American political culture. Though set three centuries ago, Covered With Night sheds light on enduring questions of justice, diplomacy, and power—issues that still resonate in today’s debates over race, policing, and punishment. We also discuss Eustace’s creative choices in storytelling and historical writing. Thanks very much for listening. Get full access to Think Back at www.thinkbackpod.com/subscribe

    40 min

  8. JUL 23

    The Wild West, Re-Examined

    This episode turns toward the Wild West—not the one of dime novels and Hollywood shootouts, but the murkier, more fascinating version uncovered by journalist and historian Bryan Burrough in his new book The Gunfighters: How Texas Made the West Wild. Burrough brings his sharp storytelling to a cast of gunslingers, gamblers, killers, and showmen, exploring how the mythology of the American frontier—especially in Texas—was forged and later packaged for mass consumption. We also delve into deeper questions about the craft of history writing itself. Come for the outlaws and six-shooters, stay for the serious reflection on how we tell the American story. Get full access to Think Back at www.thinkbackpod.com/subscribe

    46 min
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5
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21 Ratings

About

Think Back is a podcast about American history. www.thinkbackpod.com

Information

  • Creator
    Richard Kreitner
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Richard Kreitner
  • Show Website
    Think Back

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