Ep. 10: Benjamin Harrison v. the World

Ohio V. The World

Episode 10: Benjamin Harrison v. the World. Alex goes to 4 different areas of the country to tell the story of one of America’s most forgotten Presidents, Benjamin Harrison. Our 23rd President was raised and educated in Ohio before moving to Indianapolis in his 20s and is claimed by both states. We discover that Harrison was a strong advocate for African American equality, an early environmentalist and a fantastic public speaker. He even stopped a pandemic as President before it could spread and kill Americans. Those qualities are compared to some of his failings as well. He was a one-term President and the country fell into a terrible depression shortly after he left the White House. Charles Hyde, President and CEO of the Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis, IN joins the show to discuss his youth in Ohio, his career in Indiana and his rise to General in the Union Army during the Civil War. Visit their excellent museum and check out their 3-D collection at www.bhpsite.org. Alexandra Petri, columnist at the Washington Post and self-proclaimed “Harrison enthusiast” talks about her love of the 23rd President and all of the important things that happened during his Presidency from 1889-1893. Alexandra discusses his cold nature in person, his narrow election win in 1888 and the introduction of electricity by the Harrisons to the White House. Follow Alexandra on Twitter @petridishes and check her hilarious new book Nothing is Wrong and Here is Why. Click link to purchase: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324006459 Returning guests Zak Taylor from Georgia Tech University and Bruce Carlson of the podcast “My History Can Beat Up Your Politics” come on to discuss the Presidency of Benjamin Harrison. Zak discusses Harrison’s career, how his economic policies lead to the Panic of 1893 and the Cholera Scare of 1892. Bruce joins the show again and looks at Harrison’s campaign, the near war with Chile, the admission of a record 6 states into the Union and why Harrison is considered the “father of the modern navy.” Dont’ forget to rate and review the show on iTunes and you buy an Ohio v. the World t-shirt by emailing the show at [e-mail]. Also, check out the PBS documentary “A President at the Crossroads”. Click here to stream https://www.pbs.org/show/president-crossroads/ Only 3 shows left in Season 5: Ohio v. the Presidency!

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