How have outsider legislators changed American history? On this episode of Now & Then, “The Lure of Political Outsiders,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss the history of the eccentric and anti-establishment members of Congress, from the frontier politics of Jackson-era Tennessee Representative Davy Crockett, to the conspiratorial works of post-Civil War Illinois Representative Ignatius Donnelly, to the headstrong socialism of World War I-era Wisconsin Representative Victor Berger, to the autocratic impulses of 1930s Louisiana Senator Huey Long. How do insurgent politicians help to shore up American democracy? When can their disruptions begin to negatively impact the rule of law? And how should we view iconoclastic lawmakers in Washington today?
Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that formed the episode. Head to: www.cafe.com/history.
For more historical analysis of current events, sign up for the free weekly CAFE Brief newsletter, featuring Time Machine, a weekly article that dives into an historical event inspired by each episode of Now & Then: cafe.com/brief
For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/the-lure-of-political-outsiders
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Militia Movements
Racism and the Second Amendment (with Carol Anderson)
Alcohol in American Politics
Processing Roe’s Reversal in Real Time
Encore: Investigating Democracy
Nostalgia & Political Power
The Mirage of Money (or, NFTs, WTF?)
Free Speech: What IS Cancel Culture?
Free Speech: The Power of an Independent Press
Free Speech: The Government and Us
The Weeds: How the 1918 Flu Pandemic Ended
A Disability Discourse
American Jews and the American Story
Tax Dollars and Tech Dollars: Who Supports Society?
Don’t Say Gay: A Queer History
Ketanji Brown Jackson, Criminal Justice, & Public Defense
War Crimes & War Codes
Statecraft, Secrets, and Lies
Women Warriors: Ukraine & Beyond
Avatars of Democracy: Zelensky & More
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
Historycal: Words that Shaped the World
The Rest Is History
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra