Which People's President? : Andrew Jackson's Populist Legacy

Our yearly take on the controversy-filled legacies of former presidents brings us to the infamous ‘Old Hickory’, Andrew Jackson. Curatorial research associate Dylan Rawles visits Zoe and Easton to unravel an often overlooked aspect of Jackson's legacy; Populism, along with its rise in the United States. Jackson prided himself as the “People’s president”, which made him the “voice of the people” who stood against the “untrustworthy higher-ups.” This mentality would grow and expand far beyond his death, taking on many elaborate shapes and identities. Populism’s role in U.S. politics both past and present, factors that enable such movements to take shape, the voices left out of the conversation, and the nearly impossible task of nailing down just who “the people” are and what they want- we explore it all today. As always, thank you for stopping by!

36 Questions for Civic Love: https://www.nphm.org/civiclove

Our sources:

UC Santa Barbara. “Veto Message [of the Reauthorization of the Bank of the United States].” The American Presidency Project. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/veto-message-the-re-authorization-bank-the-united-states. 

Remini, Robert V. Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Freedom, 1822-1832. New York: Harper & Row, 1981.

Watson, Harry L. “Andrew Jackson’s Populism.” Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Vol. 76, No. 3 (FALL 2017).

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/2654029 

Wilentz, Sean. The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005.

Further Reading/Viewing:

Image of one of the “coffin hand bills” and a description from the Library of congress

https://www.loc.gov/item/2008661734/

Conner Prairie's Director of Business Intelligence, Andrew Collins, joins us to discuss funding and oversight for K-12 education. When common school trailblazer Horace Mann began his campaign to establish universal education in the United States, he saw it as the only way to overcome disparities plaguing the country and give every child an equal opportunity and access to quality educational opportunities. However, with public schools faltering on this promise, the recent rise of private charter schools have claimed to offer a similar opportunity as an alternative. Some charter schools succeed at providing this opportunity with an 'atypical' education in an honest way while some fail. Easton, Zoe, and Andrew Collins dive into just how deep the issue has become, who the true victims are, and how we can begin to re-center those who have always deserved a fair shot at achieving their dreams.

Our sources:

Baines, Lawrence. “Does Horace Mann Still Matter?” Educational Horizons, Vol. 84, No. 4 (Summer 2006).

https://www.jstor.org/stable/42923671 

Burris and Cimarusti. “Chartered for Profit: The Hidden World of Charter Schools Operated for Financial Gain.” networkforpubliceducation.org (September 2020- February, 2021)

https://networkforpubliceducation.org/chartered-for-profit/ 

Burris and Cimarusti. “Chartered for Profit II: Pandemic Profiteering.” networkforpubliceducation.org (2021)

https://networkforpubliceducation.org/chartered-for-profit-ii-pandemic-profiteering/ 

Cremin, Lawrence A.“Horace Mann.” Encyclopedia Britannica. (Jul 20, 1998).

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hall-of-Fame-for-Great-Americans 

Jason, Zachary. “The Battle Over Charter Schools.” Harvard Graduate School of Education (May 20, 2017)

https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-magazine/17/05/battle-over-charter-schools 

Newton, Derek. “20,000 More Reasons To Never Go To A For-Profit School.” forbes.com (Dec 9, 2018)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereknewton/2018/12/09/20000-more-reasons-to-never-go-to-a-for-profit-school/?sh=310767bb30e5

Smith, Casey “Charter schools win in proposed Indiana budget amid public advocacy campaign.” indianacapitalchronicle.com (MARCH 8, 2023)

https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2023/03/08/charter-schools-win-in-proposed-indiana-budget-what-does-that-mean-for-other-public-schools/ 

TBS Staff. “Guide to For-Profit Colleges: How to Avoid Predatory Schools.” thebestschools.org (September 2, 2022)

https://thebestschools.org/resources/for-profit-colleges/#:~:text=For%2Dprofit%20colleges%20have%20earned,report%20much%20lower%20graduation%20rates

Further Reading:

https://tjrs.monticello.org/archive/search/quotes?keys=&sort_bef_combine=field_tjrs_date_value+ASC&field_tjrs_categorization_tid%5B%5D=2174&field_tjrs_date_value_1%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=&field_tjrs_date_value2_1%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=&_ga=2.75063957.660474691.1702336022-1751129134.1702336022 

Our Prairie’s Collections Manager, Rebekah Furey, Collections Assistant, Rina Sim, and Educational Curriculum Specialist, Zoe Morgan join Easton to talk about museums (which we love!). Museums are beautiful places where stories can be told from across the globe and inspire curiosity in guests of all ages. However, when we look back at the history of museums, we find that many began as wonder shows for the wealthy to share their plunder from their respective “Ages of Exploration.” Museums today have a choice to decolonize their halls. Increasing diversity at all levels of museum employment, repatriation of objects to the Native American Nations who rightfully own them, ensuring exhibitions that explore history’s silenced voices are integrated and not segregated- we talk about it all on this journey! 

More information about NAGPRA! 

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nagpra/index.htm 

Our sources:

Shoenberger, Elisa. “What does it mean to decolonize a museum?” MuseumNext (2023). 

https://www.museumnext.com/article/what-does-it-mean-to-decolonize-a-museum/  

Huff, Leah. “MUSEUM DECOLONIZATION: MOVING AWAY FROM NARRATIVES TOLD BY THE OPPRESSORS.” University of Washington (2022). 

https://smea.uw.edu/currents/museum-decolonization-moving-away-from-narratives-told-by-the-oppressors/  

Guess Who’s back? David Heighway; joined alongside Curatorial’s very own Curator of Native American History and Life, Sara Schumacher. Chief Straw is an entity that has been on our minds for close to a year now- and we’re going to talk about him- beyond Strawtown’s namesake story. The Native American nations and their histories have long been misunderstood in the United States. It’s hard to piece the truth together, but “hard” doesn't mean “impossible.” If you’ve ever wanted to know what the info-gathering process is like for Historians in the museum field, you’ll love this in-depth look into the process. Join us as we break down the story, analyze the documents, and place the spotlight on the “actors” that make up the messy web surrounding Chief Straw. 

Our sources:

David Heighway. “A Mysterious Murder along the Frontier.” The Indiana History Blog (2016).

https://blog.history.in.gov/a-pioneer-murder-mystery/

Eiler, Kayla J. The Lenape on the Wapahani River. Muncie, IN. Ball State University, 2014.

http://www.lenapeonthewapahani.org/

Erderame, Jyoti A. (2021) “Strawtown.” Encyclopedia of Indianapolis (2021).

https://indyencyclopedia.org/strawtown/

Ryan, Jordan. “White River History: Strawtown.” Discover White River (2021).

https://www.discoverwhiteriver.com/2021/11/03/white-river-history-strawtown/

“Strawtown Koteewi Park History.” Hamilton County, IN.

https://hamiltoncounty.in.gov/411/Strawtown-Koteewi-Park-History 

The Hoosier History Live! team. “Lenape (Delaware) Indian heritage in Indiana.” Hoosier History Live! (2014)

https://www.hoosierhistorylive.org/mail/2014-08-16.html

David Heighway is back once again to explore the intricacies of our country’s constructed memory! It finds its way into nearly every American home; lingering memories of a sparsely populated frontier and the rugged pioneer. Many family histories have followed this line of thinking for generations. It even shows up at our own “Pioneer museum” of Conner Prairie. And yet, while not necessarily fabricated, we can use new information to see what the world would have truly looked like. As historians ourselves-just like David, that’s the best we can hope to share!

Show Notes:

Guest: David Heighway- Hamilton County Historian at the Hamilton East Public Library.

Library Website website: 

https://www.hepl.lib.in.us/ 

He has written a book regarding strange local lore/ historical topics much akin to what we talk about in this episode- Hidden History of Hamilton County, Indiana

Linked Here: https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-History-Hamilton-County-Indiana/dp/1467150177#:~:text=all%202%20images-,Hidden%20History%20of%20Hamilton%20County%2C%20Indiana,-Paperback%20%E2%80%93%20August%209 

Also, Special thanks to Dylan Rawles- Our Conner Prairie Curatorial Assistant, for giving us the gift of reveling in the presence of his great historical skills.

Our sources:

A Pageant In/At Hamilton County: Stage setting for all episodes (Noblesville Southeastern Public Library 1923.

Hamilton County’s first Centennial Celebration held at Noblesville, Hamilton County, Indiana, on October 3 and 4, 1923 (Source Library (Noblesville Southeastern Public Library, 1923)

Rogers, Carol O. “Black and White in Indiana.” Indiana Business Review, Vol. 80, No. 2 (Summer 2005).

We are forever thankful for the power of editing and the privilege to remove our less-than-perfect moments. However, we have to laugh at ourselves every now and then. We invite you to laugh with us, as we've lined up some goofs, jokes, and random singing from the entirety of Season 1 as well as a few audio-related side-projects!

Thank you so much for sticking with us thusfar, here's to another season of generating food for thought surrounding our collective problematic history.

Trust us, there will be more of these to come. Enjoy!

We're back for Season 2!!! Hannah and Easton take a trip back to 1882 when a group of women from the town of Westfield, IN took their frustration with the opening of a local saloon into their own hands. Our discussion explores what motivated their unusually forceful actions, the consequences of their decisions (and the decisions of women like them across the country) and how the actions during the Temperance Movement still impact us today. Buckle up, we’re going Saloon Smashing!

Our Sources: 

Primary Sources-

“The Westfield Saloon,” Hamilton County Democrat, Indiana (18 August 1882), p. 4.

 “Vigorous Temperance Measures,” The Republic, Columbus, Indiana (28 July 1882), p. 1.

“Westfield ladies destroy saloon,” Hamilton County Democrat, Indiana (28 July 1882), p. 5.

“Women of Westfield,” The Noblesville Ledger, Noblesville, Indiana (28 July 1882), p. 1.

“Westfield: Saloon ruined twice,” in The Noblesville Ledger, Noblesville, IN (17 July 1998), p. 3.

Secondary Sources-

Cannup, Charles C.  “The Temperance Movement in Indiana,” from Indiana Magazine of History (1920), accessed on JSTOR.

Haines, John F.  History of Hamilton County: Her People, Industries and Institutions. Indiana University-B.F. Bowen & Company: Bloomington, IN, 1915.

Hamm, Thomas D. The Transformation of American Quakerism: Orthodox Friends, 1800-1907. Indiana University Press: Bloomington, IN, 1988.

Heighway, David. Hidden Histories of Hamilton County. The History Press, Arcadia Publishing: Cheltenam, UK, 2021.

Lantzer, Jason S. “African Americans and the dry crusade in Indiana” in Traces of Indiana & Midwestern History. Vol. 22, Issue 1. Accessed on American History & Life.

Sanders, Paul D. “Temperance Songs in American School Songbooks, 1840-1860” in Journal of Historical Research in Music Education (October 2015). Vol. 37, No. 1. Pp. 5-23.

Tannenbaum, Jed. “The Origins of Temperance Activism and Militancy among American Women” in the Journal of Social History (Winter 1981), accessed on JSTOR.

Zaeske, Susan. “Hearing the silences in Lincoln’s temperance address: Whig masculinity as an ethic of rhetorical civility” in Rhetoric & Public Affairs Journal (Fall 2010). Vol. 13, Issue 3. Pp.   389-419. Accessible on America History & Life. 

Dr Fletcher is back for our final episode of the season! The history of Sesame Street is the topic of today’s conversation. Back in 1969 when the show was launched it was focused on underserved children to supplement absent preschool services. However, today it’s been moved behind a paywall. So, let’s figure out how we got to Sesame Street and where it’s headed…

Show Notes:

Dr Charlene Fletcher:

Her website: https://www.charlenejfletcher.com

You can read a chapter of her work here: https://www.amazon.com/Slavery-Freedom-Bluegrass-State-Revisiting-ebook/

Keep an eye out for her upcoming book: Confined Femininity: Race, Gender, and Incarceration in Kentucky, 1865-1920 from University of North Carolina Press

Our Sources:

Greene, Bryan. “The Unmistakable Black Roots of Sesame Street”, Smithsonian Magazine (November 7th, 2019), accessed at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/unmistakable-black-roots-sesame-street-180973490/. 

History.com. ‘“Sesame Street” Debuts’, This Day in History, accessed at https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sesame-street-debuts#:~:text=The%20show%20was%20the%20brainchild,year%2Dolds%20prepare%20for%20kindergarten.

Lepore, Jill. “How we got to Sesame Street.” The New Yorker (May 11th, 2020), accessed at https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/11/how-we-got-to-sesame-street. 

Tierney, Joan D. “The Miracle on Sesame Street”, Phi Delta Kappan (January, 1971), Vol. 52, No. 5, accessed at JSTOR.com.

Brandy Whitaker, Conner Prairie's Director of Education, shares her 10+ years in the Education field in this discussion about Museum Education. Together we contemplate how Museums and their Educational philsophies fit within the wider Education landscape. 

Show Notes:

Brandy Whitaker:  

The preschool that Brandy & team created here at Conner Prairie: https://www.connerprairie.org/educate/preschool-on-the-prairie/

Link to Teacher Retreats at Conner Prairie: https://www.connerprairie.org/exploring-indiana-history-stem/

A beautiful blog post by Brandy on “Unlearning” & “Belonging”: https://www.connerprairie.org/blog-the-journey-of-belonging/

Resources mentioned in the podcast:

The work of Wes Bruce: http://www.livethecuriouslife.com

Our first Presidential episode of This is Problematic featuring the (not so) well known US President John Tyler (AKA "His Accidency")! Today's trip through the problematic life of President Tyler is guided by your favorite hosts Hannah & Easton, as well as special guests Dylan Rawles (Curatorial Assistant at Conner Prairie) and Ryan Shank (Director of Digital Experiences). 

Sources:

Edward P. Crapol. John Tyler: The Accidental President. (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006).