The Road to Now

Did you know that the Boston Tea Party was sparked by a corporate tax cut? Or that during the explosive post-WWII economic boom, the highest tax bracket in the US was about 90%? Or that the more democratic a country is, the more taxes its citizens tend to pay? In this episode, Vanessa S. Williamson joins us for a conversation about her new book, The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History (Basic Books, 2025), the misunderstandings that shape both liberal and conservative attitudes toward tax policy, and the reasons she thinks that taxation and democracy are inseparable in US history. Dr. Vanessa S. Williamson is Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institute and Senior Fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.

Directors Erik Ewers & Christopher Loren Ewers join us to discuss their new film, Ken Burns Presents: Henry David Thoreau. Erik & Christopher talk about their rediscovery of Thoreau's place in American history, their process for capturing his story, and why Thoreau's views of his own time might resonate with those seeking to make sense of the modern world. The two-part series premieres on PBS March 30-31, so make sure to check your local listings and tune in! This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.

Martin Van Buren served just one term as President from 1837 to 1841, but as the architect behind the founding of the Democratic Party, his legacy lives on in the US today. In this episode, we speak with James M. Bradley, author of the new book Martin Van Buren: America's First Politician, to learn how Van Buren helped reshape politics in the 19th century and laid the groundwork for America's two-party system. You can learn more about the work being done to preserve the papers of Martin Van Buren at VanBurenPapers.org. Love history and want to go on a cruise? Join Ben and History That Doesn't Suck's Greg Jackson for a 5-day/4-night cruise of the Caribbean that runs from May 18-22! Visit htdscruise.com for details and enter promo code RTN at checkout for $100 off a cabin! And don't forget that Bob's new book America's Founding Son: John Quincy Adams from President to Political Maverickis now available! Click here to get your copy! This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher and originally aired as episode 324 in January 2025.

Ben & Bob speak with Hans Zeiger, President of the Jack Miller Center for Teaching America's Founding Principles & History. We discuss the work that the JMC is doing to promote teaching the founding principles and civics to Americas young people from kindergarten through college. The JMC will be hosting a National Summit on Civil Education in Philadelphia, May 18-19. Click here for details. Love history and want to go on a cruise? Join Ben and History That Doesn't Suck's Greg Jackson for a 5-day/4-night cruise of the Caribbean that runs from May 18-22! Visit htdscruise.com for details and enter promo code RTN at checkout for $100 off a cabin! And don't forget that Bob's new book America's Founding Son: John Quincy Adams from President to Political Maverickis now available! Click here to get your copy! This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.

Bob Crawford's first book has arrived! America's Founding Son: John Quincy Adams from President to Political Maverick launches March 10 via Zando Press and we're celebrating with an episode dedicated to the book. Bob will be speaking about his new at bookstores across the country. Click here for dates & locations! This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher

The Oscars hold a special place in popular culture, but the first Academy Awards ceremony, held in 1929, bore little resemblance to the spectacle most of us know today. In this episode, media expert Monica Sandler takes us from that first award ceremony – when both Los Angeles and the films made there struggled for respectability – to the modern extravaganza that draws tens of millions of viewers worldwide. Monica also breaks down the way voting has changed over time, the evolution of categories, and what she thinks was the greatest snub of all time. Dr. Monica Sandler is a film and media historian at Ball State University, specializing in the history of entertainment prizes and their influence on Hollywood. You can find out more about her at her website: MonicaSandlerPhD.com. Come find Ben & Bob on the road this summer! -Bob will be speaking about his new book, America's Founding Son (out March 10) at bookstores across the country. Click here for dates & locations! -Ben will be joining his friend Greg Jackson of History That Doesn't Suck for a history cruise on the Caribbean from May 18-22, featuring a live recording of The Road to Now! Click here to find out more about a History Cruise That Doesn't Suck and use promo code RTN for $100 off a cabin! This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.

Since opening in 2019, the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame (FARHOF) has worked to preserve and share the rich heritage of American music with the people of Boston and the world. In this episode Ben & Bob speak with FARHOF founder, Joe Spaulding, and J. Casey Soward, President of the Boch Center, which hosts FARHOF in Boston's Wang Theater. To learn more about FARHOF, make sure to visit their website: FARHOF.org. And if you enjoyed this episode, make sure to check out our interview with Deana McCloud on the Woody Guthrie Center in episode 94. This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.

The Stone Pony and its hometown of Asbury Park, New Jersey are iconic settings in the story of some of America's greatest rock musicians, including Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, and Southside Johnny Lyon. The Pony's path from high-risk passion project to iconic venue was, however, anything but direct; from its founding in 1974, the club was caught in the greater forces at work in late-20th century America. So how did the Stone Pony thrive when so many other venues closed? And what set Asbury Park apart from so many other American towns? In this episode, The New York Times' Nick Corasaniti joins us to talk about his new book I Don't Want To Go Home: The Oral History of the Stone Pony (Harpers, 2024) and what he learned from interviewing Bruce Springsteen and dozens of other musicians and industry professionals who helped make the club into what it is today. If you enjoy this episode, make sure to check out our episodes on The Kinks with Mark Doyle and The Allman Brothers' At Fillmore East with Bob Beatty. Bob's new book, America's Founding Son: John Quincy Adams, from President to Political Maverick, which drops on March 10! Make sure to check out the book page at the Zando site and preorder your copy! This episode originally aired as episode 310 on July 29, 2024. This rebroadcast was edited by Ben Sawyer.

Having recently been hit with winter storms, Ben & Bob catch up to talk about the literal and figurative slippery roads all around us. The conversation covers talking politics when we don't agree, the Epstein files and more. We also talk about one of the more exciting events on the horizon: Bob's new book, America's Founding Son: John Quincy Adams, from President to Political Maverick, which drops on March 10! Make sure to check out the book page at the Zando site and preorder your copy! This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.

Most Americans are aware of Colombia's role in the international drug trade, but we know less about the role that Americans' played in the story as consumers, smuggling pioneers, and practitioners of a foreign policy that facilitated the rise of Colombian drug production. In this episode, journalist and historian Lina Britto shares the fascinating story of how Colombia emerged as a major supplier of drugs to American consumers and how this relationship affected people in both countries. She also explains the origins of the "War on Drugs" in the US and tells the story of how Americans hippies in search of marijuana laid the groundwork for the distribution techniques later used by Pablo Escobar's cocaine cartel. Dr. Lina Britto is Associate Professor of History at Northwestern University where she specializes in Colombian history and the history of the international drug trade. She is the author of Marijuana Boom: The Rise and Fall of Colombia's First Drug Paradise (University of California Press, 2020) This is a rebroadcast of RTN #318, which originally aired on November 4, 2024. This rebroadcast was edited by Ben Sawyer.