Would you live out of your office–and sleep under your desk like George Costanza–for nearly three months to keep your job? In this Dispatch, Dr. Deaton discusses the conflict between President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and the role he played in our nation’s first impeachment in 1868.
Category Archives: US History
Podcast S4E5: To the Best of My Ability: Presidential Inaugurations, from Washington to Biden
Stan looks at the history of this quadrennial event that goes back 232 years, from the Bible Washington used to the only inauguration held on an airplane, the only president sworn in by a woman, two inaugurals almost cancelled by cold weather, and why there have been 9 “non-scheduled extraordinary” inaugurations.

Pearl Harbor, and Other Days of Infamy
In this Dispatch, Dr. Deaton looks at the December 7, 1941, bombing of Pearl Harbor, “the date that will live in infamy,” and other infamous dates in American history, including the assassination of two presidents, the Battle of Antietam, and 9/11.
Dispatches From Off the Deaton Path: Thanksgiving
This week Dr. Deaton looks at the history of one of America’s oldest holidays and the traditions around it. Happy Thanksgiving!
Podcast S4E4: Georgia Politics, Past and Future: An Interview with Keith Mason
This week’s guest is Keith Mason, a Gwinnett County native who served as Governor Zell Miller’s Chief of Staff and in President Bill Clinton’s administration. He was instrumental in the passage of the Georgia Lottery and the Hope Scholarship. Keith discusses political figures past and future, including Zell Miller, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, James Carville, Paul Begala, Roy Barnes, Stacey Abrams, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and more.
