American History Tellers

On Dec. 4, 1881 the Los Angeles Times published its very first edition. And while the paper ran into severe financial trouble just a year after its founding, it nevertheless survived and over its 138 year lifespan has been at the forefront of some monumental stories in American history. But, the news industry today is vastly different and extremely divisive. So how did we get here? The LA Times' Steve Padilla has worked at the paper for 32 years and he joins us to look back at the roots of the journalism industry and newspapers and how we go to where we are today. Support us by supporting our sponsors! Quip - Go to to save on gift sets and to get your first refill FREE with a refill plan

With the 2020 election looming, Many Americans are wondering how it got this bad, how we succumbed to rancor and invective, fake news and talking points. But maybe it's always been this way? American Elections: Wicked Game is a new podcast from host Lindsay Graham that looks at every American presidential election in our history--from George Washington's unanimous election in 1789, to Donald Trump's surprise electoral win in 2016.  And as an introduction to the types of Wicked Games politicians have played in the past, this special episode of American History Tellers has Lindsay Graham talking with Steve Walters, writer of Wicked Game, and Greg Jackson and Ceille Salazar from the podcast History That Doesn't Suck. They've brought their favorite examples of politics played dirty, sharing the outrageous tales of deadly slander, a hoax that turns an election, and how one man went to bed thinking he lost, only to wake to a president. Link to AEWG:   )  

In September 2019 Democratic Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren invoked the memory of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire at a campaign rally just a few blocks from the site of fire in Manhattan. It was a powerful reminder of just how deep the legacy of the disaster runs. Organized labor and workplace safety have come a long way since the fire but after years of political opposition, unions and worker rights are on the decline. In the U.S., unions represent 6.4 percent of private-sector workers and just 10.5 percent of workers overall. That’s the lowest percentage in more than a century, and down from 35 percent in the 1950s. That's according to Steven Greenhouse, author of the new book Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor. Greenhouse joins us to talk about the state of labor in America today and why after years of decline, labor is starting to gain steam.

In the wake of the biggest workplace catastrophe in the city of New York, the survivors of the Triangle fire and the families of the victims could only watch from the sidelines as the case against the Triangle bosses went to trial. The 146 deaths resulting from the fire had been sifted through the state’s legal machine and condensed into a single woman: a 24-year-old sewing machine operator named Margaret Schwartz.  In December 1911, the general sessions court presided over by Judge Thomas Crain heard the People of New York vs. Max Blanck and Isaac Harris. The prosecution had a strong piece of physical evidence and a compelling witness. But Harris and Blanck had a lawyer whose courtroom rhetoric might get his clients off scot-free.  If you enjoyed American History Tellers, be sure to check out Lindsay Graham’s other shows,

American Elections: Wicked Game is a new podcast from Lindsay Graham that will explore all 58 presidential elections, leading up to the big day in November 2020. From the inevitable election of George Washington in 1789, to Donald Trump’s surprise electoral victory in 2016, we’ll attempt to discover if there ever was a “good ol’ days,” or if presidential politics have always been played dirty. Listen now at: