I have a deep love of history, both personally and professionally. When I was in graduate school, while my cohort was encouraged to find a topic and area to specialize in, I was told by more than one professor that while that was necessary, we needed to be trained and cross trained in different areas of history. As such, though I was trained to be an American Historian, specializing in 20th century US History -- I was also cross trained in 19th century US, Indiana, Global/Transnational, and Religious History as well. That training has served me well, allowing me to teach a wide variety of classes and to indulge that love of history by reading and thinking broadly about the past.
Earlier this semester, I started listening to the Age of Jackson podcast, done by Daniel Gullota. It is a wonderful podcast, bringing historians together to talk about their books or important books about the Jacksonian period in American History (roughly the 1810s-1840s). One day this Fall, I happened to see a Twitter post from the podcast asking for book recommendations for future episodes. I contacted Daniel about the possibility of including Rebel Bulldog on the podcast. We chatted about how a book about the Civil War could fit into the Age of Jackson. While I made a good argument, I think what ultimately helped to win him over was Governor Noah Noble and the Beechers! :)
A few weeks ago, Daniel and I talked for over an hour on the phone. The interview was lots of fun to do and was wide ranging -- talking not just about the themes of the book, but also the process of researching and writing history. It was a great deal of fun. And so, I am very proud to have Episode 52 of the Age of Jackson podcast be on Rebel Bulldog. My thanks to Daniel and I hope you enjoy listening to us discuss Rebel Bulldog!
