The Sons of History Podcast

We have reached the very end of Ancient Rome: AD 410. Don Hollway, the author of “At the Gates of Rome: The Fall of the Eternal City, A.D. 410,” joins the podcast to discuss his new book and what all led to the sack of Rome in this momentous year. How did Barbarian blood keep Goths and others from attaining the respect of pure blooded Roman citizens? How did that lead to the sack of the Eternal City? What were the difficulties of having the Roman Empire split in two: East and West? Who were Stilicho and Alaric and what parts did they play in this whole drama? Don Hollway joined us last season to discuss his first book: "The Last Viking." He is a regular contributor to History Magazine, Military Heritage, Military History, Renaissance Magazine and more. He is also a history reenactor. And he has a new book that we are going to discuss: "At the Gates of Rome: The Fall of the Eternal City, AD 410." If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe. WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/sonsofhistory #AncientRome #Rome

In this first episode of the new season, we will be discussing the fallout from @historiansorg president James Sweet’s apology for being honest about The 1619 Project and the issues of presentism. The issues of presentism are glaring and it undermines the study of history and the integrity of those who practice it. The president of the American Historical Association, James H. Sweet, wrote a column for the AHA addressing the problem. This created an uproar and the Twitter mob came after him. The Left created such a stir that Sweet bowed to their pressure and issued an apology, which is now above the column he wrote. Phil Magness wrote an article for the American Institute for Economic Research @AIERLibrary entitled “The Suicide of the American Historical Association" about how Sweet's Soviet-style apology is a picture perfect representation of the ills we see in the industry of history. Phillip W. Magness is the Director of Research and Education at the American Institute for Economic Research and a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute. He holds a PhD and MPP from George Mason University’s School of Public Policy, and a BA from the University of St. Thomas (Houston). His books include “Colonization After Emancipation: Lincoln and the Movement for Black Resettlement”; “Cracks in the Ivory Tower: The Moral Mess of Higher Education”; and “The 1619 Project: A Critique.” He has taught public policy, economics, and international trade at American University, George Mason University, and Berry College. His articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Newsweek, Politico, Reason, National Review, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. If you enjoyed this episode, do us a favor and subscribe to our podcast and leave a rating and a review. It would be greatly appreciated. WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/sonsofhistory #History #TwitterMob

Constitutional legal scholar and attorney Joe Wolverton joins the podcast to discuss some of the landmark decisions of the 2022 SCOTUS session. But should these cases have been brought to the court in first place? How many wrongs have to be righted before America returns to its rightful place as a federation of individual republics? Tons of history and tons of political wisdom in this discussion. Joe is a regular contributor to The New American magazine and the author of three works: The Real James Madison; What Degree of Madness?: Madison’s Method to America States Again; and The Founders Recipe. Lastly, and I know we will discuss this, but he is the founder of Amargi Group, which offers “a comprehensive history curriculum that replaces mindless memorization of trivial facts with inspirational stories and engaging and illuminating lessons. Their principle-based courses teach students to use history as a lens through which they see a clearer image of their own time.” If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave us a rating and a review. WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/sonsofhistory #Constitution #SCOTUS

America's educational institutions, from secondary to post-secondary, continue to perform abysmally in teaching history and civics. In many ways, the lack of knowledge about how the republic works explains why America sits on a stack of massive problems. America's government is powered by its citizens, but ignorance - from voters to legislators - seems to be running rampant. David Randall, Director of Research at the National Association of Scholars, joins the podcast to discuss his latest study: "Learning for Self-Government: A K-12 Civics Report Card." Randall has analyzed many of today's famous and infamous history and civics lesson plans provided by schools and/or organizations. As the school year closes and a new one approaches, this is a perfect time to have this conversation. WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/sonsofhistory #education #civics @NAScholars @PioneerInstituteBoston ​

Lucius Sirgius Catiline was a Roman senator and patrician with a family lineage dating back to the Second Punic War. So why would he take the steps to conspire to have certain senators assassinated and Rome - the eternal city - burned? Historian, author, and professor at Georgetown University, Josiah Osgood, joins the podcast to discuss the famous Catiline Conspiracy and his new book "How to Stop a Conspiracy: An Ancient Guide to Saving a Republic." His book is actually translation of Sallust's famous work "The War with Catiline." WEBSITE: FACEBOOK: INSTAGRAM: TWITTER: #RomanRepublic #Cicero #CatilineConspiracy

Dr. Olivier Zunz, the James Madison Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Virginia, joins the podcast to discuss his work on the life of Alexis de Tocqueville. Tocqueville, the French diplomat, came to America in 1830 to study the country's prison system, but truly studied the American political system as a whole. From that experience, he wrote one of the most influential works: "Democracy in America." Zunz is one of the preeminent scholars on Tocqueville and we discuss how Tocqueville influenced France's political systems and how his works continue to impact the perception and understanding of our own country. WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/sonsofhistory #Democracy #AlexisdeTocqueville #Tocqueville

William Maz, the author of the new book "The Bucharest Dossier," joins the podcast to discuss his debut spy novel centered around Romania's Christmas Revolution in 1989. There is a ton of information to learn about what life was like under the iron fist of Communism with Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu running the show. We discuss the fall and demise of the Ceausescus and what happened to Romania after the fall of Communism. Also, Maz discusses his book and how he was able to tie in the CIA, KGB, and Romania into one incredible novel. WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ #ChristmasRevolution #Romania #Communism

It's a rare occasion that we don't discuss history, but this is about the future of the country, which will eventually become its history. The Babylon Bee has been keeping track satirically of the insanity constantly plaguing America and the West. Managing editor and co-author of "The Babylon Bee: Guide to Wokeness," Joel Berry, joins the podcast to discuss the book, how wokeism is destroying American institutions and Americans in general, and what the next woke agenda is. Rest assured, it is worse than terrible. WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ #woke #thebabylonbee

Thousands of years before Mao ever came on the scene, the rulers of China believed in an emperor to rule the lives of everyone and everything. Emperors of China were looked on as gods and the State was looked on as the "hegemon." The "hegemon" that was the center of the earth and rightful owner of all "under of heaven." Steven Mosher, author of Bully of Asia and one of the preeminent scholars on China, joins the podcast to discuss why China is the great threat to its own people, the West, and the world. WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory/ #China #XiJinping

Warren G. Harding continues to find his name at the bottom of the presidential rankings. Ryan Walters, the author of "The Jazz Age President: Defending Warren G. Harding," believes his name should move up the list...way up. The Sons of History discuss why Harding is a much-maligned president, but really shouldn't be. In fact, there is a case to be made that he was one of the more successful presidents of the 20th century.

What was it like being in a B-17 or B-24 bomber during World War II? Better yet, what was it like being shot down and then stranded behind enemy lines? Charles E. Stanley Jr., the author of "Lost Airmen: The Epic Rescue WWII US Bomber Crews Stranded Behind Enemy Lines," joins the podcast to discuss those very questions. Learn about the many hazards of being in a bomber plane and how Americans survived in then-Yugoslavia's Sanski Most. WEBSITE: FACEBOOK: INSTAGRAM: #WorldWar2 #B24Bomber #Yugoslavia

Benedict Arnold. He is known as America's great traitor. Though there have been numerous traitors in the history of the US, none stands out like Arnold. But is there more than meets the eye to this disgraced general of the American Revolutionary War? Dr. Stephen Brumwell, author of "Turncoat: Benedict Arnold and the Crisis of American Liberty" and the preeminent scholar on Arnold, joins the show to shed light on a dark figure of America's past.

Journalism just might be dead. Why? Politics and wokeism has poisoned it. Batya Ungar-Sargon, deputy opinion editor for Newsweek, joins the podcast to discuss her latest book "Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy." We discuss the history of journalism, its current state, and why people don't trust the media. WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ #journalism #wokeism

It's our first episode of the new season and Alan Winter, co-author of "Sins of the Fathers," joins the podcast to discuss the new book, how Adolf Hitler should be viewed by readers and historians, and how difficult it would be to stop the rise of Hitler (even with a second chance). "Sins of the Fathers" is the sequel to "Wolf" that follows the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party in 1930s Germany. This historical fiction series is thoroughly researched and historically accurate, all while placing the reader right in the middle of the oncoming devastating storm. Be sure to subscribe, like, and leave a comment! WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ #AdolfHitler #Hitler #WorldWar2

Discover the most influential American woman you may have never heard of: Sarah Josepha Hale. Melanie Kirkpatrick joins the podcast to discuss her latest book, "Lady Editor: Sarah Josepha Hale and the Making of the Modern American Woman." In this episode we discuss Hale's hardships and tragedies that pushed her into the direction of becoming editor of the most influential magazine of the 19th century. Through her editorship, she discovered some of the country's most talented writers, helped establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday, helped open the door for women in the workplace, and more. WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ #SarahJosephaHale #Thanksgiving @hudsoninstitute ​

James L. Haley, author of the naval adventure Putnam Series, joined the podcast to discuss his fourth installment in the series: "Captain Putnam for the Republic of Texas." Haley discusses the art of writing good historical fiction and why it's harder to write than nonfiction - which he has written immensely, including works on Jack London, Sam Houston, Hawaii, the Texas Supreme Court, and the Apaches. Don't miss this episode and be sure to check out Haley's Putnam Series - a great Christmas gift idea. WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ #PutnamSeries #RepublicofTexas #JamesHaley

More and more, advocacy is usurping an accurate telling of history. The question is can they actually work together? And how often was advocacy done with contemporary works in order to preserve certain views? The Sons of History discuss this and more with Justice Ken Wise, of the 14th Court of Appeals in Texas and the creator of the Wise About Texas podcast, and Dr. Stephen Hardin, prominent Texas historian and professor of history at McMurry University in Abilene. As always, Dustin Bass and Alan Wakim give their book and movie recommendations, as well as their choices for This Week in History. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and a review if you enjoy the show.

The legendary Wilfred McClay joined the podcast this week to discuss his book "Land of Hope" and how his US history textbook is different than most. The Sons of History are big fans of the book because it gives perspective to the American story in a very balanced way. Along with the book, we discuss what has happened to history and civics education in America's schools, why a different demographic is drawn to his recent book, and how a lack of historical perspective has become a detriment to the country. WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ #AmericanHistory #WilfredMcClay

Denton Florian is one of the foremost experts on Sam Houston, the great Texas general, president, and governor (in that order); and Texas history in general. He was the executive producer of the five-time EMMY winning documentary "Sam Houston: American Statesman, Soldier, and Pioneer." Denton joined the podcast to discuss how the new book "Forget The Alamo" attempts to do as "The 1619 Project" did (a conversation we had with Dr. Mary Grabar two episodes prior) and reframe (or often rewrite) history through the lens of slavery and race. While agenda-driven journalists work to rewrite history in hopes that you will forget obvious historical facts about America and now Texas, we think this is a conversation you'll definitely remember. Be sure to subscribe! If you enjoy the show, leave a rating and a review! WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ #TheAlamo #TexasHistory #ForgetTheAlamo

Dr. Mary Grabar joins the podcast to discuss her new book "Debunking The 1619 Project: Exposing the Plan to Divide America." Learn what some of the egregious claims are from The New York Times Magazine initiative. Grabar discusses how she dismantled The 1619 Project's claims through historical fact, contemporary sources, and historians from across the political spectrum. WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ #The1619Project #DebunkingThe1619Project #AmericanHistory

In the first episode of the new podcast season, Dr. Danel Olson joins to talk about his new book 9/11 Gothic: Decrypting Ghosts and Trauma in New York City's Terrorism Novels. Dustin Bass and Alan Wakim discuss how 9/11 affected civilians psychologically and spiritually and how the aftermath of the war on terror affected the military. This is a deep dive into the trauma that has followed the worst attack on America's soil. Also, The Sons of History has a new segment: This Week in History. Dustin and Alan choose something that happened this week in history. And as always, we have our book and movie recommendations. Olson's book will be available Sept. 15. You can purchase your copy at this link. Be sure to like and comment on this video, and subscribe to our channel. Also, please leave a rating and a review wherever you listen to the podcast so more people can find us. WEBSITE: https://www.thesonsofhistory.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSonsOfHistory INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thesonsofhistory/ #september11 #911attacks