Those early American Progressives we talked about last time left the United States with a lot of physical and cultural artifacts that seem omnipresent through to today. Many things that Americans take for granted as timeless examples of Americana are less than a century old and were Progressive innovations, sometimes ironically in light of how many modern-day “conservatives” love some of them. Some of the details and origins of these artifacts are more troubling than you might think at first glance.
[BTW, this one was recorded in my noisy old car – I think the last thing I ever recorded in it before trading it in, at which point it was 11 years old and had 170K miles on the odometer. (As you can surmise, history hasn’t exactly made me rich yet.) Hopefully podcasts recorded in my new car will have a little less background vehicle noise!]
Join Prof CJ as he discusses the origins and details of:
- The Pledge of Allegiance (which was written by a Socialist in 1892), and why rightwingers should abhor the pledge (if they actually knew history and were consistent with the beliefs they profess)
- The Lincoln Memorial (completed 1922), which is actually a temple, deifying a dead politician and the central government for which he waged war
- The presence of fasces in the Lincoln memorial (which can also be found in a surprising number of other US government buildings, monuments, and insignias, some of which are mentioned)
- The Mercury Dime
- The Lincoln Penny (the first time in US history that a politician – rather than Lady Liberty or an American Indian – appeared on US coinage)
- How earlier American leaders – such as George Washington – opposed the idea of putting politicians on money
Prof CJ’s Picks (buy from Amazon via these links to help support the show at no additional cost to you)