Calling History: Listen In on Conversations with History’s Most Influential People.

In Part 2 of the 1816 phone call with James Madison he is going to share some controversial thoughts about how they were attempting to Christianize the native Americans, how the natives reacted, why we had to take their land, and yet, why it was wrong.
He’ll also take a hard jab at me when I won’t let up about a question he doesn’t want to answer about who he thinks was slacking in the government.
And finally, he’ll tell us why Washington stopped talking to him forever!
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In 1816, while finishing his second term as President, James Madison received a call from the future …
When you ask someone, “Who is James Madison and what did he do”, the most common response is, “I have no clue.” Yet, as you listen to this episode, you’ll see that we have many of our rights because Madison created them and then fought to make them the law of the land.
You’ll also hear how he gathered information about past empires to determine what might work for our new government, and what was destined to fail.
Then once he determined the only form of government that had ever worked successfully, why he absolutely didn’t use that model.
And finally, since Madison wrote the controversial second amendment, he’s going to clear up what it means and how many guns a person should have.
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In Part 2 of the 1859 phone conversation with John Brown he will share with us:
How the new lawless western territories looked nothing like the United States.
Why did the current president not want the new territories to be free states?
And finally, why he ordered lunch from a hotel for his hostages once he was trapped in the Harpers Ferry fire engine building.
John Brown was not a man driven by greed, prestige, or anything other than his desire to be a tool for God’s will. When he was hanged two days after this recording, he became a martyr that many believe moved us one giant step closer to the most deadly war America ever fought.
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On November 30, 1859, John Brown was sitting in his Jail cell looking forward to being hanged in two days, when he received a call from the future …
John Brown was a polarizing figure. If you lived in the north, he was a hero fighting for freedom. If you lived in the south, he was a murderous devil. In this episode: you’ll learn:
How John Feels about being hung in two days.
Why he refused to plead insanity in court as his friends encouraged him to do.
And finally, the brutal moment as a child when he learned what slavery really was.
John Brown didn’t want bloodshed. But, he also knew that slavery was so entrenched in our way of life, without violence, things were going to get worse. John Brown was willing to answer the philosophical question, “Would you kill one man, to save ten”.
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In Part 2 of the 1784 phone conversation with Martha Washington she will share with us:
Whether or not her father had a daughter with one of their slaves?
What happens to her husband in the bedroom if he goes back into public service after promising that he was done forever?
And finally, why the hand of providence depriving the Washingtons of children might have been a curse and a blessing. 
After listening to this podcast. It’s possible to imagine how the outcome of the revolutionary war might have changed without Martha Washington. Sure General Washington was a great leader, but a thousand troops can fight like ten thousand if they have a reason to fight. Martha gave them that reason by treating them with dignity and the love that only a mother can give.  
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In 1784, while relaxing in Mount Vernon after the Revolutionary war, Martha Washington received a call from the future …
After eight long years of war, Martha wanted some time to relax and enjoy the fruits of her labor. When duty called, she was always willing, but how much can one person give?  In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why she wished General Washington had not come to Mount Vernon to visit, even though he only spent two days there during the entire war.
Why she spent nearly half of the war at camp with George and the troops.
And finally, what gave her the rough and tumble strength to successfully manage 17,000 acres and 300 slaves as a widow.
As you listen to these episodes, you’ll learn the story of an exceptional woman who gave her heart and soul to the people and the nation, despite her life ending in loss and tragedy.
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In Part 2 of the 1889 phone conversation with Frederick Douglass, he’ll clear a few things up for us.
If all people are in fact equal, why did he agree to drop women from the ballot after fighting for the right to vote for all?
Why did he decline to join revolutionary abolitionist John Brown on his raid that would have collected 100,000 guns and armed the black man to fight back?
And finally, who had the bigger tasks in their time: George Washington or Abraham Lincoln? 
Throughout our conversation I was amazed at how Douglass knew when violence was appropriate, and when it needed to be avoided or postponed to a better time. Few have accomplished so much in one lifetime with so little to work with. 
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In 1889, former slave, and current ambassador to Haiti, Frederick Douglass, received a phone call from the future …
If you’re looking for inspiration about what is possible in the United States, Frederick Douglass is your man. After being born into slavery and seeing every form of violence to himself and his family, he didn’t fold under the pressure, instead he harnessed that energy and used it to fight those that believed the black man was property. In this podcast you’ll hear:
Why there were no lynchings before the civil war, but after, they were an everyday event where people would show up, invite friends, and watch.
What did Douglass do as an escaped slave once his bestselling book let everyone know exactly where he was? How did he react when the master that owned him threatened to legally reclaim his property?
And finally, despite his love of the camera and being the most photographed person of the 19th century, why did he intentionally never smile for a single photograph?
Although Douglass didn’t want violence, he understood that revolution would require it. And if slavery was going to be abolished, that violent revolution would be inevitable and needed to be done now!
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In Part 2 of the 1802 phone conversation with Paul Revere, I had to know the answers to these questions:
After being caught on The Midnight Ride while attempting to inform the colonist to unite and prepare to fight, why did the British put a gun to his head, and then … let him go?
Why did his revolutionary brothers chuck him to the side when leaving to fight the war and create our new nation?
And why does he hate Thomas Jefferson so much? 
Paul Revere was a great man who was willing to do what was best for our fledgling nation, even if it meant that no one would know who he was. 
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In 1802, while working at his copper foundry, Paul Revere received a phone call from the future and began to reminisce about his revolutionary past …
History had forgotten about Paul Revere until a poet named Henry Wadsworth Longfellow resurrected his legacy by writing about Revere’s Midnight Ride. Ironically, in Revere’s time another Wadsworth did everything in his power to destroy that same legacy. In this podcast you’ll hear Revere explain in his words:
How his military career was one catastrophe after the other. Was he a terrible soldier or unlucky?
Why was he charged with cowardice, and did he regret his actions?
And finally, after being forgotten by his revolutionary friends and accepting that his life would be a footnote in history, how did he continue to help the American cause and make a fortune?
Despite what the famous poem said, Revere will explain why there is absolutely no way he rode through the streets yelling, “The British are coming!” After that you’ll hear in detail what actually happened on The Midnight Ride that rallied the Continental Army to their first battle of the American Revolution.
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