In this episode, John does a deep dive into the early years of the Judicial Branch of the federal government. John begins by explaining how courts, judges and lawyers were perceived by the colonists in the decades before the American Revolution and what role it was in society and in the colonial governments that these elements played. John then discusses the changes that Americans wanted to see in the judicial system upon achieving independence from Great Britain and how the rapid evolution of democracy in the various states led to a push for a more uniform legal system in the country and a less hostile view of lawyers, judges and the judiciary more broadly by the time of the Constitutional Convention.

Finally, John covers the impact of the Marshall Court in general and the Marbury v. Madison case decided by that court in particular. John gives some background about who John Marshall was, how he ended up as the Chief Justice and his approach toward that position before explaining the details of the Marbury case. John concludes by breaking down the concept of Judicial Review and how the Judicial Branch was transformed by the other branches’ acceptance of the notion that judges and justices should exercise this authority in the U.S. government.

In this episode, John discusses the circumstances that allowed the Jefferson administration to complete the Louisiana Purchase from France. John explains how it was that France came to acquire Louisiana again and what it was that drove Napoleon to sell the territory to the U.S. less than five years after acquiring it. John also talks about the Lewis and Clark expedition and its importance to the foundation of an American presence in the middle of North America.

John also goes through the Jefferson administration’s decision to go to war with the Barbary Pirates in 1801. John covers the background of the conflict and why it was that Jefferson, despite his general opposition to warfare, decided that pursuing aggressive action against the Barbary states was warranted. John discusses how the conflict was ultimately resolved and why it was an important event in early American history.

In this episode, John dives into the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, focusing specifically on his most important ideas and priorities as he took over from the Federalists as America’s third president. John discusses why Jefferson was such a monumental figure in American history, how he and his ideas came to dominate the first quarter century of the 1800s and how he saw his role in America’s “Empire of Liberty”. John talks about the Jeffersonians’ goals to shrink the size of the federal government, pay off the national debt, demilitarize the U.S. from the brink of war with France and encourage the growth of democracy and the influence of Americans who did not come from the wealthy or educated elite classes.

John also devotes a significant amount of time to explaining the shortcomings of Jeffersonian Democracy. He talks about how Jefferson seemed to have some really significant blind spots when it came to who his style of governance and his foreign and domestic policies would benefit. John also points out the ways in which Jefferson moderated from his stalwart opposition to the Federalists when he became president, in part because Jefferson recognized that he would be setting the example for what future presidents would do when they took power from departing presidents who belonged to an opposition party.