Blog - Presidential History

A Voter’s Guide to Evaluating Presidential Candidates

by Mike Purdy | Jul 16, 2019 | Barack Obama, Campaigns, Donald Trump, Elections, Harry Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson

The first Democratic debates raise the question of what voters should be looking for in evaluating candidates. Rather than merely supporting a candidate because of their promises (often unrealistic) and how closely their policy positions pass the litmus test of party...

History Matters

by Mike Purdy | Jul 8, 2019 | Resources, Uncategorized

"History is drama. History is human interactions. And I think we as a society and as a country are poorer if we do not know it, and if we don't in fact learn from it." This is part of what I said in my interview by The Clio Foundation. I was interviewed by them in...

How the Specter of Andrew Johnson Haunts Donald Trump

by Mike Purdy | Jun 30, 2019 | Andrew Johnson, Donald Trump, Impeachments

A drama of monumental proportions and historic significance is unfolding every day in Washington, DC. There are endless predictions and speculation by politicians, pundits, and the people about whether Donald Trump will join the ranks of Andrew Johnson and Bill...

Book Reviews and Radio Interviews

by Mike Purdy | Jun 16, 2019 | Books, Quotes

My new book 101 Presidential Insults: What They Really Thought About Each Other - and What It Means to Us was released by the publisher on June 7, 2019. It is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble (although it may be temporarily out-of-stock there), or...

A Civility Lesson from John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

by Mike Purdy | Jun 9, 2019 | Books, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson

I wrote an article that was published on History News Network on June 9, 2019 entitled "What the Feud and Reconciliation between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson Teaches Us About Civility." Click here to read the article My New Book: The article draws from some of my...

Ohio Radio Interview About My New Book

by Mike Purdy | Jun 4, 2019 | Bill Clinton, Books, Donald Trump, George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Quotes, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Theodore Roosevelt, Warren Harding, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson

Listen to this 22 minute radio interview between host Adam Lepp of WWGH 107.1 FM (Marion, Ohio - home of President Warren G. Harding) and presidential historian Dr. Ronald Feinman (author of Assassinations,Threats, and the American Presidency: From Andrew Jackson to...

Podcast: Civility, Presidential Relationships, and My New Book

by Mike Purdy | Jun 2, 2019 | Books, Donald Trump, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson

I was recently privileged to join Annie Mesaros on her podcast "God Help Us," which she founded and hosts. We discussed civility (or the lack thereof) in our public discourse, historical presidential relationships, the current president, and the 2020 election, and my...

The Politics of Impeachment

by Mike Purdy | May 8, 2019 | Constitution, Donald Trump, Impeachments, Richard Nixon

I recently wrote an Op-Ed for TheHill.com entitled "Impeachment without conviction plays right into Trump's hands." There are three broad options regarding impeachment: Impeach Now: The House of Representatives should impeach the president now because this is a moment...

My New Book: 101 Presidential Insults

by Mike Purdy | Apr 8, 2019 | Books, Quotes

I’m excited to announce the publication of my new book about our presidents – how they’ve historically insulted one another – and what this lack of civility means to us in our current political environment. 101 Presidential Insults: What They Really Thought About Each...

Carter Will Break the Longevity Record

by Mike Purdy | Mar 19, 2019 | Calvin Coolidge, Deaths, George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Herbert Hoover, Jimmy Carter, John Adams, Post Presidencies

On Thursday, March 21, 2019, former president Jimmy Carter will go down in history as the longest-living former president. Coolidge was President in 1924: Carter was born on October 1, 1924 in Plains, Georgia. He still lives in Plains today (population: 727) where he...