Buffalo Soldier, dreadlock Rasta
There was a Buffalo Soldier
In the heart of America
Stolen from Africa, brought to America
Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival

Most people know the phrase Buffalo Soldier from Bob Marley’s famous reggae song—but what’s the real history behind it?

On this episode of American History Hotline, host Bob Crawford talks with Cale E. Carter II to uncover the true story of the Buffalo Soldiers.

Discover who these Black regiments were, how they earned their name, and the crucial role they played on the Western frontier, in the Spanish-American War, and beyond. We explore their battles, their struggles with racism during the Jim Crow era, and the lasting legacy they passed on through World War I, World War II, and even into American culture today.

Along the way, we connect the history to Bob Marley’s lyrics, ask what the song got right, and learn how music and memory continue to shape the story of the Buffalo Soldiers.

GUEST: Cale E. Carter II, Director of Exhibitions and Military Historian at the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, Texas.

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Spoilers ahead! No, not those type of spoilers. We're talking about third party presidential candidates and the reasons third parties can't get a footing in American politics. So, why do third parties fail? And could the current toxicity of both major American political parties create an opening for a centrist third party?

GUEST: Michael Cullinane, professor of U.S. History and the Lowman Walton Chair of Theodore Roosevelt Studies at Dickinson State University in North Dakota. He’s also author of the soon-to-be released book: Theodore Roosevelt and the Tennis Cabinet.

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Why did so many women in the 1800s turn to poison to solve their problems? (Sorry husbands). Poisons like mercury, arsenic and strychnine were so cheap and readily available in the Victorian Era that it was called the "Golden Age of Poisoning." Besides being readily available, there were very few tests to detect murder by poison. Combine this with a society where women were powerless and poison becomes "the great equalizer for women in the 19th Century," as science historian Daniel Kevles wrote.

But not all poisonings in the 1800s were acts of desperation. Plenty were just good old fashioned murder. DUN DUN DUUUUN!!!

Joining Bob Crawford to help sort out the means, motive and opportunity of these Victorian Era women poisoners is Lisa Perrin.

GUEST: Lisa Perrin, author and illustrator of the book, The League of Lady Poisoners: Illustrated True Stories of Dangerous Women

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Who was America's most successful spy? What happens to a spy that's captured? How can you tell if your child is lying? We interrogate a former member of the CIA to get some info about American intelligence.

GUEST: Brittany Butler, former targeting officer within CIA’s Directorate of Operations, Counterterrorism Center. Author of The Syndicate Spy: A Juliet Arroway Novel.

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New show alert! Coming this summer! On American History Hotline, Bob Crawford searches for the best historians and experts to answer listener questions about American history — from the Revolutionary War to rock & roll feuds. Got a question? Send it to AmericanHistoryHotline@gmail.com.

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John Quincy Adams finally defeats the Gag rule, but his feud with Andrew Jackson lasts until the bitter end.  And Congressman Abraham Lincoln witnesses from the House floor the dramatic final hours of Adams' life.

Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeartPodcasts and School of Humans. 

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When the fates of the enslaved captives of the Amistad are put into the hands of the Supreme Court, John Quincy Adams feels it's his duty to represent them. Adams’ son and wife would have preferred he stayed away from the case altogether. 

Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. 

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John Quincy Adams unleashes on the House floor over two pivotal issues of the 1830s: The annexation of Texas, and prohibiting the discussion of slavery in the U.S. House, known as the Gag rule.

Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.