Building Bridges

This month on "Building Bridges" we wish to commemorate the 240th anniversary of the victory at Yorktown. We will highlight the stories of the critical victory at sea by the French forces who defeat the British Navy for the first time at the Battle of the Chesapeake, the all-important attacks on Redoubts number 9 and 10, and the aftermath of this decisive victory.

This month on "Building Bridges" we wish to honor the the memory of September 11th, 2001.  After 20 years, eyewitnesses to the events share the impact of 9/11 on their lives and on the lives of their family members.  We highlight the stories of Colonel Michael Cox, Mike Walters, and Battalion Chief Edward Geraghty.

This month on "Building Bridges" we wish to honor the immigrants who became part of the essential fabric of our great democracy, from the powerful and famous to the everyday American citizen. We highlight the stories of Samuel Gompers, Tom Lantos, as well as Bridget Casserly Maguire and Patrick Geraghty and the millions of other immigrants who had the courage to embark on a journey to America.

In honor of Memorial Day, we thought it would be appropriate to have a special episode of Building Bridges dedicated to service members who have died or been seriously wounded while defending our nation and its freedoms.  We will be telling the stories on Senator Daniel Inouye, William "Bill" Genaust, Jesse L. Brown and Adam Brown.

This episode of Building Bridges looks at the three of the most controversial elections in American history. For this session, Joe Geraghty, Dr. Dan Wallace, and Sante Mastriana, we will drill down on the history behind three extremely close and even disputed presidential elections of 1800, 1824 and 2000.

Since it is April, and April 15th is traditionally when our income taxes are due, we thought we would dedicate this session to some fascinating tax stories in American history. From how our taxes have evolved over the centuries to how some of our wealthiest politicians, business-people, and criminals have attempted to evade paying their fair share, we explore the nooks and crannies of taxes in America.

In this episode of Building Bridges we look at some additional remarkable women in American history: Lucy Parsons, Margaret Chase Smith, and Donna Brazile. This episode will present stories of women who you have heard of, but may not know all of the history and highlights of their lives.

In this episode of Building Bridges we look at some remarkable women in American history: Belva Lockwood, Jeannette Rankin, and Shirley Chisholm. This episode will present stories of women who you have heard of, but may not know all of the history and highlights of their lives.

This episode of Building Bridges looks at the history of the Presidential Pardon. We will focus on a range of Presidential Pardons and Commutations given to people from all different backgrounds and crimes committed. Starting with pardons to Noah Hansen, Marcus Garvey, George Wilson, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, Oscar Collazo, and wrapping up with Patty Hearst. Their crimes range from attempted presidential assassination to liberating slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad.

This episode of Building Bridges looks at the history of the Monroe Doctrine. We will focus on United States relations with Cuba and how the Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary played a significant part in informing that relationship.  We will also look at the rising tensions in the 1980s with the Reagan Administration's Nicaraguan policy which eventually lead to the Iran-Contra Scandal.

This episode of Building Bridges looks at the history of the Civil Rights movement in the United States with one of its original leaders, Dr. Frank Smith, the Founder and Executive Director of the African American Civil War Soldiers Museum and a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).  We explore first-person accounts that bring to life the iconic Civil Rights' leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Representative John Lewis and Fanny Lou Hamer.

This episode of Building Bridges looks at the three-decade partnership of the Close Up Foundation and the Civil Rights icon, Representative John Lewis of Georgia. Beyond any political agenda, Representative Lewis gave so generously of his time for Close Up students for over 30 years, empowering generations of young Americans to get involved in the democratic process, by speaking out, protesting, registering to vote, and voting. Reminding thousands of students of the price people have paid over our 240 plus year history to win the right to vote.

This episode of Building Bridges looks at the history of televised Presidential Debates going back to the Nixon-Kennedy debates of 1960.  We will drill down on the role of the moderator, the 16-year gap in the debates, and we will also look at some of the most fascinating moments in the last 60 years of televised presidential debates.

This episode of Building Bridges looks at the history of the national political parties’ conventions going back to the first Democratic Convention in Baltimore in 1832 and the first Republican Convention in Philadelphia in 1856. This podcast highlights some of the most famous and infamous moments over that long and often politically turbulent history.

What is the meaning of the Fourth of July to African Americans? In this episode we will drill down on the famous speech given by Frederick Douglass back on July 5, 1852 and just how the meaning of the Declaration’s proclamation that “All Men Are Created Equal” has evolved over America’s 240 plus years of existence.