1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. That is Mr Max Williams 4 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 1: on the audio ones and twos here give him a hand. Uh, 5 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: they call me Ben Noel. You and I are fans 6 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: of well, I don't know if we can say we're 7 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,280 Speaker 1: fans of early American history, but I think we're both 8 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:51,919 Speaker 1: fascinated by how many strange stories are out there. It's 9 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: sort of moving into the world of myth Sometimes. Yes, 10 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: it's weird, right, I mean, you know, you got share 11 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: George Washington, Cherry Tree not telling a lie type mythology, 12 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 1: and then you've got I don't know, didn't George didn't 13 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 1: Abraham Lincoln do something mythological as well that was sort 14 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:10,760 Speaker 1: of debunked. Maybe it's all about, you know, sort of 15 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: like Luke I Am your father, Like I think Darth 16 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:16,040 Speaker 1: Vader never actually said those words, but it just sort 17 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 1: of gets carried on. Is the thing people repeat, and 18 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: then before you know it, people believe that that's actually 19 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 1: what was in the movie. History is not like a 20 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: movie though, because we don't really have a rewind or 21 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 1: like chapter markers or like a DVD. Men, you remember those. 22 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:31,320 Speaker 1: That was a big deal when DVDs came out, and 23 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: now it's like no one even thinks about it anymore. 24 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: We blu rays for like the super nerves, the steel 25 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,119 Speaker 1: boxes and all that. There's no steel box blu ray 26 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: of history. No, No. And you know, I was in 27 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: a very interesting conversation with some historians actually over the 28 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 1: break since last time we recorded, and one of them 29 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: brought up this fantastic point. She said that we have 30 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: to remember that as you go further back in time, 31 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: fewer and fewer people are literate. So when written record 32 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: we're reading is actually a history of the literate class, 33 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: right from their perspectives. Yeah, which often comes with a 34 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: pretty big slant, does exactly exactly as way Beyond History 35 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: is written by the winners, because you know, let's be honest, 36 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 1: a lot of winners were illiterate. Anyhow, This is this 37 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:21,840 Speaker 1: is important because what we're talking about, and I love 38 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 1: the example you brought up at George Washington. What we're 39 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:28,359 Speaker 1: talking about is the way that a seed of fact 40 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 1: can become legend, rumor even a myth, and it can 41 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: happen more quickly than you might imagine. So let's present 42 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: just the top headline today's episode. We're gonna pull this 43 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:45,359 Speaker 1: from black history dot com. Uh, this is an excerpt 44 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: from a two thousand nine article by Audrey Peterson, and 45 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:51,400 Speaker 1: it's excellence worth of read. We're just gonna read this 46 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: this one clip. The story goes that on November five, 47 00:02:56,639 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: John Hanson, of African descent, was elected the first President 48 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:05,120 Speaker 1: of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation, the 49 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: precursor to our present constitution. Now, no, if this is 50 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 1: in that position, would have been the precursor to our 51 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,800 Speaker 1: what we know now as the president, right right, right, 52 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: So if this is true, then that means that America's 53 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 1: first black president, the first black president of the US 54 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 1: far preceded former President Barack Obama. Again, if that's true, 55 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 1: hold the phones. I've never heard of this, I mean 56 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: I have, I have now, But you think it would 57 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: have been something that would have been discussing, you know, 58 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: during President Obama's inauguration, election run up and all of 59 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 1: that stuff. This is not something that I've seen thrown around. Well, 60 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:48,120 Speaker 1: it turns out there's a reason for that. There's another 61 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: John Hanson. I believe it's spelled exactly the same way. 62 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: Um John Hanson who was elected to the Senate of 63 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 1: Liberia in the mid nineteenth century. The real John Hanson 64 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:04,160 Speaker 1: are the real John Hanson that occupied this position. The 65 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 1: first President of the Continental Congress was in fact a 66 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 1: white man of European descent, and it was often confused 67 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: with John Hanson, the Senator of Liberia from the mid 68 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:18,279 Speaker 1: nineteenth century. So easy to confuse the handsens, you know, 69 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 1: of two hands it's not the tail of two handsons. Yeah, 70 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:23,919 Speaker 1: it's true. It's the kind of the way like people 71 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,359 Speaker 1: sometimes confuse the band Hanson for the band Nirvana, you know, 72 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 1: because there's like, really the singers are all both blonde. 73 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:33,719 Speaker 1: Getting a joke, There's a there's there's like a funny 74 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:36,720 Speaker 1: internet trope where people will take a picture of like 75 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 1: kind of like lame nerdy type band and have like 76 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:41,000 Speaker 1: a more edgy type band name on it. I was 77 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:45,280 Speaker 1: like one with Hanson Brothers the egxactly as they were 78 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: both three pieces. I've got it. I do have to 79 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: point out I may be in a glass house situation 80 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:57,279 Speaker 1: when it comes to throwing stones about confusing people. I 81 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 1: don't think I quite have Facebook blind this, but I 82 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 1: have a tough time. You know, I don't really relish 83 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: the world of celebrity, and for years, and you know this, dude, 84 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 1: because we talked about this off air for years, I 85 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: did not know that Kira Knightley and Natalie Portman are 86 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 1: two different people. I just thought, very prolific actor, very 87 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:24,040 Speaker 1: easy mistick to me. I'm Kieran Nightley has literally been 88 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:26,679 Speaker 1: the stunt double for Natalie Portman in a movie before. 89 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:31,480 Speaker 1: I don't doubt that, and that's it was the the 90 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 1: second trilogy of Star Wars. They have they have, you know, 91 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 1: Natalie Portman is I don't know the character's names, but 92 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:41,159 Speaker 1: print Queen Amadalg and then that she has a stand 93 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:43,080 Speaker 1: in literally that's not just a stunt double, but in 94 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:49,160 Speaker 1: the movie an actual, like fake version of her. Yeah, okay, 95 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:52,040 Speaker 1: well I don't feel like Max with the facts, right, 96 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:54,919 Speaker 1: That's good. That's that's how I figured out two with 97 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:57,520 Speaker 1: a with a Star Wars conversation. But I'm bringing this 98 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:00,480 Speaker 1: up because I think it's an okay example because dunking 99 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 1: on myself here. But also let's understand that I made 100 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:08,919 Speaker 1: that mistake for years with the benefit of a profound 101 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:14,679 Speaker 1: amount of audio video audio visual information, right, with Google 102 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:19,480 Speaker 1: at my fingertips and I was still thinking, oh weird, huh. 103 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 1: More than one person look at that, So imagine how 104 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:26,159 Speaker 1: easy it is to mix people up over the great 105 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:30,279 Speaker 1: game of telephone that is history. We know a little 106 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:33,279 Speaker 1: bit about how this confusion came about, and right now 107 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:35,559 Speaker 1: it is still a rumor that a lot of people 108 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:38,160 Speaker 1: believe that the first president of the US was not 109 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:42,040 Speaker 1: George Washington, but was actually this man, John Hanson, man 110 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: of African descent. If you look at some of the 111 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:47,599 Speaker 1: myth busting work that's been done on this, especially great 112 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 1: article Missed and History dot com, you'll see that part 113 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:54,440 Speaker 1: of the mix up is traced back to uh comedian 114 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:58,440 Speaker 1: and activists named Dick Gregory. Uh. Dick Gregory may not 115 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:02,560 Speaker 1: have started this myth, but he seems to have popularized 116 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:06,719 Speaker 1: and perpetrated it. He had an article that claimed Hanson 117 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: was a black and be the first president. And here's 118 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 1: how he breaks it down. He says, Okay, Hansen was 119 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:17,240 Speaker 1: the first president, like we said, under the Articles of Confederation, 120 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: one year term. He got a lot of stuff done. 121 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:25,840 Speaker 1: Fast forward, six presidents later, the Articles of Confederation fail. 122 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:30,440 Speaker 1: The Constitution comes into play in see and after that 123 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: George Washington is elected. And the quote that really stood 124 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: out to us, or to me at least, is the 125 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:44,120 Speaker 1: question phrase this way is racism and not the Constitution 126 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: the reason we start counting presidents with Washington. I mean, 127 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:52,800 Speaker 1: racism is a real thing. So that's a possible explanation. 128 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 1: But like we point out earlier, like you said, no 129 00:07:55,960 --> 00:08:00,680 Speaker 1: we got Hansen mix up his tailor to Hansen's. The 130 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: sites that repeat this claim often have a dagara type. 131 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 1: Remember those the old photography things of of the of 132 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 1: the black John Hansen. And again that guy is a 133 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 1: real guy. Like you said, he's a senator, but he's 134 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:24,160 Speaker 1: a senator from a different country. Uh. And if you 135 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:26,360 Speaker 1: go to the Library of Congress, you'll see the same 136 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: photo and they're talking about this Liberian senator. So we 137 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:33,800 Speaker 1: threw a line in there that might have caused some 138 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: of our stute, ridiculous historians to take a pause. Dick 139 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:42,160 Speaker 1: Gregory an American comedian, What does he what does he 140 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: have to do with this? Dick Gregory also, by the way, hilarious, 141 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 1: So you're asking, what did Dick Gregory have to do 142 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:52,720 Speaker 1: with all this influential comic, influential thinker, right, I and 143 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 1: an activist of course. Well, it goes back to an 144 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:02,320 Speaker 1: appendix in a book called rembermembering John Hanson, and in 145 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:09,040 Speaker 1: nine a genealogist in this appendix said that John Hanson 146 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:13,960 Speaker 1: did not have partial Swedish heritage like a lot of 147 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 1: his previous biographers and other families scuttle Butt had long claimed. 148 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: They said, instead, John Hansen was the grandson of a 149 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:27,480 Speaker 1: guy named John Henson, who was an immigrant, an indentured 150 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:31,880 Speaker 1: servant from Barbados who arrived in Maryland in sixteen sixty one, 151 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:38,199 Speaker 1: freed in sixteen sixty six. But John Hansen's wealthy immigrant grandfather, 152 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:43,200 Speaker 1: also named John Hanson, actually shows up in Maryland before this. 153 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:45,920 Speaker 1: I know. It's like for anyone who's read uh hundred 154 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:49,960 Speaker 1: Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It gets confusing 155 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 1: when a lot of characters have the same name. So 156 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:55,960 Speaker 1: the research disproves this theory. But this is where Dick 157 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:58,680 Speaker 1: Gregory comes in. He picks up on the story on 158 00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:01,920 Speaker 1: the story of this barb Ato's immigrant and he says 159 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:07,720 Speaker 1: this Caribbean immigrant Henson was either black or partially black, 160 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:13,319 Speaker 1: and so President John Hanson, he says, was the grandson 161 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:19,280 Speaker 1: of this Caribbean immigrant John Hinson, and Gregory looked at 162 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:22,040 Speaker 1: it through something that was called the one drop rule. 163 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 1: If you're familiar with that, that phrase, it was the 164 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:30,160 Speaker 1: idea you've you've heard it quoted before, especially in historical yards. 165 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:33,960 Speaker 1: It was the idea that anybody would quote one drop 166 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:39,520 Speaker 1: of non European blood was non European, right, and this 167 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 1: was often brought up in in the time of chattel slavery. 168 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 1: So Dick Gregory says, all right, because of that one 169 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:51,640 Speaker 1: drop rule, this means that Hanson, because he was descended 170 00:10:51,679 --> 00:10:55,720 Speaker 1: from that immigrant from Barbados, was the nation's first black president. 171 00:10:56,360 --> 00:11:01,120 Speaker 1: But for all intensive purposes, but that's that's where the 172 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:06,319 Speaker 1: story and the confusion starts. You'll even see claims that 173 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 1: if you look on a two dollar bill that one 174 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:11,920 Speaker 1: of the individuals on the back of the two dollar bill. 175 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 1: I don't know why I'm pantomiming a bill here, because 176 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:17,080 Speaker 1: I don't have one in my hands, and we're an 177 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 1: audio show, so it looks like I'm just holding my 178 00:11:19,559 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: thumbs weirdly at you guys. But anyway, the idea is 179 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:25,960 Speaker 1: that if you look at the two dollar bill, you'll 180 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:29,480 Speaker 1: see one of the individuals on the back appears to 181 00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:32,679 Speaker 1: be African American, that's the claim, and then therefore, to 182 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: Dick Gregory, that meant this guy was John Hanson. But 183 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:40,439 Speaker 1: again it's not true. We know that part is not true. 184 00:11:40,440 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 1: But there are other things I think we need to 185 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:46,880 Speaker 1: drill down into to further differentiate our Hanson's because we 186 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:48,960 Speaker 1: researched this. I don't know about you guys, but even 187 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:51,240 Speaker 1: I am getting like a little confused. I've gotta draw 188 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:54,760 Speaker 1: a little hands and V handsOn list here. Yeah, and 189 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:57,480 Speaker 1: you know, when you start digging a little deeper, time 190 00:11:57,640 --> 00:11:59,839 Speaker 1: starts to play into it in terms of like some 191 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:04,320 Speaker 1: discrepancies and some things that don't quite line up. Um. 192 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:08,560 Speaker 1: John Hansen UM, who was a resident of Maryland, was 193 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:12,960 Speaker 1: definitely in the picture way before John Hanson, the Senator 194 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:18,000 Speaker 1: from Liberia. Was Hanson of Maryland was born in seventeen 195 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:23,040 Speaker 1: fifteen in Port Tobacco Parish in Charles County, uh in 196 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:26,480 Speaker 1: at the time the province of Maryland. UM. He was 197 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:30,880 Speaker 1: elected President of the United States and assembled Congress in 198 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:35,240 Speaker 1: November of seventeen one. UM and that would have been 199 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:38,200 Speaker 1: when he became the first president to serve a one 200 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:42,160 Speaker 1: year term. Under those you know, by laws or provisions 201 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:46,320 Speaker 1: in the Articles of Confederation. In seventeen eighty one, he 202 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 1: signed the articles after Maryland joined the other states, you know, 203 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:55,839 Speaker 1: intense to ratify these Articles of Confederation. So a lot 204 00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:59,200 Speaker 1: of the documentation gets a little hazy. We don't have 205 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:05,840 Speaker 1: full confirmation of the dates of John Hansen of Liberia's 206 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:08,679 Speaker 1: kind of tenure and and the things that he accomplished, 207 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:11,160 Speaker 1: but he is said to have been more of a 208 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:14,959 Speaker 1: mid eighteen hundreds kind of guy, and he was UM. 209 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:18,359 Speaker 1: One of his main focuses as a as a lawmaker 210 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:24,120 Speaker 1: in Liberia was to relocate African American individuals to Liberia. 211 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:29,400 Speaker 1: But he had some ulterior motives. Apparently he was working 212 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:36,400 Speaker 1: alongside the American Colonization Society and was actually luring African 213 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:39,600 Speaker 1: Americans who were hoping to better their lives in the 214 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:43,880 Speaker 1: lives of their families into Liberia. But apparently he had 215 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:50,960 Speaker 1: some seriously kind of self serving motivations for doing this. Um, 216 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:55,760 Speaker 1: he apparently kind of collaborated or colluded with that society 217 00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:59,440 Speaker 1: to try to trick African Americans into Libraria to what 218 00:13:59,559 --> 00:14:02,360 Speaker 1: he heard two or I guess maybe I am specifically, 219 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:05,079 Speaker 1: but what was sort of considered to be a quote 220 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:11,520 Speaker 1: unquote better form of slavery. Um, that's not really a thing, No, 221 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:17,280 Speaker 1: it's unfortunately. Yeah, so this guy wasn't a good guy. 222 00:14:17,559 --> 00:14:20,120 Speaker 1: He was not taking care of his his his people. 223 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:25,960 Speaker 1: In fact, he was actively you know, plotting against them. Well, yeah, 224 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 1: there's there's a problem. The idea was that, you know, 225 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:32,640 Speaker 1: maybe they were stopping a greater evil. But as as 226 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:35,920 Speaker 1: pointed out in a great article on the black loop 227 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:39,840 Speaker 1: dot com which drills down in his two dollar bill idea, 228 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:45,400 Speaker 1: slavery is slavery, and no matter how you try to 229 00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:49,160 Speaker 1: spin it or frame it, people are intelligent and they 230 00:14:49,240 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: know the difference between freedom and slavery. So website that 231 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 1: have presented arguments about the two dollar bill idea used 232 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:09,640 Speaker 1: photos of both Hanson's. Okay, but the issue with the photos, 233 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:13,920 Speaker 1: as you said, like its centers on the timeline of events. 234 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:16,360 Speaker 1: We know that there are a lot of discrepancies in 235 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:22,200 Speaker 1: those timelines. The photo of Hanson, the Liberian senator that's 236 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:26,920 Speaker 1: used to support these claims, it's strange because photography wasn't 237 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:33,760 Speaker 1: really commercially a thing until eighteen thirty nine. Also, John Hanson, 238 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:39,040 Speaker 1: the Maryland Guy, Okay, let's just start calling them Maryland 239 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:44,200 Speaker 1: Hanson and Liberian hands Maryland Hanson died in seventeen eighty three, 240 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:49,800 Speaker 1: way before there would be a photograph around. So we 241 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:56,240 Speaker 1: do know that Liberian Hanson was definitely a person from 242 00:15:56,280 --> 00:16:00,040 Speaker 1: the African diaspora. He was black, but that does it 243 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 1: necessarily mean he was an advocate for people of color, 244 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:07,440 Speaker 1: at least the way we consider today. I mean, like, 245 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:11,560 Speaker 1: think about a better form of slavery? What is that? 246 00:16:12,200 --> 00:16:16,800 Speaker 1: You know? And then there's the other myth. So we've 247 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:20,480 Speaker 1: separated our Handsen's We we got that, we got that 248 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 1: handsome out handled Hansen. Uh. And now we have to 249 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:26,640 Speaker 1: ask ourselves, well, what about this other guy? What about 250 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:31,320 Speaker 1: this um? What about Maryland Hanson? Was he really the 251 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:35,080 Speaker 1: first president of the United States? Is that part of 252 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:41,360 Speaker 1: the claim true? Now? It's not. It's totally not, And 253 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:45,280 Speaker 1: there isn't a cover up. He wasn't like erase from 254 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 1: history and some grand conspiracy. Uh. The truth is that 255 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:53,560 Speaker 1: even in his own time, he wasn't considered the president 256 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:57,600 Speaker 1: of the United States. Uh. And he couldn't have been 257 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:01,640 Speaker 1: that because the office of the President of the United 258 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:05,080 Speaker 1: States didn't exist while he was alive. As a matter 259 00:17:05,080 --> 00:17:07,760 Speaker 1: of fact, the country known as the United States of 260 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:11,040 Speaker 1: America didn't exist while he was alive. He was down 261 00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:13,399 Speaker 1: with the planning stages, you know what I mean, Like 262 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:16,680 Speaker 1: he was working on the album, but he wasn't there 263 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:20,400 Speaker 1: for the first show. So that's that's an awkward way 264 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:24,920 Speaker 1: to put it. Yes, yes, obviously the Declaration of Independence, 265 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:29,119 Speaker 1: the Articles and Confederation they both used the phrase United 266 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:35,120 Speaker 1: States of America. But uh, these documents weren't really meant 267 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:40,919 Speaker 1: to create this single, unified nation the superpower at the time. 268 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:44,840 Speaker 1: In fact, colonial leaders were worried that if they created 269 00:17:44,880 --> 00:17:49,359 Speaker 1: a national government that was too powerful, it would it 270 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:53,760 Speaker 1: would spell trouble, and they refused to have a federal 271 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:57,919 Speaker 1: or excuse me, a central government have serenity over everything. 272 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:02,920 Speaker 1: They kind of pictured that Congress as a an admin 273 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:07,240 Speaker 1: really for thirteen different states. Well, yeah, you know, it's 274 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:12,560 Speaker 1: kind of that seems like a reasonable intent, um, you know, 275 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 1: something to kind of keep the trains running on time, 276 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:19,359 Speaker 1: to help sort of sort out dispute, sort of codify things. 277 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:23,000 Speaker 1: But do you think that we stayed true to that 278 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:25,800 Speaker 1: original intent with the way you know, Congress has kind 279 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:30,800 Speaker 1: of evolved or mutated over the years. Ben Uh not 280 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:33,159 Speaker 1: not really, No, I don't think that. I'm thinking, no, 281 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:40,520 Speaker 1: thinking no. I mean federal taxes, various federal departments that 282 00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:44,480 Speaker 1: have sprung up in the intervening centuries. Yeah, there's very 283 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:47,920 Speaker 1: much a federal government. There are, still, of course, state 284 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:51,679 Speaker 1: level things, right, That's the reason that we are in 285 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:55,560 Speaker 1: surreal situations where federal laws don't always agree with state laws. 286 00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:58,120 Speaker 1: And I'm not talking about the hot button stuff right now. 287 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:01,080 Speaker 1: I'm talking about like a very easy thing to say 288 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:04,840 Speaker 1: yes to marijuana legalization. It doesn't matter if you smoke 289 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:06,800 Speaker 1: it or not. It's a lot of money for a 290 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 1: state like Colorado ran out a weed and then got 291 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:15,040 Speaker 1: rich the first year they legalized that stuff. Um, but 292 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:18,160 Speaker 1: it is confusing if you are outside of the US 293 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:22,440 Speaker 1: to say, wait, isn't that illegal? And you would say, well, 294 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 1: you can get arrested for it in Georgia, but not 295 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:30,240 Speaker 1: in California or in Colorado. Also the federal government says 296 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:33,000 Speaker 1: it's illegal. That's right, not to mention that. Let's say here, 297 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:35,840 Speaker 1: Let's say you've been visiting Los Angeles or somewhere in 298 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:37,879 Speaker 1: California and you you know, you go to one of 299 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:40,840 Speaker 1: the weed shops and buy some gummies. Then you fly 300 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:44,120 Speaker 1: back with them. Technically, you know, when you're at the airport, 301 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:49,280 Speaker 1: you're in federal territory, right and depending on your end destination, 302 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:53,440 Speaker 1: that could have different consequences. You know. It's very very weird, 303 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:57,119 Speaker 1: very fuzzy. It's very it's very weird. So what did 304 00:19:57,160 --> 00:20:00,960 Speaker 1: they do Instead of making a federal from it? They 305 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:04,760 Speaker 1: made this this Congress that would do like housekeeping. You know, 306 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:08,280 Speaker 1: we'll talk to other countries, will make war, and they 307 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:11,440 Speaker 1: could mainly you know, hire out whomever they needed, kind 308 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:15,240 Speaker 1: of let's say crowds, you know, subout all of these 309 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:19,479 Speaker 1: administrative tasks um that could be performed on behalf of 310 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 1: the states, you know, things like declaring war and you know, 311 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,159 Speaker 1: and and fighting for peace and uh, dealing with the 312 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 1: Native Americans that might have lived outside the states, to 313 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:35,199 Speaker 1: create to mint money, borrow money, um to you know, 314 00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: administer the post office, and to help solve things like 315 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 1: boundary disputes or issues. But this is something that that 316 00:20:44,359 --> 00:20:47,400 Speaker 1: does hold true. Congress couldn't raise money to carry out 317 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:51,560 Speaker 1: these tasks by taxing the states. You had just alluded 318 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:55,520 Speaker 1: to that ben you could neither raise troops in order 319 00:20:55,560 --> 00:21:00,119 Speaker 1: to defend the country or wage war against aggressors. It 320 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:06,880 Speaker 1: couldn't even require or compel other states to comply with 321 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:09,560 Speaker 1: any of the laws that it passed as a body. 322 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:12,480 Speaker 1: So it puts it kind of a weird middle ground, 323 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:17,040 Speaker 1: right right. It's like you have you are officially the 324 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:20,320 Speaker 1: group that drives the car, but you cannot ask us 325 00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:23,720 Speaker 1: for gas, So that's like, what are you gonna do 326 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:27,680 Speaker 1: with the car? Then? Uh? That Yeah. Through those reasons 327 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:31,840 Speaker 1: we've just outlined, you can see how the Congress and 328 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:36,439 Speaker 1: the Articles of Confederation was very, very limited in authority, 329 00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:39,040 Speaker 1: and it was in no small way hamstrung. It didn't 330 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:42,359 Speaker 1: have the powers to carry out the duties that it 331 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:46,160 Speaker 1: was supposed to carry out. So the Articles of Confederation 332 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:51,240 Speaker 1: did not create a nation called the United States of America. 333 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:54,320 Speaker 1: In the first two articles they state this, they created 334 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:59,520 Speaker 1: an alliance of thirteen independent and sovereign states who had 335 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 1: agree to be cool with each other. Basically the quote 336 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,920 Speaker 1: is into into a film league of friendship with one 337 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:14,040 Speaker 1: another while retaining their severenity, freedom, and independence. So the 338 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:18,360 Speaker 1: title of this confederacy of this like colonial super friends, 339 00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:21,879 Speaker 1: was called the United States of America. But there wasn't 340 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:26,760 Speaker 1: a nation by that name created by the Articles of Confederation. 341 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:29,720 Speaker 1: It's kind of like through a modern analog, it's kind 342 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:35,960 Speaker 1: of like the European Union is a bunch of independent countries, 343 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:39,840 Speaker 1: and the European Union itself is not a country. It's 344 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,480 Speaker 1: a It's a weird difference that might seem hair splitty 345 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:45,920 Speaker 1: and semantic, but it's very important for our purposes today 346 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:51,000 Speaker 1: because it means that John Hansen wasn't the President of 347 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:54,120 Speaker 1: the United States because it didn't exist at the time. 348 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:59,880 Speaker 1: He was instead the first person chosen to run Calm 349 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:04,199 Speaker 1: Chris this limited Congress under the Articles Confederation. Yeah, this 350 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:08,080 Speaker 1: is this is a story of semantics on many levels, 351 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:10,280 Speaker 1: isn't it. When we think about the President of the 352 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:13,320 Speaker 1: United States. It's also important to remember that something that 353 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:16,919 Speaker 1: often people forget, and I certainly did until I was 354 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:21,679 Speaker 1: recently reminded that we're talking about presidents elected under the 355 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:25,840 Speaker 1: US Constitution. Right, So the first president elected under the 356 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:29,159 Speaker 1: U s Constitution was in fact George Washington, but the 357 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:32,960 Speaker 1: precursor of the constitution, the Articles of Confederation, um that 358 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:35,720 Speaker 1: one also called for a president, and that man was 359 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 1: John Hanson. Yeah, he was one of eight people who 360 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:43,640 Speaker 1: would be appointed to serve a one year term as 361 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:47,399 Speaker 1: the president of this different thing. Uh. The first was, 362 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:50,240 Speaker 1: as you pointed out, John Hanson. So he's the first 363 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:53,480 Speaker 1: of let's call him the first of those kind of presidents. 364 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:57,520 Speaker 1: His actual title is President of the United States in 365 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:01,960 Speaker 1: Congress assembles. Uh, that's that's what he did. It's not 366 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:06,040 Speaker 1: the actual it's not like the Biden or the Bush 367 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:08,679 Speaker 1: or the Obama that you would think of today. Uh. 368 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:13,080 Speaker 1: Instead it's or I don't know, they ab Lincoln instead. 369 00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:16,560 Speaker 1: This president. Uh, I don't know. He was limited in powers. 370 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:18,840 Speaker 1: He did do some stuff. I don't want to take 371 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:21,679 Speaker 1: that with a handful of things. No, no, no, you 372 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:24,320 Speaker 1: could you could list off some accomplishments that that he 373 00:24:24,359 --> 00:24:28,040 Speaker 1: could certainly uh raw ra himself over in some speeches. 374 00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:32,119 Speaker 1: He ordered all foreign troops off American soil. He ordered 375 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:35,320 Speaker 1: you should get out of here, you you foreign troops 376 00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:39,440 Speaker 1: off our soil. Um. He ordered the removal of all 377 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:42,360 Speaker 1: foreign flags, presumably also from our soil, because you've gotta 378 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:44,320 Speaker 1: have somewhere to stick the flag. And that was a 379 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:47,840 Speaker 1: big deal, which required some you know, bravado to pull off, 380 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:52,480 Speaker 1: because you know, we know that so many countries in 381 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:56,359 Speaker 1: Europe had kind of carved up the United States into 382 00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:59,720 Speaker 1: their own little fiefdoms, and this was him saying, no, 383 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:05,040 Speaker 1: your your history be damned and your you know, conquest 384 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:10,080 Speaker 1: of our land is for not begne with you is 385 00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:16,919 Speaker 1: Stroppean conquerors, sexilologists. I just wanted to say that. I 386 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:19,840 Speaker 1: love it. It's a great word. Um So get get 387 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:24,359 Speaker 1: to a nunnery, is what he said, quoting Shakespeare, because 388 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 1: that's the he was into that. He was also known 389 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:30,760 Speaker 1: for being a big Shakespeare buff That's not true, but yeah, 390 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:35,520 Speaker 1: so he he established the Great Seal of the US 391 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:38,480 Speaker 1: just staying with the eagle clutching the that's the big one. 392 00:25:38,720 --> 00:25:43,399 Speaker 1: He wean eagles seemed cool. They're scary. One of his 393 00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:48,680 Speaker 1: clushing arrows and its talents. That would be cool. That's 394 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:55,440 Speaker 1: pretty awesome. That is that is an enduring piece of iconography. Yes, agreed. 395 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:57,879 Speaker 1: I just would have paused on that one because I 396 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:01,159 Speaker 1: love pictured. So you've got like a one year term, right, 397 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:04,600 Speaker 1: you know you have limited time. Did he just take 398 00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:07,919 Speaker 1: a day off one day and say, okay, guys, we 399 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:09,800 Speaker 1: need to stay up. I know we got a lot 400 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,480 Speaker 1: of other stuff going on, but no one bothered me. 401 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:15,400 Speaker 1: I got mcquill, I got some parchment. I saw an 402 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:19,560 Speaker 1: eagle earlier. I got this. I like that idea. You 403 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:21,800 Speaker 1: think he sketched it himself or what did he that 404 00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:24,359 Speaker 1: he just kind of like brainstorm at with some like 405 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:28,000 Speaker 1: you know, with some artists. He big pictured it, you think, yeah, 406 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:32,200 Speaker 1: exactly that probably probably he probably sketched a rough version 407 00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:34,080 Speaker 1: of it, like on a white board. You know, it's 408 00:26:34,119 --> 00:26:36,320 Speaker 1: a dry erased pan, because that was a thing, you know, 409 00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:40,520 Speaker 1: a dry race quill rather um. Yeah, but that but 410 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:44,200 Speaker 1: that's a big deal. I would argue that's probably when 411 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:46,360 Speaker 1: we talked about lasting in terms of things we think 412 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,560 Speaker 1: about or see all the time. That's that's a big deal. 413 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:52,680 Speaker 1: That hangs like that's in the war room. Man, no 414 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:54,919 Speaker 1: fighting in the war room. But yeah, look at that 415 00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:58,840 Speaker 1: crazy bird clutching those arrows. That's a was a fighting 416 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:01,760 Speaker 1: bird right there. I wanted his original sketch, you know what, 417 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:05,679 Speaker 1: in this thought experiment. I hope his original sketch was 418 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:09,840 Speaker 1: just terrible, but he was married to the idea and 419 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:12,359 Speaker 1: they like had somebody go back and fix it. I 420 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 1: love it. I hope that bird looks doofy. I mean, 421 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:19,600 Speaker 1: I'm thinking about this because you know, Ben Franklin fought 422 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:23,520 Speaker 1: really hard to make the national burnard turkey. Yeah. Yeah, 423 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:27,120 Speaker 1: I'm just envisioning role though, guys. I mean Ben Franklin 424 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:30,280 Speaker 1: was known as a bit of a why the turkey 425 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:32,840 Speaker 1: just because of its like place as a food staple 426 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:37,280 Speaker 1: in our They're terrifying. Yeah, they're monsters, dude. Remember we 427 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:39,880 Speaker 1: were on the road in Boston for stuff they don't 428 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:42,400 Speaker 1: want you to know. And the one thing that beautified 429 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:46,280 Speaker 1: that very divisul town is people wouldn't joke about turkeys. 430 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:49,760 Speaker 1: They were like, they're stupid, they rolled deep, they'll get you. 431 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:52,760 Speaker 1: You can't show you can't show far to the turchis. 432 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:57,160 Speaker 1: They're wicked horror now. But they're only scary though, because 433 00:27:57,160 --> 00:27:59,639 Speaker 1: they're so weird and alien looking and like they're so 434 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:01,879 Speaker 1: dumb that has kind of come at you, gobbling away 435 00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:06,920 Speaker 1: with their weird little red waddles. But eagles, eagles will 436 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:10,520 Speaker 1: swoop down from on high and like snatch off your wig, 437 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:13,440 Speaker 1: not to mention that they're clutching arrows, you know, maybe 438 00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:16,560 Speaker 1: presumably flaming arrows, and they can drop on you. I 439 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:18,520 Speaker 1: just think I think we made the right choice, is 440 00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:21,160 Speaker 1: all I'm saying. Yeah, agreed, agreed, that's true. That's true. 441 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:23,680 Speaker 1: That's true. All all I'm saying is that is a 442 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:27,679 Speaker 1: thing that we see and think about a lot. And uh, 443 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 1: if that's the legacy of John Hanson, I would argue, well, 444 00:28:37,119 --> 00:28:41,320 Speaker 1: he also did. He also established the Treasury Department, the 445 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:46,280 Speaker 1: position of the Secretary of War, the first Foreign Affairs Department, 446 00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:49,400 Speaker 1: which is the predecessor of the State Department. He had 447 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:54,479 Speaker 1: another lasting, uh lasting tradition. He declared that the fourth 448 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:57,880 Speaker 1: Thursday of every November was gonna be Thanksgiving Day. And 449 00:28:57,920 --> 00:28:59,880 Speaker 1: that's still true in the US today, and we do 450 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:05,040 Speaker 1: eat turkeys, so maybe there's maybe some remnant of Ben 451 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:09,520 Speaker 1: Franklin's original weird idea is around, right, Turkey is considered 452 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:12,920 Speaker 1: American on that day at least. But yeah, so he 453 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:16,080 Speaker 1: did some stuff despite Hansen did some stuff despite having 454 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:22,000 Speaker 1: a limited position. Uh, it's pretty impressive that he accomplished 455 00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:26,160 Speaker 1: so much in such a small amount of time, from 456 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:33,920 Speaker 1: just November five to November three, sev two. And he 457 00:29:34,360 --> 00:29:40,880 Speaker 1: remained an anti federalist until he passed away. So that 458 00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:43,280 Speaker 1: that's an important point too, because not only was he 459 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:46,680 Speaker 1: not the first president of the nation of the United States, 460 00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:51,200 Speaker 1: he was against the idea of a central federal government. 461 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:54,800 Speaker 1: He wouldn't have wanted the job, which makes this myth 462 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:59,800 Speaker 1: so um interesting and paradoxical. After his one year stin 463 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:04,440 Speaker 1: as President of Congress, he retired from public office entirely, 464 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:11,720 Speaker 1: and he passed away shortly thereafter, on November seventy three. 465 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:16,880 Speaker 1: He was buried at a place called Oxen Hill, Manor, 466 00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:22,840 Speaker 1: which was his nephew's plantation, and then his family line 467 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:26,280 Speaker 1: died out. A lot of his personal papers from the 468 00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:33,000 Speaker 1: time are missing, essentially, like his life, the actual details 469 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:37,720 Speaker 1: confirming different nuts and bolts of his life, they're pretty scant, 470 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:42,840 Speaker 1: so his as a figure, he is open to that interpretation, 471 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 1: and that might be where part of the confusion comes from, 472 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:50,800 Speaker 1: you know. And John Hansen's family line is also um 473 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:55,160 Speaker 1: basically vanished. There's just not a lot of information about him, 474 00:30:55,400 --> 00:31:00,520 Speaker 1: and the John Hanson House no longer exists. And of course, 475 00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:02,760 Speaker 1: with you know, the advent of the Internet, which is 476 00:31:02,800 --> 00:31:07,760 Speaker 1: just sort of like absurdly extra version of oral tradition, 477 00:31:08,320 --> 00:31:10,960 Speaker 1: you know, and rumor milling that can really cause things 478 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:14,160 Speaker 1: to spend wildly out of control. There is just an 479 00:31:14,200 --> 00:31:19,160 Speaker 1: absolute glut of misinformation on this person. And I think 480 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:24,400 Speaker 1: because of the tenuous place that he kind of occupied 481 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:28,320 Speaker 1: in the history of the presidency, it's almost like there 482 00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:30,400 Speaker 1: was no room for him, you know what I mean, 483 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:32,840 Speaker 1: ben Like like it's almost like it was an inconvenient 484 00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:36,520 Speaker 1: detail that was like hard to know how to frame 485 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:40,000 Speaker 1: because all a big part of history too is having 486 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:43,160 Speaker 1: a narrative and knowing how to frame things in in 487 00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:46,120 Speaker 1: consecutive order and where where things kind of makes sense. 488 00:31:46,440 --> 00:31:49,600 Speaker 1: And when you throw him in there, you know, it's 489 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:52,120 Speaker 1: sort of throws the whole George Washington was the first 490 00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:56,880 Speaker 1: president narrative into disarray. So it seems like, you know, 491 00:31:57,040 --> 00:32:01,520 Speaker 1: there have been, uh, some attempts to kind of snip 492 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:06,320 Speaker 1: him out of the cultural record. He barely escaped an 493 00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:09,280 Speaker 1: attempt in two thousand eleven to have his statue removed 494 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:13,040 Speaker 1: from the National Statutory Hall, and in two thousand and 495 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:16,520 Speaker 1: eleven there was the completion of a John Hansen National memorial. 496 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:21,720 Speaker 1: But unfortunately that's really the only effort that's been made 497 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:26,080 Speaker 1: to honor this man. And you know, I got a 498 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:29,800 Speaker 1: point out it is me perhaps oversimplifying things, but I 499 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:34,000 Speaker 1: feel that I have to point out so much confusion 500 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:38,200 Speaker 1: could have been prevented if they had just not used 501 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:41,400 Speaker 1: the same term, if they had just called why can't 502 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:45,440 Speaker 1: he be like the um, big big Daddy of Congress, 503 00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:51,400 Speaker 1: or like why can't he you know, be, uh, the 504 00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:54,920 Speaker 1: Emperor of Congress. No, they wouldn't have done that prime minute. 505 00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:57,280 Speaker 1: I don't know something. They could have had another title, 506 00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:02,800 Speaker 1: but calling two separate kind of jobs president obviously that's confusing. Yes, well, 507 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:05,120 Speaker 1: I mean you gotta think about they use president first, 508 00:33:05,320 --> 00:33:07,760 Speaker 1: so that means that we would have had the Constitution 509 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:10,360 Speaker 1: would have to change the title. What will we call 510 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:13,080 Speaker 1: that office now? Ah? That reminds me of the early 511 00:33:13,160 --> 00:33:17,000 Speaker 1: move to try to make George Washington Emperor, which is 512 00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:21,080 Speaker 1: a story for another day. But at this point, we 513 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:26,080 Speaker 1: hope you have enjoyed our, at times a little confusing 514 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:30,240 Speaker 1: exploration of how the tale of two Hanson's led to 515 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:34,680 Speaker 1: a modern American myth. Uh you know, and honestly, we 516 00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:36,840 Speaker 1: got a little confused. I think it's safe to say 517 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:42,160 Speaker 1: it a couple couple of points of research. But but 518 00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:46,120 Speaker 1: still it's important to know these stories because we are 519 00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:49,640 Speaker 1: at a time where, you know, you would think with 520 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:54,000 Speaker 1: the age of ubiquitous communication and knowledge at your fingertips 521 00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:56,680 Speaker 1: the world would be better at fact checking and finding 522 00:33:56,680 --> 00:33:59,120 Speaker 1: the truth. But what we're seeing is the opposite. It's 523 00:33:59,160 --> 00:34:03,680 Speaker 1: actually easy or for misinformation to spread and for things 524 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:07,840 Speaker 1: tall tales and myths to become accepted as fact. So 525 00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:10,000 Speaker 1: it's something you always have to dig into. Just look 526 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:13,640 Speaker 1: a little past the headline. Um. Also, oh no, I 527 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:17,680 Speaker 1: think we we miss our one requisite mental flaw shout 528 00:34:17,719 --> 00:34:21,439 Speaker 1: out we always like to do. Did you see that article? Yeah, 529 00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:24,280 Speaker 1: five other Americans who were kind of sort of president. 530 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:29,719 Speaker 1: Great title in Aftricantrell. Yeah, no, it's it's a thing, 531 00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:32,200 Speaker 1: and I think it really does come down to the 532 00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:36,400 Speaker 1: official narrative, the official record. It needs to be tidy, 533 00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:40,480 Speaker 1: and often that means sanitizing, you know, ikey parts of 534 00:34:40,520 --> 00:34:45,239 Speaker 1: American history as we know, or you know, simplifying the 535 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:50,839 Speaker 1: narrative that Columbus discovered America and had had breakfast with 536 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:53,560 Speaker 1: the Indians. You know. I mean, it's like, come on, 537 00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:57,920 Speaker 1: it's it's a way of of simplifying, oversimplifying obviously things 538 00:34:58,160 --> 00:35:03,000 Speaker 1: and distilling it down to sort of like a nationalistic 539 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:06,680 Speaker 1: kind of rara narrative that's easy to force down the 540 00:35:06,719 --> 00:35:10,040 Speaker 1: throats of like school children. And at this point we 541 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:14,000 Speaker 1: want to hand the quill to you, fellow ridiculous historians. 542 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:17,759 Speaker 1: Thanks as always for tuning in. Uh. We'd love to 543 00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:22,280 Speaker 1: hear your ideas on other strange stories and or myths 544 00:35:22,320 --> 00:35:25,520 Speaker 1: about the early days of not just the US, but 545 00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:29,440 Speaker 1: of any country before the mid nineteen nineties, which again 546 00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:33,960 Speaker 1: is our arbitrary cut off for what constitute's history. What 547 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:37,040 Speaker 1: does constitute history? We asked ourselves that question all the time. 548 00:35:37,200 --> 00:35:40,040 Speaker 1: It's anything that happened before the early nineteen nineties. It 549 00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:42,600 Speaker 1: is fair game. Um. But you can find us all 550 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:45,840 Speaker 1: over the internet on Ridiculous History on Facebook, or we 551 00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:48,719 Speaker 1: have a Facebook group Ridiculous Historians that you can join. 552 00:35:49,040 --> 00:35:52,480 Speaker 1: You two can be a Ridiculous historian officially and then 553 00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:54,480 Speaker 1: be part of the conversation there. You can also find 554 00:35:54,520 --> 00:35:57,840 Speaker 1: this on Instagram um as a show or as individual 555 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:01,879 Speaker 1: human people um as in other media situations. I am 556 00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:05,120 Speaker 1: pretty much exclusively on Instagram at how now, Noel Brown, Ben, 557 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:08,560 Speaker 1: how can people find you? I'm so glad you asked. 558 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:11,680 Speaker 1: No you can find out about my misadventures, my verious 559 00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:14,799 Speaker 1: secret projects. It's killing me. I can't mention these on air, 560 00:36:15,239 --> 00:36:17,640 Speaker 1: but you can find out about this by going to Twitter, 561 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:20,400 Speaker 1: where I'm at Ben Bullet hs W the old school 562 00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:23,200 Speaker 1: ridiculous historians know what that stands for. Or you can 563 00:36:23,239 --> 00:36:26,399 Speaker 1: find me on Instagram, where in a burst of creativity, 564 00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:29,360 Speaker 1: I am called at Ben Bolland bo w L I 565 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:33,200 Speaker 1: n message me for book recommendations. Uh, show me pictures 566 00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:38,640 Speaker 1: of your pets. I'm always down. Mr Max Williams. I 567 00:36:38,719 --> 00:36:42,440 Speaker 1: hear you're a legend on Twitter. Legend is the very 568 00:36:42,480 --> 00:36:46,840 Speaker 1: incorrect way of describing me. Legend, an alleged legend. I 569 00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:48,920 Speaker 1: like that. I like that. You can find me on 570 00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:52,719 Speaker 1: Twitter at at L underscore Max Williams. I mean, most 571 00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:54,560 Speaker 1: of my stuff is gonna be a sports you know, 572 00:36:54,600 --> 00:36:56,799 Speaker 1: Masic League Baseball lockout right now is the fun one 573 00:36:56,840 --> 00:37:00,200 Speaker 1: going on? Um and then you know the occasional rolling 574 00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:04,480 Speaker 1: up Betton m hmm yep, I'll find you. I know 575 00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:07,440 Speaker 1: where you live. Well, are you guys nemessies? Now you 576 00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:13,239 Speaker 1: can't have that nessies about a hot tub? Yeah, it's 577 00:37:13,239 --> 00:37:16,319 Speaker 1: a thing. It became a thing us so so at 578 00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:18,640 Speaker 1: that Ben, did you know Frank was in the hot 579 00:37:18,640 --> 00:37:25,000 Speaker 1: tub too? So that's our show. That's fine, that's fine, 580 00:37:25,080 --> 00:37:28,200 Speaker 1: we're wrapping up the show. Thanks Max, thanks so much. 581 00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:31,719 Speaker 1: Thanks to Casey Pegrob, thanks to Chris Rossi, Otis Eves, 582 00:37:31,760 --> 00:37:36,240 Speaker 1: Jeff Coat, who else, no Jonathan Strickling the question back recently. 583 00:37:36,239 --> 00:37:38,520 Speaker 1: If you didn't want to listen to last week's episode, 584 00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:42,160 Speaker 1: you should because spoiler alert, he pops in there and 585 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:44,560 Speaker 1: and it was actually really nice. And then later that 586 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:47,080 Speaker 1: day I had a long conversation with him about something 587 00:37:47,080 --> 00:37:49,560 Speaker 1: other a secret work related project of my own. But 588 00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:52,160 Speaker 1: I hadn't talked to him in ages, either in character 589 00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:56,279 Speaker 1: or as a you know, relatively agreeable human person. So 590 00:37:56,480 --> 00:37:58,520 Speaker 1: miss that guy. We'll have him back, maybe on a 591 00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:01,959 Speaker 1: little bit more of a ran dumbly rotating schedule. Yeah, 592 00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:06,160 Speaker 1: let's see if we could also convince our good friends 593 00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:09,040 Speaker 1: on the on the Ridiculous Universe to maybe have a 594 00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:11,879 Speaker 1: quister crossover. What are we talking about. We're talking about 595 00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:17,480 Speaker 1: two awesome shows, Ridiculous Romance and Ridiculous Crime. If you 596 00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:20,520 Speaker 1: like our show, you are going to love them. So 597 00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:23,680 Speaker 1: get the to the podcast platform of choice and check 598 00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:28,000 Speaker 1: it out today. Another spoiler alert, Noel and I will 599 00:38:28,160 --> 00:38:32,680 Speaker 1: be dropping by the Ridiculous Romance show later on. I 600 00:38:32,719 --> 00:38:34,799 Speaker 1: think we're gonna I don't know what do we want 601 00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:38,080 Speaker 1: to tease? What this one is well, let's just say 602 00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:40,600 Speaker 1: it's a little bit naughty. We can get. They go 603 00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:42,560 Speaker 1: a little naughtier on their show than we go on 604 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:44,319 Speaker 1: this one. So if you want to hear Ben and 605 00:38:44,360 --> 00:38:48,480 Speaker 1: I in full naughty body mode, then then check us 606 00:38:48,480 --> 00:38:53,440 Speaker 1: out and that comes around and we'll see you next time, folks. 607 00:39:00,400 --> 00:39:04,239 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 608 00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:06,440 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.