Episode 42 - Beltway Unbuckled
2/1/2009
90 minutes
320
File Size: 1011 MBMany people think the 2008 Presidential Election was the first time that sex and gender have played a role in American presidential history, but that is far from the truth. Tales from within the walls of the White House are revealed as we explore how sexual politics have impacted American history. Did you know that an extramarital affair may have launched the Civil War? During Andrew Jackson's administration, VP John Calhoun's wife ostracized the wife of Secretary of War, John Eaton, from Washington society. This was because before Eaton and his wife were married, they had had an illicit affair which had driven her then-husband to suicide. President Jackson, outraged by the mistreatment of Eaton's mistress-turned-wife, marginalized Calhoun's role. Realizing he wouldn't succeed Jackson, he ran instead for Senator from South Carolina, where he became a leading proponent for the doctrine of nullification, which later became the legal basis for Southern secession from the U.S.
No comments:
Post a Comment