In this episode of History You Didn’t Know But Should, Chris and Ray explore the life and activism of Martin Luther King Jr., not just as a civil rights symbol, but as a civic force. King understood the Constitution as a challenge the nation had not yet fully met, where equal protection, voting rights, and the rule of law were promises still being tested. Through nonviolent protest, he exposed the distance between American ideals and American reality and used that tension to drive lasting legal and political change. King didn’t ask the country to feel better about itself; he demanded that it govern itself better. In doing so, he became more than a civil rights leader, he became one of the most important civic teachers in American history.

Christmas during the Civil War wasn’t just about battles paused and soldiers in camp, it was about families, faith, longing, and a country in transition. In this episode of History You Didn't Know But Should, Chris and Ray explore how Americans actually experienced Christmas in the 1860s: at home, in churches, and far from loved ones. They look at how traditions were changing, how faith and sentiment shaped the holiday, and how the foundations of our modern Christmas were quietly taking form amid war, loss, and hope.

In this episode of History You Didn’t Know But Should, Chris and Ray sit down with Dr. Denver Brunsman, Department Chair and Associate Professor of History at The George Washington University. We explore how George Washington approached executive power and how his character, military experience, and political instincts shaped the presidency. Dr. Brunsman also considers whether Washington unintentionally set the stage for what some call the imperial presidency. He shares insights from his forthcoming book George Washington and His World. It is an insightful and energizing conversation with one of the leading scholars of early America.