History That Doesn't Suck - 0: Preamble

Episode Date: September 26, 2017

I the Professor, in order to give you a more perfect podcast, establish my goals, insure you know who I am, provide for your common entertainment, promote a generally historical education, and do ordain and establish this little five-minute intro episode for History that Doesn't Suck. ___ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette  come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and I'd like to tell you a story. And in every episode after this one, that's just what I'll do. Start telling you a story. Immediately. But, this is the preamble. You know, introductory stuff with a title that gives a little nod to the U.S. Constitution since I'm starting with colonial America. So in the next five minutes, I'm going to explain who I am and what makes this podcast as awesome as binge watching your favorite show. Okay, I won't overprompromise. As awesome as binge-watching

one of your lesser but still top 10 favorite shows. Now, if intro stuff isn't your thing, you're the type who doesn't care about the special features on a movie or bravely throws caution to the wind and skips the preface to books, well, just live dangerously and skip on up to episode one, where we'll visit George Washington's painful on-the-job training as a military officer that triggers an international war. I'll meet you there. But for those of you who care to know, here's a bit about me. My name's Greg. I have a PhD in history, and I'm a tenure-track professor at Utah Valley University, which is an hour south of Salt Lake City. Between here and elsewhere, I've taught U.S., world, European, and Middle Eastern history

at the university level. I've had some articles and op-eds published, presented my research in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., and I'm working on a book. This also isn't my first time in front of a mic. I've been talking current events and politics here and there on local televised news and radio for the better part of the past year. Forgive the mini-resume. It is by no means meant as a boast. In fact, I'm quite young for an academic and have a long way to go in my view. I share this only to explain that I'm not a hobbyist. This is not amateur hour. All right, so with my legitimacy established, let's get on to how I'm going to make history not suck. If I can channel my inner Thomas Jefferson for

just a second, here are three truths I'm going to hold to be self-evident in making this podcast. One, you're busy with your not-a-professional-historian life and don't have all day. I'm going to respect that. I'll give you the details you want, but I won't overdo it either. We're going to hit the sweet spot. All podcasts will stay under an hour because nothing stays good when it lasts too long. Two, I believe strongly that when people say they love history, they really mean I love stories. When possible

to do without compromising truth or quality, I'm embracing narratives, stories. I'll have to drop some analysis in from time to time, but every podcast will be framed by a true story. Three, humor is awesome. This isn't going to feel like the caricature of a professor often portrayed by Ben Stein. Sorry, that's just not me. You can ask my students. If you want a history void of jokes, sarcasm, and pop culture references, this isn't the podcast you're looking for. In return, I ask that you remember one thing. These podcasts are a history, not the history. In part because there can't be a single perfect history. All histories require making decisions about what to include and what to leave out.

I won't shy away from the hard stuff, but in my effort to hit what I think most people want to know and frankly ought to know, I'm going to have to leave more off the table than on. To really know a topic, you should take in several accounts. So please, just keep that in mind. So I'll be your professor, yet this isn't my classroom. I'm not on the clock, and because this isn't an academic setting, my approach won't be quite the same. We'll be using stories more than lecture or discussion. After all, this podcast is where I get to let my hair down too.

So sit back, relax. Unless you're commuting in traffic, hands at ten and two, people. Focus. And listen to episode one. The true story of how a very young, inexperienced George Washington became the trigger that started an international war in 1754 and, to a degree, got the future American Revolution in motion. It's time to go catch up with everyone who blew off the preamble, where I'd like to tell you a story.