Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast
Civics & Coffee delivers bite-sized U.S. history with clear, engaging storytelling — all in the time it takes to drink your morning cup of coffee. Host Alycia brings America’s past to life with well-researched episodes that are approachable, human, and impossible to forget.
In 2026, Civics & Coffee dives into the Gilded Age - a transformative era of booming industry, powerful presidents, labor uprisings, immigration waves, inequality, and social reformers. From national crises like the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 to personal stories of figures such as Rutherford B. Hayes, Lucy Webb Hayes, and the Exodusters, each episode uncovers the people, tensions, and turning points that shaped modern America.
Whether you’re a longtime history lover or just history-curious, Civics & Coffee offers context without the homework and storytelling without the fluff. Grab your mug and join the conversation, one cup at a time.
Episodes
317 episodes
The Power of Representation: Dr. Orr on House of Diggs
Join me this week as I sit down with Dr. Marion Orr to discuss his book House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Consequential Black Congressman, Charles C. Diggs Jr. Learn about how Congressman Diggs brought national a...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 316
•
53:41
Lucy Webb Hayes: The Quietly Radical First Lady
Entering the White House as women's roles in the United States were rapidly evolving, Lucy Webb Hayes represented a potential bridge for many. Would she be a champion for suffrage and temperance? Would she use her position as First Lady to ushe...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 315
•
18:53
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877: The Uprising That Shocked the Nation
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 stands as a pivotal moment in American labor history, illustrating the clash between workers' rights and corporate power. Sparked by wage cuts amid an economic depression, this strike transcended its origins, m...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 314
•
19:23
Predator or Prey: The Real Jaws with Rachel Lee Perez
Join me this week as I sit down with Rachel Lee Perez to discuss her book The Real Jaws: The Attacks That Inspired the Movies. Learn how a series of deadly attacks along the New Jersey shore in the summer of 1916 inspired the 1975 summer blockb...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 313
•
37:26
From Disputed Election to Gilded Age Leader: Rutherford B Hayes Part 2
Join me this week as I wrap up my coverage of Rutherford B. Hayes. Learn how the president jumped from one domestic crisis to another: from demands to recall federal troops in the south to tackling the issue of civil service reform. How did Hay...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 312
•
17:41
From Disputed Election to Gilded Age Leader: Rutherford B Hayes Part 1
He came to office after a hotly contested election and served only a single term. How did Rutherford B. Hayes change the presidency and the United States? Tune into this episode where I lay the groundwork for understanding the twent...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 311
•
16:23
Welcome to the Gilded Age: Wealth, Upheaval, and Reinvention
The Gilded Age began as the United States marked the 100th anniversary of independence, entering an era of rapid industrial growth and profound social change. This introductory episode sets the stage for what you can expect in my coverage of th...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 310
•
19:23
Beyond Patriots vs. Loyalists: The Global American Revolution with Dr. Richard Bell
Was the American Revolution really just a colonial rebellion against Britain? According to historian Dr. Richard Bell, the answer is no.In this episode, we discuss Bell’s book The American Revolution and the Fate of the World, w...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 309
•
35:38
With Her Own Hands: Dr. Nicole Nehrig on Women, Work, and the Meaning of Making
Join me as I sit down with Dr. Nicole Nehrig to discuss her book With Her Own Hands: Women Weaving Their Stories which explores the historical and psychological significance of textiles and knitting. She emphasizes the critical ro...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 308
•
31:57
Entangled Alliances: The Global Roots of American Freedom with Dr. Ronald Angelo Johnson
Join me as I sit down with historian Ronald Angelo Johnson to explore his groundbreaking book Entangled Alliances: Black Internationalism in the Early American Republic. Johnson reveals how free Black communities, Caribbean revolutiona...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 307
•
1:09:30
Fearless Women: Exploring Patriotic Feminism with Dr. Elizabeth Cobbs
Join me as I welcome historian and bestselling author Dr. Elizabeth Cobbs about her book Fearless Women and her powerful concept of patriotic feminism. Dr. Cobbs explains how generations of American women have pushed the nation to live up to it...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 306
•
33:17
The Election of 1876: Bargain or Betrayal?
The presidential election of 1876 stands as one of the most contested and consequential turning points in American history. In this episode, I explore the dramatic showdown between Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden, unfo...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 305
•
19:59
The Fourth Annual Friendsgiving Podcast Spectacular
Your favorite history podcasters are back again! Join myself, Kenny from Abridged Presidential Histories, Howard from Plodding Through the Presidencies, and Jerry from The Presidencies of the United States as we chat about the upcoming 250th an...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 304
•
1:02:23
The Battle of Little Bighorn: The Victory That Doomed a Nation
What really happened at the Battle of Little Bighorn and how did a single momentous victory seal the fate of the Plains tribes?Join me this week as I dive into the events that led to Custer’s defeat, the broken treaties and gold rush tha...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 303
•
15:32
Inside The Gods of New York: Johnathan Mahler on the Decade That Remade the City
In this episode, I sit down with Jonathan Mahler, author of The Gods of New York, to explore the four years that transformed America’s greatest city—and foretold the divisions that would come to define the nation.From Wall Street’s boom ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 302
•
26:15
The Alien Enemies Act: When Fear Became Law—and Never Left
Passed in 1798 as part of the notorious Alien and Sedition Acts, the Alien Enemies Act has outlived its controversial siblings — and it’s still on the books today. In this episode, I trace its origins in the fear and politics of the early repub...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 301
•
16:23
Reconstruction's Legacy: The Second Founding That Could Have Been
In this episode, I look back on the Reconstruction era — a period that represented both a second founding of the United States and one of its greatest unfinished revolutions. Over the past year, I explored the political battles, social transfor...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 300
•
14:14
Public Memory & Myths: Matthew Davis on A Biography of a Mountain
Join me as I sit down with author Matthew Davis to discuss his new book, A Biography of a Mountain, an in-depth look at the creation, meaning, and legacy of Mount Rushmore. Davis explores how the monument came to symbolize both America...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 299
•
30:20
The Insurrection Act: A Civics Lesson in Power, Law, and Order
The Insurrection Act has stood at the crossroads of law, power, and public order for over two centuries. This episode traces its roots from the Militia Acts of 1792 and 1795 to its modern interpretations in moments of national crisis. Discover ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 298
•
18:45
Victoria Woodhull: Eden Collinsworth on a Most Improbable Life
She was a child clairvoyant, the first woman to own a Wall Street brokerage firm—and in 1872, she became the first woman to run for president of the United States. Join me as I sit down with author Eden Collinsworth to unpack the astonishing, u...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 297
•
40:36
The Fever That Haunted the South: The Forgotten Epidemic of 1878
What kind of epidemic could turn a thriving American city into a ghost town almost overnight?Join me as I explore the chilling story of the 1878 yellow fever epidemic—a public health disaster that decimated Memphis and echoed far beyond ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 296
•
15:44
Before Jack the Ripper: The Savage Crimes of the Servant Girl Annihilator
What if America’s first serial killer wasn’t H.H. Holmes—but someone far more brutal and completely forgotten?In this episode, I unravel the chilling mystery of the Servant Girl Annihilator, a violent and elusive murderer who stalked Aus...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 295
•
16:08
Holy Local: Shae Corey on Religion, Oral History, and Public Memory in D.C.
What can one church in Washington, D.C. reveal about American religious life, social justice, and the power of oral history? In this episode, I talk with public historian Shae Corey, the creator and producer of the podcast Holy Local, ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 294
•
39:57
Diamond in the Rough: The Murder of Bessie Moore
In 1877, the body of a woman was found near a twisted oak tree in Jefferson, Texas—dressed in fine clothes, shot in the head, and missing a diamond ring. Her name was Bessie Moore, better known as Diamond Bessie. What followed was one of the mo...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 293
•
15:08
Louisiana Voodoo: Untangling the Myths, the Magic, and the History
Join me this week as I dig into the real story behind Louisiana Voodoo — a spiritual tradition shaped by West African roots, Haitian resistance, and the streets of New Orleans. Discover how the Haitian Revolution sent shockwaves across the Atla...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 292
•
14:48
