Americans spent many years trying to distinguish themselves and their new country from the people and government that they revolted against in 1776. Part of the process of definition that took place on the world stage—in foreign policy. George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison each took turns using American foreign policy to try to win the respect of the European superpowers. We’ll examine their approaches, beginning with US foreign policy responses to the French Revolution and the Napoleonic War. We’ll tackle the Jay Treaty and Quasi-War with France, and the Alien and Sedition Acts and then pivot to the rise of the first party system and the election of 1800. We’ll conclude with the America’s role in the world at the dawn of the new century.

“Boomers” — born 1946–1964 — grew up in a world unlike their parents’ or their children’s. Shaped by post-Depression and World War II values, they emerged as the first true “teenage” generation. Using historic audio and music, this lively program shows how television and pop culture — from John Wayne and James Dean to Mickey Mantle — helped define Boomer identity. Revisit the era of the atom bomb, polio, early computers, and transistor radios, along with desegregation, juvenile delinquency, and the rise of rock ’n’ roll, featuring voices like Dick Clark and stars such as Elvis Presley. Take a fast, nostalgic ride through the formative soundtrack of a generation.