Who doesn’t love a good scandal (so long as it doesn’t involve them)? This week at In The Past Lane we examine the important — and often positive — role scandals have played in American history. Here’s the lineup:
1) a short segment on the role of scandals in US history
2) an interview with historian Daniel Czitrom about his new book, New York Exposed: The Gilded Age Police Scandal That Launched the Progressive Era (Oxford U Press, 2016). We talk about the famous 1894 Lexow Commission investigation into allegations of widespread corruption involving the political machine Tammany Hall and the New York City Police Dept. Dan also draws important links to key issues confronting American society in 2016 – police violence and the origins of the so-called “blue wall of silence” and voting suppression efforts.
3) a look at the scandal in the meatpacking industry triggered by the publication in 1906 of Upton Sinclair’s famous novel, The Jungle.
Episode 011 notes and credits
Further reading about the history of Scandals in American History
Daniel 
: The Gilded Age Police Scandal That Launched the Progressive Era (Oxford U Press, 2016)
Andy Hughes, A History of Political Scandals: Sex, Sleaze and Spin (2014)
George C. Kohn, The New Encyclopedia of American Scandal (2001)
Laton McCartney, The Teapot Dome Scandal: How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House and Tried to Steal the Country (Random House, 2009)
Mitchell Zuckoff, Ponzi’s Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend (Random House, 2006)
Andrew Burt, “The 1826 Kidnapping, Allegedly by a Cabal of Freemasons, That Changed American Politics Forever,” Slate.com May 15, 2015
Music for This Episode:
Jay Graham, ITPL Intro (courtesy, JayGMusic.com)
Kevin McCleod, “Impact Moderato” (Free Music Archive)
Lee Rosevere, “Going Home” (Free Music Archive)
Andy Cohen, “Trophy Endorphins” (Free Music Archive)
The Bell, “I Am History” (Free Music Archive)
The Bell, “On The Street” (Free Music Archive)
Jon Luc Hefferman, “Winter Trek” (Free Music Archive)
The Womb, “I Hope That It Hurts” (Free Music Archive)