Tag Archives: Mexico

040 – Like a Not So Good Neighbor



Joel R Poinsett by Charles Fenderich, courtesy of Wikipedia

The State Department under Henry Clay attempts to make its pivot to a focus on Latin America, but in its engagement with other nations in the Western Hemisphere, the nation’s diplomatic office stumbles and at times falls completely short. Clay struggles to deal with overzealous diplomats, turbulent situations on the ground, and British intrigues to gain influence in the region at the expense of the United States. The Western Star faces his greatest challenge yet when he assumes the role of Secretary of State and learns just how fraught with peril geopolitical relations can be. Source information for this episode can be found at whhpodcast.blubrry.com.


039 – South of the Border



Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, courtesy of Wikipedia

Before delving into the Adams administration’s foreign policy in Latin America, this episode takes us on a very high level overview of the Latin American Wars of Independence. From the Rio de la Plata to Mexico City, and from Quito to Rio de Janeiro, we explore the hows and whys various Spanish and Portuguese Americans decided to declare independence from their respective countries. A note of caution here: I am an expert in neither the Spanish nor the Portuguese language, so I apologize in advance for any mispronunciations. They are certainly not indicative of any disrespect for the cultures or the peoples of Latin America as I have come out of the research for this episode with an increased respect for and fascination with the histories of the region. Source information for this episode can be found at http://whhpodcast.blubrry.com.


032 – Westward Ho



Fort Laramie by Alfred Jacob Miller (c. 1858-1860), courtesy of the Walters Art Museum

Westward expansion was one of the underlying causes of the American Revolution and played a key role in early American history. In this episode, I give a quick overview of the American push towards the Pacific beginning with the trans-Appalachian west and carrying on to Texas and Oregon. This expansion would ultimately impact not just the settlers making the move but also the native peoples already in the area as well as have ramifications for the 19th century geopolitical landscape. Source information and handy maps for reference can be found at http://whhpodcast.blubrry.com.