2 Complicated 4 History is a show that examines the “deleted scenes” of history. In each episode, co-hosts Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus are joined by a different guest bringing a fresh perspective to the history you thought you knew.

Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus are joined by historian Dr. Julia Gaffield to uncover the overlooked legacy of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a central—but often forgotten—figure of the Haitian Revolution. While many histories of Haitian independence sideline or erase him, Dr. Gaffield restores Dessalines to his rightful place as a revolutionary leader whose impact reshaped the Atlantic world.

 

Please support this podcast by checking out our patreon:

www.patreon.com/primarysourcemedia

 

CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Introductions

1:29 - Who is Jean Jacques Dessalines

6:01 - His experience as an enslaved person

8:59 - Differences in US slave societies vs French colonies

10:42 - Saint-Domingue 

12:38 - Defining Creole

14:16 - The complexities of the Haitian Revolutions’s demographics

15:04 - From slave to freeman

15:54 - The 7 Years War and the Haitian Revolution

17:52 - Racism as a cultural norm vs codification

21:00 - What sets off the revolution?

23:35 - How does the French revolution play a role?

27:12 - Jean Baptiste Charbonneau &amp; Vincent Ogé

32:45 - Dessalines and Louverture

37:39 - Betrayal and Legacy

41:09 - A double standard: Dessalines’ barbaric reputation

49:30 - The path to independence: The end of slavery in Haiti

54:44 - The significance of the book title

 

EPISODE LINKS:

Dr. Julia Gaffield - https://juliagaffield.com/

I Have Avenged America: Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haiti’s Fight for Freedom - https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300255478/i-have-avenged-america/

Haitian Revolution - https://scholar.library.miami.edu/slaves/san_domingo_revolution/revolution.html

Toussaint Louverture - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Toussaint-Louverture

Jean-Jacques Dessalines - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Jacques-Dessalines

French Revolution - https://www.britannica.com/event/French-Revolution

MLK - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther-King-Jr

Malcolm X - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Malcolm-X

Saint-Domingue - https://www.britannica.com/place/Haiti/Early-period#ref515792

Hispaniola - https://www.britannica.com/place/Hispaniola

Jean-Baptiste Chavannes - https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Appletons%27_Cyclop%C3%A6dia_of_American_Biography/Chavannes,_Jean_Baptiste

Vincent Oge - https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/oge-vincent-1755-1791/

Leclerc Expedition - https://islandluminous.fiu.edu/part02-slide09.html

Cover Image - https://spencerart.ku.edu/art/collections-online/object/58502

Ulrick Jean-Pierre - https://ulrickjeanpierre.com/

“I Have Avenged America” Speech - https://haitidoi.com/2013/08/02/i-have-avenged-america/

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: 2c4hpod.com

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-complicated-4-history/id1664183536

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3svQpZfxhVQnYJMESpp842?si=514780ada34d4aab

 

Full episodes playlist:   

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX2x56DEw1y7EYWxfufgfSR951RrdsXet&amp;si=TuDcpAjaeQx-vjkH

 

SOCIAL:

- Facebook:

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- Instagram:

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2 Complicated 4 History

I Have Avenged America!

Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus sit down with cultural historian Dr. Kelly J. Baker to explore America’s enduring obsession with a zombie apocalypse. What does our fascination with the undead reveal about our fears, values, and survival instincts? And how do imagined apocalyptic scenarios shape—or reflect—our responses to real-world crises?

 

Please support this podcast by checking out our patreon:

www.patreon.com/primarysourcemedia



Description:

Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus sit down with cultural historian Dr. Kelly J. Baker to explore America’s enduring obsession with a zombie apocalypse. What does our fascination with the undead reveal about our fears, values, and survival instincts? And how do imagined apocalyptic scenarios shape—or reflect—our responses to real-world crises?

 

Please support this podcast by checking out our patreon:

www.patreon.com/primarysourcemedia

 

CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Introductions

1:25 - How did you get into zombies?

8:06 - Zombies in American culture

13:32 - Moralism in the horror genre

16:48 - How does a zombie apocalypse compare to historical, real life apocalypses

27:47 - What is a luxury morality, where do we go once that’s gone?

33:05 - Is this an American phenomena and why is it so popular?

37:40 - Racism and misogyny in the genre - who survives?

45:31 - How have the winds changed in the last 5 years?

49:17 - Why should we take zombie preppers seriously?

52:48 - What is Kelly’s favorite zombie flick?

54:10 - What can we learn from zombies?

56:05 - Where to learn more about zombies and Kelly

 

EPISODE LINKS:

Dr. Kelly J. Baker - https://www.kellyjbaker.com/

The Zombies Are Coming: The Realities of the Zombie Apocalypse in American Culture - https://www.kellyjbaker.com/writing/the-zombies-are-coming/ 

Anabaptists - https://amnetwork.uk/resource/anabaptist-common-practices/

Zombie Doomsday Preppers - https://fithops.com/blogs/learning-center/plan-to-survive-zombie-outbreak#:~:text=Essential%20Zombie%20Survival%20Gear,Kit%20for%20Durability%20and%20Efficiency

Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic - https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/6023

Kingdom - https://www.netflix.com/title/81095387

Warm Bodies - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588173/

Halloween Horror Nights - https://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: 2c4hpod.com

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-complicated-4-history/id1664183536

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3svQpZfxhVQnYJMESpp842?si=514780ada34d4aab

 

Full episodes playlist:   

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX2x56DEw1y7EYWxfufgfSR951RrdsXet&amp;si=TuDcpAjaeQx-vjkH

 

SOCIAL:

- Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/2c4hPodcast

- Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/2c4h_podcast

 


 
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The Zombies are Coming!

Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus are joined by historian Dr. Zara Anishanslin to uncover the overlooked world of non-elite painters—women, nonwhite men, and others who used their brushes to make bold political statements. While elite artists shaped the iconic images of the Revolution that we know today, these lesser-known figures painted a different picture—one that’s only now coming into view.

Please support this podcast by checking out our patreon:

www.patreon.com/primarysourcemedia

 

CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Introductions

2:05 - Unveiling Forgotten Artists of the Revolution

3:36 - Political Art: The Role of Art in the Revolution

9:50 - Espionage and Art: The Quirky Contributions of Artists

16:18 - Understanding Art: Reading Between the Lines in History

19:16 - Understanding the Iconography in Art today

22:08 - Piecing Together the History of Lost Paintings

26:13 - The Evolution of Radical Artists Post-Revolution

30:37 - Transatlantic Perspectives on the American Revolution

33:40 - The Declaration of Independence: Glorification vs Reality

38:56 - Art and Myth-Making in Revolutionary America

43:44 - Exploring the Lives of Three Key Artists

52:19 - Dr. Anishanslin’s favorite painting, her new book and where to find her

EPISODE LINKS:

Dr. Zara Anishanslin - https://drzara.org/

The Painter's Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution - https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674290235

Pre-order your copy- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-painters-fire-zara-anishanslin/1146558188?ean=9780674290235

Thing4Things: The History Podcast Where Things Happen and Stuff Matters- https://www.thing4thingspodcast.com/

BlueSky - @drzara

Instagram - @thing4things and @thing4thingspodcast

Charles Willson Peale - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Willson-Peale

John Trumbull - https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Trumbull-American-painter

Ai WeiWei - https://www.aiweiwei.com/

Banksy - https://www.banksy.co.uk/

Patience Wright - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Patience-Wright

Robert Edge Pine - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Edge-Pine

Joseph Wright - https://www.pafa.org/museum/collection/item/wright-family

Lord Dunmore - https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/dunmore-john-murray-fourth-earl-of-ca-1730-1809/

Patience Wright’s sculpture of William Pitt - https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/william-pitt-and-family

Obama’s presidential portrait - https://npg.si.edu/learn/classroom-resource/barack-obama

King Charles’ official portrait - https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68981200

Michelle Obama’s portrait - https://npg.si.edu/learn/classroom-resource/michelle-obama

George Washington’s Lansdowne portrait - https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.2001.13

Prince Demah - https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/painting-independence-boston-prince-demah

Apotheosis of Washington - https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/apotheosis-washington

John Trumbull’s Declaration painting - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Declaration_of_Independence_(1819),_by_John_Trumbull.jpg

Robert Edge Pine’s Declaration painting - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Congress_voting_independence.jpg

John Trumbull painting with William Lee - https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/12822

Henry Laurens - https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Revolution

John Wollaston - https://www.nga.gov/artists/1981-john-wollaston

Prince Demah’s portrait of Christian Barnes - https://outofthearchives.org/2015/01/10/prince-demah-portrait-painter/

Robert Edge Pine’s portrait of Patience Wright - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Edge_Pine_-_Patience_Lovell_Wright_-_NPG.86.168_-_National_Portrait_Gallery.jpg



PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: 2c4hpod.com

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-complicated-4-history/id1664183536

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3svQpZfxhVQnYJMESpp842?si=514780ada34d4aab


 
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Art as Political Expression in the American Revolution

Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus are joined by John Wyatt Greenlee to dive into the surprising history of one slippery creature—the eel. Once a delicacy, currency, contraband, and even a spiritual symbol, this elusive fish finally gets its moment in the spotlight. You’ll never look at eels the same way again.

 

Please support this podcast by checking out our patreon:

www.patreon.com/primarysourcemedia

 

CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Introductions

1:49 - What is a cartographic historian?

4:15 - How did maps lead you to eels?

12:30 - Eels are everywhere!

13:49 - What is an eel?

21:35 - The mystery of eel reproduction

27:46 - Factors of eels becoming critically endangered

30:41 - The effect of eels being yucky

35:02 - Eels as a currency

47:16 - Fast food jellied eels

48:59 - Eels in identity: eels in family crests and cultural heritage

51:43 - From dissertation to publication

54:30 - An eel story

58:02 - Where do we go to see the eels?!?!

1:09:15 - Where you can find John

 

EPISODE LINKS:

John Wyatt Greenlee - https://www.jwgreenlee.net/

Surprised Eel Mapping - https://surprisedeelmaps.com/

Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/greenleejw.bsky.social

Eels - https://www.britannica.com/animal/eel

Sargasso Sea - https://www.britannica.com/place/Sargasso-Sea

Jellied Eels - https://youtu.be/sl0uZTzBTP8?si=yteJ2PFM-vLith9y

Aristotle and eels - https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/27172/20200904/why-aristotle-freud-many-others-fascinated-european-eels.htm

Hildegard of Bingen - https://www.historytoday.com/archive/natural-histories/sexual-eeling

Henry Mayhew - https://theausteritykitchen.com/2009/10/09/from-costermonger-eel-pie-html/

Anglo-Dutch Wars - https://www.britannica.com/event/Anglo-Dutch-Wars

Rachel Carson, Under the Sea Wind - https://archive.org/details/underseawind00rach;https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-the-sea-wind-rachel-carson/1100214057

Ely, England - https://www.visitely.org.uk/

Ely’s Eel Day - https://www.visitcambridge.org/event/elys-eel-day/

  

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: 2c4hpod.com

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-complicated-4-history/id1664183536

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3svQpZfxhVQnYJMESpp842?si=514780ada34d4aab

 

Full episodes playlist:   

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX2x56DEw1y7EYWxfufgfSR951RrdsXet&amp;si=TuDcpAjaeQx-vjkH

 

SOCIAL:

- Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/2c4hPodcast

- Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/2c4h_podcast

 


 
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The Surprising History of Eels

Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus are joined by Louee Dessent to discuss his hit YouTube series Survive History. Taking the goal of making history relevant to another level, Dessent puts himself into the harrowing, life-threatening scenarios of history and asks: Could you survive?

Please support this podcast by checking out our patreon:

www.patreon.com/primarysourcemedia

 

CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Introductions

3:49 - Aspirations of Writing About History

4:49 - What is Survive History

6:04 - What Have You Learned?

9:10 - Engaging with Living History

11:28 - Lessons From Historical Reenactment

14:29 - Exploring Different Historical Eras

16:18 - Why Youtube?

18:09 - How is Survive History’s Audience

24:50 - Which Era Was The Toughest and Most Resilient?

27:37 - Louee’s Favorite Episode of Survive History

30:25 - Modern Things In Ancient Eras

33:24 - Making History Relevant Today

35:38 - Navigating Dark Histories: Humor and Reflection

41:23 - Myths in History: Unpacking the Truth

45:01 - Lessons From History: Perspectives on Modern Challenges

46:55 - Historical Sites to Visit

EPISODE LINKS:

Louee Dessent - https://loueedessent.com/

Survive History - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcPAwKB9syU; https://www.youtube.com/@survivehistory

History Hit - https://www.youtube.com/@HistoryHit

English Civil Wars - https://www.britannica.com/event/English-Civil-Wars

Episode 3 of Survive History - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O580B086FU

Viking Settlers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXpbTLkU4jA

Roman Special Forces - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWhlOAvsdN0

Pliny the Younger - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pliny-the-Younger

Tom Plunket - https://www.dukeofwellington.org/post/the-plunkett-shot

WWI Cavalry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evhtpgO7rbM

Bath, UK - https://visitbath.co.uk/inspire-me/about-bath/history-and-heritage

Battle of Edington - https://www.britannica.com/topic/Battle-of-Edington

Battle of Lansdown Hill - https://www.battlefieldstrust.com/resource-centre/battleview.asp?BattleFieldId=21

Battle of Hastings - https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Hastings

Richard III Discovery - https://le.ac.uk/richard-iii

Battle of Bosworth Field - https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Bosworth-Field

 

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: 2c4hpod.com

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-complicated-4-history/id1664183536

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3svQpZfxhVQnYJMESpp842?si=514780ada34d4aab

 

Full episodes playlist:   

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX2x56DEw1y7EYWxfufgfSR951RrdsXet&amp;si=TuDcpAjaeQx-vjkH

 

SOCIAL:

- Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/2c4hPodcast

- Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/2c4h_podcast


 
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Surviving History - Louee Dessent

Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus are joined by Elizabeth Reese to discuss the 1824-1825 visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States. The last surviving general of the Revolutionary War, Lafayette brought together a divided nation as a universally beloved hero of America.

Please support this podcast by checking out our patreon:

www.patreon.com/primarysourcemedia

 

CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Introductions

2:13 - Who was Lafayette?

5:45 - Lafayette’s Early Life and Motivation

11:02 - Lafayette’s Relationship with George Washington

14:43 - Lafayette’s Influence and Legacy

19:30 - Lafayette’s Return to America in 1824

23:36 - Political Context of Lafayette’s Return

30:31 - Lafayette’s Relationship with James Monroe

32:29 - The Emotional Bonds of Imprisonment

33:20 - Navigating the French Revolution

35:48 - Lafayette’s Celebrity Status in America

40:15 - Connections with Historical Figures

42:01 - Lafayette’s Visits and Emotional Closure

44:41 - Recognition of Enslaved Individuals

53:20 - Portrayals of Lafayette in the Media

57:30 - Personal Connections to Lafayette's Legacy

EPISODE LINKS:

Elizabeth Reese - https://www.elizabethmreese.comMarquis de Lafayette Returns: A Tour of America’s National Capital Region - https://bookshop.org/p/books/marquis-de-lafayette-returns-a-tour-of-america-s-national-capital-region-elizabeth-reese/20547715?ean=9781467155878&amp;next=t

Woodlawn Pope-Leighey House - https://www.woodlawnpopeleighey.org

Marquis de Lafayette - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marquis-de-Lafayette

Battle of Minden - https://www.royalhampshireregiment.org/about-the-museum/timeline/battle-of-minden/

Charles Cornwallis - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Cornwallis-1st-Marquess-and-2nd-Earl-Cornwallis

Adrienne de Noailles - https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lafayette-marie-adrienne-de-1760-1807

Lafayette’s 1824-1825 U.S. Tour - https://www.amrevmuseum.org/the-marquis-de-lafayette-s-1824-1825-united-states-tour

French Revolution - https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/french-revolution/

Auguste Levasseur - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/51473

Lafayette’s grave - https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/a-tale-of-two-revolutions-in-paris

Cassandra Good - https://youtu.be/ScJsZm-MAcA?feature=shared

The Washington Family - https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/family

Slavery at Mount Vernon - https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/slavery

James Armistead Lafayette - https://virginiahistory.org/learn/james-fayette-revolutionary-spy

Israel Gillette Jefferson - https://gettingword.monticello.org/people/israel-gillette-jefferson/

Franklin miniseries Lafayette - https://screenrant.com/what-happened-to-gilbert-marquis-de-lafayette-franklin/

2025 Lafayette Anniversary events - https://lafayette200.org

 

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: 2c4hpod.com

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-complicated-4-history/id1664183536

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3svQpZfxhVQnYJMESpp842?si=514780ada34d4aab

 

Full episodes playlist:   

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX2x56DEw1y7EYWxfufgfSR951RrdsXet&amp;si=TuDcpAjaeQx-vjkH

 

SOCIAL:

- Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/2c4hPodcast

- Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/2c4h_podcast


 
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
  
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