Silent Majority: Nixon and the Hardhat Riots (Part Two)

Silent Majority: Nixon and the Hardhat Riots (Part Two)

Author: Jody Avirgan & Radiotopia May 14, 2026 Duration: 34:33
Our conversation about the "silent majority" continues with a look at the so-called Hard Hat Riots in New York City, and how the idea of a conservative backlash politics began to coalesce. Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now. This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypod Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia.

Hosted by Jody Avirgan alongside historians Nicole Hemmer and Kellie Carter Jackson, This Day is a historical podcast from Radiotopia that steps back from the relentless news cycle to find context in the past. The series "50 Weeks That Shaped America" serves as its core, offering a rich, narrative-driven examination of pivotal moments that have fundamentally influenced the nation's political landscape and cultural identity. This isn't a dry recitation of dates but a deep, engaging exploration of the stories and decisions that collectively brought us to the present. Each episode functions as a carefully researched journey, unpacking the complexities and unintended consequences of historical events you might think you know, revealing the surprising threads that connect them to contemporary life. By focusing on these formative weeks, the podcast provides a unique and clarifying lens, arguing that to understand today's headlines, you often need to listen to the echoes of yesterday. The conversations between Avirgan, Hemmer, and Jackson are insightful and accessible, blending scholarly depth with compelling storytelling. Tuning into this podcast feels like gaining a new set of tools for thinking about America, its ongoing struggles, and its evolving character, all through the meticulous and thoughtful work of its hosts.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

This Day (An America 250 History Show)
Podcast Episodes
Roots Takes Over The Airwaves (1977) [Part 1] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:04
This week on "50 Weeks That Shaped America," we're headed to the winter of 1977, when everyone was tuned into a major TV phenomenon -- Alex Haley’s “Roots.” It aired over eight parts and was the most watch TV show of all…
A Compromise To Avert Civil War [Some Sunday Context] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:23
For our "Sunday Context" series, we discuss the political pressures that the arrival of California as a new state put on the country as a whole -- and the various attempts to avoid a conflict over the question of slavery…
Gold Changes Everything (1849) [Part 2] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:38
We continue our look at the effects of the gold rush with an examination of how various communities were affected, and found agency, in a rapidly transforming California -- women, Chinese immigrants, Native Americans, cr…
Gold Rush! (1848) [Part 1] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:08
This week on "50 Weeks That Shaped America," we're headed to the winter of 1948 in San Francisco, where word starts to get around that "there's gold in them there hills." Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how gold was first…
A Guy Throws His Shoe At George W Bush [Some Sunday Context] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:55
For our "Sunday Context" series, we offer a follow up to our conversation about "Axis of Evil" and the start of the War in Iraq by looking at an incident from after the war was over -- when an Iraqi journalist threw his…
How We Got The "War On Terror" (2002) [Part 2] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:54
Our look at the response to 9-11 continues with a discussion of the neo-conversative movement that influenced the Bush White House, and how the idea of an "axis of evil" quickly morphed into a long war in Iraq. Join our…
The "Axis Of Evil" (2002) [Part 1] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:13
This week on "50 Weeks That Shaped America," we're headed to January 2002 and the first State of the Union speech after the 9-11 attacks. In it, George W Bush referred to Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as an "axis of evil,"…
A New Orleans Slave Rebellion [Some Sunday Context] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:42
For our "Sunday Context" series, we build on this past week's coversation about the Battle of New Orleans with a look at the largest slave rebellion in US history, led by Charles Deslondes, which took place just outside…
Andrew Jackson Takes Control (1815) [Part 2] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:57
If part two of our "50 Weeks" look at the Battle Of New Orleans. Jody, Niki, and Kellie look at the pirates, generals, and others who fought that day in January of 1815 -- and how the events burnished the reputation of f…