Author Archives: Stan Deaton

S10E1 Podcast: National Treasure: The Declaration of Independence

As part of GHS’s ongoing US250 commemoration—and just in time for July 4—Stan’s guest is author and historian Michael Auslin, talking about his new book, National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, 2026), the inspiring story of the Declaration from the Philadelphia boardinghouse where Jefferson drafted it to its removal from Washington in 1814 to its evacuation to Fort Knox during World War II, its ink fading until it was painstakingly preserved and enshrined. Through it all, Jefferson’s words have inspired immigrants to become American and fueled a multitude of causes, from abolitionists to suffragists and Civil Rights leaders to groups waging war on the US government. As Jefferson hoped, the Declaration became a beacon to the world. But what lessons should we take from the Declaration today?

S9E22 Podcast: The Imperial Presidency

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As part of GHS’s ongoing US250 commemoration, Stan and GHS President & CEO Todd Groce discuss Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.’s historical classic, The Imperial Presidency, first published in 1973. Writing In the shadow of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, Schlesinger ominously argued that the presidency had become uncontrollable, king-like, and unaccountable to Congress or the people, exceeding its Constitutional authority in war-making and foreign policy, governing instead through executive orders and secrecy, ultimately threatening American democracy.

S9E21 Podcast: George Washington, Slavery, and American Memory

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Stan’s guest this week is historian John Garrison Marks, discussing his new book, Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory (University of North Carolina Press, 2026), which tells the story of Americans’ long struggle to come to terms with Washington’s legacy of slavery. He traces how politicians, abolitionists, educators, activists, Washington’s former slaves and their descendants, and others have remembered, forgotten, and manipulated slavery’s place in Washington’s story, and how they have wielded versions of that story in the political and cultural fights of their time. Marks shows how generational struggles over our collective memory of Washington and slavery have always been part of a bigger conversation about defining the United States and its people.

S9E20 Podcast: The 10th Inning with Mark Bradley: Remembering Ted Turner and Bobby Cox

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Former AJC sports writer Mark Bradley returns as Stan’s guest this week to share his memories about two Atlanta legends who died earlier this month. Bradley covered the Braves during all of Cox’s remarkable and record-breaking second tenure as manager from 1990 to 2010, including 14 consecutive division titles, 5 National League championships, and the 1995 World Series title.

Photo by Wally Gobetz

Podcast S9E19: Glenn McNair and Georgia History: From Savannah PD to ATF to the GHQ

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Stan’s guest this week is historian Glenn McNair, talking about his life and career in law enforcement—as a Savannah police officer, Secret Service agent, with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms—his 25 years as teacher and historian at Kenyon College, and his 16-year tenure as editor of the Georgia Historical Quarterly, the scholarly journal of the Georgia Historical Society.