How bullies shaped 19th-century America

2026-08-30 · 43 min · episode 2617 · 6 entities

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Episode description as stored

America's Gilded Age is often remembered for rapid expansion and opportunity, but beneath the surface lay a brutal society in which it paid to be a bully. In this episode, Elinor Evans speaks to historian Andrew Wender Cohen about his new book Gangster of New York: A Violent Life in Nineteenth-Century America. Following the remarkable career of Louis Bieral – a boxer, gambler, political enforcer and American Civil War veteran – Cohen uncovers how one man's life illuminates the brutal realities of the 19th-century US, from slavery and organised crime to political corruption and the struggle to establish the rule of law. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST To find out more about the craze for pedestrianism mentioned in this episode, listen to our podcast series The Tiger Tamer Who Went To Sea', which chronicles the remarkable life of Bob Carlisle, a Victorian-era showman, sailor, and early endurance athlete: https://bit.ly/4wNcMEw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices