Forgotten History is challenging the polished version of presidential history in a long-form episode examining the darker records of Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, and Herbert Hoover.
The episode, titled Most Corrupt Series | Jackson, Lincoln, Hoover, asks whether three presidents often remembered for strength, crisis leadership, or humanitarian service also crossed serious lines while in power.
Host Colin D. Heaton walks viewers through Jackson’s rise from frontier soldier to president, while examining his use of martial law, Indian removal policies, treatment of enslaved people, and reputation for wielding power aggressively.
The episode then turns to Lincoln, focusing on the extraordinary wartime decisions he made during the Civil War, including the suspension of habeas corpus, expanded executive authority, and other actions Heaton presents as constitutionally controversial.
The final segment examines Hoover, whose legacy remains tied to the Great Depression but also includes global humanitarian relief efforts, controversial immigration actions, the Bonus Army crackdown, and major federal economic interventions.
Rather than offering a simple verdict, Forgotten History presents each president as a complicated figure shaped by his era, then asks viewers to decide whether the conduct amounted to corruption, abuse of power, or difficult leadership under extreme pressure.
The episode was written and hosted by Heaton, a former history professor, U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and military historian.
Watch the full Forgotten History episode below.
