Fear-Based Law & Order: White Power with Dr. Gautham Rao

About this episode

Dr. Gautham Rao discusses the origins of policing related to slavery and white supremacy.

Join me as I welcome Dr. Gautham Rao to discuss the evolution of policing and its slave and white supremacy origins as expertly outlined in his book White Power: Policing American Slavery. Our conversation explores the legalization and deputization of whiteness, how pivotal the Prigg v. Pennsylvania court case was, how class tensions impacted the enforcement of the Posse Comitatus doctrine, and more! To learn more about Dr. Rao's amazing scholarship, check out his website: https://gauthamrao....

People in this episode

Host: Alycia Asai

Guest: Dr. Gautham Rao

Topics covered

• policing
• white supremacy
• slavery
• legal history
• class tensions
• court cases

Keywords

• policing
• white supremacy
• slavery
• Prigg v. Pennsylvania
• Posse Comitatus
• law enforcement
• history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Posse Comitatus

Books & works: White Power: Policing American Slavery

More episodes of Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast

• Technology Revolution: The History of the PC · June 13, 2026 · 20 min
• The (Almost) Noble Order: The Knights of Labor · June 6, 2026 · 18 min
• From Famine to Femme Fatale: The Irish Ladies Land League · May 30, 2026 · 20 min
• The Master of Capitalism: Cornelius Vanderbilt Pt. 2 · May 23, 2026 · 20 min
• Women's Secrets: The Double Standard Sporting House with Dr. Nancy Bernhard · May 19, 2026 · 35 min
• The Master of Capitalism: Cornelius Vanderbilt - Part One · May 16, 2026 · 18 min