Creating America

In the middle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln signed a law that promised ordinary Americans something extraordinary: the opportunity to claim 160 acres of land and build a future of their own. But the Homestead Act of 1862 was about far more than free land. It was part of a fierce political struggle over slavery, opportunity, and the future of the American West. In this episode of the Creating A...

In March 1861, as Abraham Lincoln called for the preservation of the Union, the Confederacy’s vice president delivered a speech that laid bare the ideology behind the new nation. On March 21, 1861, Alexander H. Stephens delivered what became known as the Cornerstone Speech . He declared that the Confederacy rested on the belief that Black people were not equal to white people and that slavery was...

In March 1861, the United States stood on the brink of civil war. Seven Southern states had seceded, the Confederacy was establishing a rival government, and Abraham Lincoln was about to take office as president of a nation threatening to tear itself apart. In this episode of the Creating America Podcast , we hear Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, delivered on March 4, 1861, in which Linc...

In March 1860, Abraham Lincoln came to New Haven, Connecticut, as a presidential candidate still fighting for national recognition. Just two months later, the Republican Party would gather in Chicago and nominate him for president. In this episode we read Lincoln’s campaign speech he delivered at Union Hall in New Haven, CT. Lincoln's theme was one that was common to him during that campaign, whil...

In November 1859, John Brown stood before the court in Charles Town, Virginia, knowing he had been sentenced to death for his role in the raid on Harpers Ferry. In his final address, Brown defended his actions, invoked the Bible, condemned slavery, and declared that if his life was required in the cause of justice, he was willing to give it. But Brown’s speech raises an important question: how muc...

In June 1858, Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most consequential speeches of his political career: his famous “House Divided” speech. Standing before the Illinois Republican State Convention in Springfield, Lincoln warned that the United States could not remain permanently divided between free and slave states. He connected the growing crisis over slavery to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Dred...

In 1857, the Supreme Court handed down the infamous Dred Scott decision, declaring that Black Americans could not be citizens of the United States and ruling against Congress’s ability to prohibit slavery in the territories. Frederick Douglass, one of the most well known and fiery abolitionist orators of his day and a former slave, had some thoughts. In this episode of the Creating America Podcast...

Dred Scott v. Sandford, decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857, is one of the most consequential and controversial decisions in American history. The Court ruled that Dred Scott, an enslaved man who had lived in free territory, was not a citizen and therefore could not sue in federal court. The decision also declared that Congress did not have the constitutional authority to prohibit slavery in...

I'm currently on vacation visiting a US National Park, and my work schedule is a bit hectic right after I get back. But we'll be back with new episodes soon!

As America approaches the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence , Creating America revisits the documents that laid the foundation of the United States. In this special Independence Day episode, host Will Sarris reads the complete text of the Declaration of Independence , followed by the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. E ach generation has reinterpreted these foun...

In this powerful episode of the Creating America Podcast , host Will Sarris presents a reading of the full text of Frederick Douglass’s landmark 1852 speech, “What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?” As the United States reflects on the ideals of independence, liberty, and justice—especially in the context of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence—this episode confronts a difficult...

In this episode of Creating America, host Will Sarris presents one of the most influential speeches in American history: Sojourner Truth's powerful 1851 address, "Ain't I a Woman?" Born into slavery as Isabella Baumfree, Sojourner Truth became a leading voice in both the abolitionist movement and the fight for women's rights. Speaking at the Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, she challenged...

In this episode of Creating America , we read two foundational items (a speech and a document) that stand at the origins of the American women's rights movement. both from the historic 1848 Seneca Falls Convention. First, hear Elizabeth Cady Stanton's powerful keynote address calling for equal rights, political representation, and women's suffrage. Then, listen to the full text of the Declaration...

In this episode of Creating America , we explore one of the most consequential political debates in American history: the struggle over slavery, secession, and the future of the Union that led to the Compromise of 1850 . As new territories acquired after the Mexican-American War prepared to enter the United States, fierce disagreements erupted over whether slavery would be allowed to expand westwa...

The United States often celebrates its founding ideals of liberty and freedom, but this episode of the Creating America Podcast explores a far darker chapter in the nation’s history. Through the speeches and documents of President Andrew Jackson and the text of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, host Will Sarris examines how the U.S. government justified the forced removal of Native American tribes f...

In this episode of Creating America , host Will Sarris explores the origins of religious freedom in the United States through the First Amendment, Thomas Jefferson’s famous 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists, and Jefferson’s writings on religion in Notes on the State of Virginia . You’ll hear: The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution The 1801 letter from the Danbury Baptist Association Thomas...

In this episode of the Creating America Podcast , host Will Sarris explores one of the most influential speeches in American history: George Washington’s Farewell Address (1796). At the height of his power and popularity, Washington made a decision almost unheard of in world history — he voluntarily stepped away from leadership. By refusing a third term, he established the precedent of the peacefu...

In Episode 17 of the Creating America Podcast, we explore two extraordinary moments in the life of George Washingtonthat helped define the American experiment in self-government. First, we hear Washington’s 1783 resignation speech—when he voluntarily gave up power as Commander-in-Chief after the Revolutionary War. At a time when military leaders often became rulers, Washington chose a different pa...

ive into the origins of the United States Bill of Rights (Amendments 1–10) in this episode of Creating America: The Documents and Speeches That Shaped the United States , hosted by Will Sarris. Before the Bill of Rights became law, fierce debate surrounded the ratification of the Constitution. In this episode, we explore the powerful Anti-Federalist argument against the Constitution’s lack of expl...

In this episode of Creating America , host and narrator Will Sarris presents dramatic readings of Federalist Papers No. 84 and No. 85 , written by Alexander Hamilton during the debate over ratifying the United States Constitution. These concluding essays tackle some of the most enduring questions in American history: Does the Constitution need a Bill of Rights? Can liberty be preserved without exp...

Dive into the foundations of American government in this episode of Creating America: The Documents and Speeches That Shaped the United States . Host Will Sarris brings to life three of the most influential essays from the The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. This episode features: Federalist No. 33 – The Necessary and Proper Clause & Supremacy Clause expla...

Why did the Articles of Confederation fail—and how did that lead to the U.S. Constitution? In this episode of Creating America , we continue our exploration of the Federalist Papers with Federalist No. 15 and No. 21, written by Alexander Hamilton. These powerful essays explain why America’s first system of government under the Articles of Confederation was too weak to survive—and why a stronger fe...

In this episode of Creating America , host Will Sarris introduces one of the most influential collections of political writing in United States history: The Federalist Papers . Written under the pseudonym “Publius” by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, these essays were crafted to defend the newly proposed Constitution and persuade the people of New York to support its ratification....

In this episode of Creating America , we travel to the Virginia Ratifying Convention of 1788 to hear one of the most powerful Anti-Federalist voices of the founding era: Patrick Henry. Best remembered for his fiery declaration, “Give me liberty, or give me death!”, Henry returned to the public stage to oppose ratification of the newly drafted United States Constitution. Speaking on June 7, 1788, h...

his episode of Creating America is devoted to a full reading of the Constitution of the United States , the foundational document that established the framework of the American government. The episode opens with brief historical context explaining why the Articles of Confederation proved inadequate and why delegates gathered in 1787 to design a stronger national system. Influential figures such as...