A Practical Guide to American History

The 1960s were one of the most consequential decades in modern history. New art forms and ways of viewing the world sprang into being. But there was also danger lurking underneath the surface. Feat. nuclear war, conspiracy theories, the Great Society, Vietnam, mini skirts and birth control, rock 'n roll, James Bond, civil rights, psychedelics, hippies, and the Manson family. Further reading 📚: ht...

Finally, America comes into its own as a global superpower! Although it's not all sunshine, because when you're at the top, you naturally have enemies. And what you'll rationalize is needed to stay at the top might just betray all your ideals. Feat. the UN, Israel, the Iron Curtain, foreign aid, spies, white picket fences, sci-fi, Norman Rockwell, blacklists, the Korean War, television, teenagers,...

Combine two competing political ideologies and the unfinished business of World War I, and you get another war that encompasses the entire planet. The world would never be the same. Feat.: sad men with inferiority complexes, proxy war in Spain, tanks, dogfights, whether or not eating carrots gives you good eyesight, mathematicians, and physicists. Further reading 📚: https://bookshop.org/lists/wor...

When a catastrophic, world-changing event occurs, how do people respond? They party, of course! But what happens when the party stops? That's a lot darker... Feat. Art Deco, flappers, jazz, rum runners, Hollywood, financial crisis, the rise of fascism, and the New Deal. Further reading 📚: https://bookshop.org/lists/a-lost-generation-1919-1940 Era playlist 🎧: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2jI...

What happens when all the major powers in Europe bind themselves together in a complex series of alliances? War on a global scale. Only this time, with 20th-century technology. Feat. trench warfare, shipwreck, an infamous telegram, Canadians, Charlie Chaplin, Freud, and Lenin. (00:00:00) Introduction (00:01:49) The lead-up to war (00:02:34) Remember the Congress of Vienna? (Episode 5) (00:04:50) H...

When society becomes unlivable for the average person, the government needs to step in and change things. But what does that look like? And how does the continued dominance of big business hurt us today? Feat. the gold standard, unions, the origins of a beloved children's classic, the current wars, advances in medicine, the automobile, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and the only successful coup d'etat in Un...

It may glitter, but is it gold? Does there come a point where the downsides of growth outweigh the benefits? Feat. world's fairs, sewing machines, steel, the largest private home in America, tenement buildings, and a completely manmade environmental disaster. Eras playlist 🎧: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ELBgncOypCFDcAueQ0Kzd?si=-VthkkvjQpCuHKvlQRtRUQ Further reading 📚: https://bookshop.or...

A shorter episode, since I cover a lot of this ground in the episodes on Black and Indigenous history. What was life like after the Civil War? How did different regions and groups cope? Feat. internal improvements, civil rights legislation, amendments, impeachment, and the first transcontinental railroad. Eras playlist 🎧: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/06SnCmcFTvUImWdqdroGts?si=WAYGAaccQLSFW6o...

Why do we have such difficulty talking about the Civil War? Why do so many of us have such different ideas about it? And what lessons should we be taking away from it today? Feat. ironclads, telegraphs, trench warfare, dog tags, hard tack, and, of course, the statue debate. Era playlist 🎧: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Pwm4aQF0tRajRAVxPFvth?si=SDtIgVVnRH22lBXYHlGQBw Further reading 📚: https...

The Antebellum Period, that is, the decades immediately before the Civil War, is a period of anxious anticipation. That’s why this episode has proved to be the longest one to date; to fully understand the road to war, you have to examine all the nuances and minute details. What caused the cracks to show? How can you account for people’s differing attitudes? Feat. a flouted Supreme Court decision,...

The War of 1812 proved that Americans can stand on their own two feet, holding their own against the British, even without the aid of the French this time. But what is it exactly that they're fighting for? What does it truly mean to be "American"? And now that everyone is no longer united against an external threat, how long can they remain united? Feat. tariffs, central banks, canals, factory tow...

How does a nation heal after as contentious an election as 1800? What exactly does the president need to do to keep everything running smoothly? And if Britain were to come back for round 2, could the United States fight them off another time? Feat. a pirating war, tariffs, Canada, the US Navy, the writing of the most important poem in US history, and maybe the fanciest ball in history. Era Playli...

This one is on the longer side... but that's because this is possibly the one period in our history that people need to know the most: the formation of the United States of America that we live in today. Feat. Founding Fathers, merchants, carpenters, Quakers, an international scandal, and the birth of party politics in America. Further reading 📚: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e9itKacIiCfEuu...

What were the conditions to make people say, "enough's enough"? What examples did they look to? And how did they pull off what should have been impossible? Feat. marriage certificates, 13th-century barons, tar-and-feathering, state militias, and the birth of American espionage. Further reading 📚: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18vlI3M__K5E-ogxEnenuPUQmIxQrUvfS3qNsaIUjg_E/edit?usp=sharing Era...

How does the culture of a society develop? What factors in the 18th century convened to create more egalitarian conditions? How did people work and live? What was America's evolving relationship to the wider world? Feat. fraternal organizations, taverns, coffeehouses, accusations of libel, the origins of Yankee Doodle, the minuet, evangelicals, Daniel Boone, and French raiding parties. Further rea...

European beginnings in the Americas-- as well as my own beginnings in long-form recording! 😅 What actually were Spanish attitudes towards their American endeavors? What was the business model for colonization, and how did it change over time? And what did each of the different English colonies contribute to our current idea of America? Feat. explorers, Italian bankers, chocolate plantations, seco...

Some things to know before we begin.

History should be practical.