American History Hit

Cleopatra, Catherine the Great, Boudicca, Margaret Thatcher, Angela Merkel: what do these women have in common? They were all leaders of their nations, and they may - pending the choices of the electorate later this year - be joined in their ranks by an American. But what might Kamala Harris face if she wins the election? What is she already facing? Are there patterns in the way they are discussed...

Host Don Wildman has a message for listeners old and new, marking 200 episodes of American History Hit. American History Hit first started publishing in 2022, and since then we've covered the first Americans, Revolution, Civil War, the World Wars and beyond. Here's to the next 200 episodes, where we will continue to look to the past to understand the United States of today. Hosted on Acast. See ac...

What kind of a nickname is Bull Moose? How progressive was Theodore Roosevelt's presidency? And how does his legacy live on? Don is joined once again by Michael Patrick Cullinane, historian of American politics, an award-winning author, and the Lowman Walton Chair of Theodore Roosevelt Studies at Dickinson State University. Michael's books on Roosevelt are 'Remembering Theodore Roosevelt' and 'The...

"Speak softly and carry a big stick." The youngest President ever, Lieutenant Colonel of the Rough Rider Regiment, uncle to Eleanor Roosevelt, fifth cousin to FDR, and a keen huntsman; Theodore Roosevelt is consistently remembered as one of the United States' top 5 Presidents. But how did he reach the White House? In this first of two episodes on Theodore Roosevelt, we are looking at his rise from...

How do our politicians use the media? Throughout the 2024 election we have seen a boom in the use of social media and cable news, so how far back does this go? To find out, Don speaks first to crisis public relations expert and TikTok star, Molly McPherson, to hear about this year's election campaign. Then, he chats to author Claire Bond Potter, whose book is titled 'Political Junkies: From Talk R...

When the First World War ended at 11am on 11 November, 1918, how did army command relay the ceasefire to their troops? In fact, before radios and computer systems, in the early years of the telephone, how were messages passed along trenches at all? In this episode, Don is joined once again by Elizabeth Cobbs, award-winning historian and novelist. Elizabeth's book on this subject is 'The Hello Girl...

On 6th September, 1901, President William McKinley attended a public reception at the Pan American Exposition, a 6-month-long World’s Fair, in Buffalo, New York. He was at the height of his power, having been re-elected at the beginning of the year. But one of the people who stood in line to meet him was an anarchist, determined to carry out the first US presidential assassination of the 20th cent...

Why does the Secret Service protect the President of the United States? And what can we learn from McKinley's life and presidency, not just his assassination? Don speaks with Kim Kenney, Executive Director at the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum. Together, they take us through McKinley's background, election and term in office, as well as looking at his lasting impact on America. Produced by...

President Joe Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday night, after announcing he was ending his reelection bid a few days ago. Dropping out so close to the election is historically unprecedented, but Biden is not to first president to make this decision. In 1968, Lyndon B. Johnson sat in the same office to announce the same news. But what makes Biden's situation so rar...

How did a party in the White House end in mayhem? When did the West Wing become a hive of government? And how has the private life of the President been shielded from the public, despite them living and working in the same building? To explore the stories that lurk beneath the white washed surface of the President's residence, Don speaks to Corey Mead. Corey is an associate professor of English at...

Lincoln, FDR, Reagan, Clinton, Bush and now Trump. All have been targets of assassination attempts while in or running for office. Listen to this bonus episode from our sister podcast, Dan Snow's History Hit, where host Dan is joined by Professor of American History at Cambridge University Gary Gerstle to take a look at the assassination attempts that could have changed the course of American hist...

This podcast contains adult language. What was the ‘Indian Citizenship Act’ of 1924? Why was it necessary? How did it happen? And why did it happen in 1924? Shannon O’Loughlin from the Association of American Indian Affairs joins Don to discuss the Act and its effect. Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long. Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning origi...

Right from independence, a question has hovered over the government of the United States. How much power should the President have? Not too much, lest they become a monarch. But not too little, they are elected to do a job and that job must be done. In this episode of American History Hit, Don is joined once again by Professor of Political Science, Graham G Dodds. Graham is author of 'The Unitary...

What caused the economic panic of 1893? In this episode we are delving into the event that made Grover Cleveland's second term so different from his first. Don is joined once again by Professor Mark Zachary Taylor from Georgia Institute of Technology, author of 'Presidential Leadership in Feeble Times.' From the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, to labour strikes, to the evolution of the presidency's r...

What do you know about Galveston, Texas? Perhaps you've heard about the disastrous hurricane of 1900, perhaps not. This was also likely the case for the thousands of European Jews who migrated to the United States via the city's port in the years preceding the First World War. Don speaks to Rachel Cockerell, whose great-grandfather, David Jochelmann, was one of those persuading passengers to make...

In the long unanswered question of whether the established elite truly support the concerns of ordinary people, a supposed hero arises: Populism. But what is Populism? Where did it come from? And is this political approach from the late 19th century reflected anywhere in today's politics? Don speaks to Steve Babson, author of seven books including ‘Forgotten Populists: When Farmers Turned Left to...

What took the US from the Boston Tea Party to Lexington and Concord? Where was the turning point for the creation of the republic? Mary Beth Norton joins Don in this episode to take us through the causes of the Revolutionary War, and why the year 1774 is so important in this history. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long. Enjoy unlimited access to awa...

Why is the 23rd President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison, remembered as a 'Human Iceberg'? Why did it seem as though he was predestined for the Presidency? And what was it like to have a term sandwiched between the presidencies of Grover Cleveland? Don speaks to humorist Alexandra Petri about Harrison's presidency and legacy. Alexandra is a Washington Post columnist and the author of 'US...

A 34-hour bombardment, one (accidental) death, and the start of the bloodiest war the United States has ever seen. The Battle of Fort Sumter, in April 1861, is often obscured by the more famous battles in the four years of Civil War history, but it is one of the most significant among them. To find out more, Don speaks to the incredible Allen C. Guelzo, Thomas W. Smith Distinguished Research Schol...

This episode was first released on November 14 2022. The Whiskey Tax, imposed in 1791, was the first federal tax on a domestic product by a United States government. It was introduced by Alexander Hamilton to pay the interest on war bonds that had been issued to wealthy backers of the the American Revolution. But many Whiskey distillers in Western Pennsylvania refused to pay a tax that would only...

In the US Constitution, the President of the United States is granted the right to pardon those convicted of federal crimes. But how do they tend to use these pardons, and when have they been used in the cases of mass insurrection? From Mormons, to conscientious objectors, to the January 6th uprising, Don is joined by Graham Dodds to discuss this history. Professor Graham Dodds teaches at Concordi...

They say that honesty is the best policy, but was this the case for Grover Cleveland? He may be the only president to have served two non-consecutive terms (as of 13 June 2023), but Cleveland was deeply unpopular by the end of his last term. From protecting the interests of the American people and upholding the constitution, to a secret lifesaving operation - what defines the 22nd and 24th Preside...

How did the United States go from a country defined by its lawlessness in the 1920s and early 1930s, to one where many political standpoints rest on a War on Crime? What roles did FDR, J. Edgar Hoover and Attorney General Homer S. Cummings play in this? In this episode of American History Hit, Don delves into the transformation of the Federal government during Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. He...

On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces combined their land, air and sea forces into the largest amphibious invasion in history - D-Day. Under Supreme Commander General Dwight D Eisenhower, this attack turned the tide on the second world war, pushing enemy forces out of France and towards surrender in Berlin. 73,000 Americans landed on the beaches of Normandy that day, and to hear about their roles, Do...

The history of the United States' relationship with communism is one littered with fear and persecution. So where did the American Communist Party come from? How powerful has it been in the last century? And where is it now? In this episode of American History Hit, Don is joined by Dr. Vernon Pederson, Professor at the American University of Sharjah and President of the Historians of American Comm...