Historian Carol Berkin talks to this history podcast about her new book, A Sovereign People: The Crises of the 1790s and the Birth of American Nationalism.

She focuses on 4 major crises that threatened the young nation: the Whiskey Rebellion, the Genet Affair, the XYZ Affair, and the Alien and Sedition Acts. Challenging previous interpretations in American history, Berkin argues that while these crises were divisive and controversial, they contributed to the formation of American national identity.