In class this week we discuss that The Articles of Confederation were born out of fear—fear of kings, fear of centralized power, fear of ever recreating the thing the colonies had just finished bleeding to escape. What they produced instead was a government so loose, vague, and structurally hollow that it barely qualified as a government at all. No executive with teeth. No unified courts. No real way to tax, regulate, or enforce anything. Just a polite suggestion that thirteen very opinionated states maybe cooperate if they felt like it.

It did not take long for that experiment to fall apart. Thirteen currencies, thirteen legal systems, thirteen supreme courts, and no consistent rule of law meant chaos dressed up as liberty. You could commit a crime in one state and simply cross a border to make it someone else’s problem. Economic collapse followed political paralysis, and when people finally snapped—looking at you, Shays’ Rebellion—it became painfully clear that “freedom without structure” was just instability with better branding.

This class breaks down why the Founding Fathers—who absolutely wanted limited government—realized that no structure was worse than too much. The Constitution wasn’t a betrayal of the Revolution; it was a course correction. It unified the states, established shared law, and, for the first time, framed Americans not as Virginians or New Yorkers first, but as The People of the United States. Turns out, shouting into the wind isn’t governance—and eventually, even revolutionaries learn that rules matter.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/4th-period-u-s-history--5621461/support.

Visit the class at Spreaker.com and follow! Link to the page HERE!  It would mean a lot and go a long way in helping grow class! Thank you for your support!

Class this week is about the three branches of government, checks and balances, and the wildly optimistic assumption that everyone involved would respect the rules. We walk through how the legislative, executive, and judicial branches are supposed to check each other, why those checks exist, and why they were intentionally designed to slow things down. Delay wasn’t a mistake — it was the defense against bad laws, bad ideas, and bad people moving too fast.

We dig into the uncomfortable truth that the system only works because the branches are supposed to dislike each other. The president was never meant to be a king, Congress was never meant to rubber-stamp power, and the courts were built to get in the way. The Founders assumed ambition would clash with ambition and that mutual suspicion would keep anyone from grabbing too much power. It’s not elegant. It’s not efficient. It’s supposed to be irritating.

And then we talk about the part that isn’t written down. Checks and balances only work if the people using them actually give a damn about the rule of law. When laws become suggestions, norms become jokes, and accountability becomes optional, the entire system turns into set dressing. The Constitution can’t enforce itself — and right now, that’s the problem.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/4th-period-u-s-history--5621461/support.

Visit the class at Spreaker.com and follow! Link to the page HERE!  It would mean a lot and go a long way in helping grow class! Thank you for your support!

This week’s class is not about distant history. It’s about what is happening now. About the reality of state power, violence, and fear unfolding in the United States in real time—and what it means when institutions meant to protect instead harm. This episode acknowledges the killing of Renee Good, the recent shootings involving border enforcement, the global consequences of U.S. intervention abroad, and the growing sense that the ground beneath us is shifting faster than many are prepared to face.

This is also an episode rooted in uncertainty. There are no clean conclusions here, no neat historical arc that resolves itself with time. Instead, this episode names the fear felt by immigrant communities, by protesters, and by people watching the country’s promises feel increasingly conditional. It raises difficult questions without pretending to solve them: How is this justified? How is it defended? How does cruelty get reframed as necessity? And what does it cost when silence or neutrality becomes the easier choice?


Most importantly, this episode draws a clear line. This course can no longer pretend to be unbiased in the face of policies and actions that undermine the most basic ideals this country claims to stand for. This is not a partisan declaration, a party endorsement, or a rejection of disagreement. It is a statement rooted in humanity—and in the belief that “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” must mean something for everyone, or it means nothing at all. I do not have answers beyond this: move forward with purpose, act with courage and resolve, and push back against tyranny in whatever capacity you can.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/4th-period-u-s-history--5621461/support.

Visit the class at Spreaker.com and follow! Link to the page HERE!  It would mean a lot and go a long way in helping grow class! Thank you for your support!

Welcome back from winter break—because nothing says “new year, fresh start” like diving straight into how the United States almost tripped over its own founding documents. This episode was recorded before the break, but the chaos holds up beautifully. We’re picking up right where the Founders left off: arguing loudly, writing anonymously, and pretending that “implied rights” were a solid plan for a brand-new nation.

This week we break down the Federalists, who looked at the Constitution and said, “No worries, all your rights are in there… somewhere.” Figures like Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison argued that listing rights was unnecessary—and possibly dangerous—because surely the government would never abuse powers that were only vaguely defined. History, as always, was taking notes.

Then we turn to the Anti-Federalists, who were not buying the “trust us” model of governance. Writers using pen names—because criticizing the foundation of the country was already risky business—pushed hard for explicit protections. Figures often associated with this camp, like Patrick Henry, argued that guaranteed rights didn’t weaken the Constitution—they strengthened it. Shockingly, demanding written limits on government power turned out to be a good idea. Who could’ve guessed?

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/4th-period-u-s-history--5621461/support.

Visit the class at Spreaker.com and follow! Link to the page HERE!  It would mean a lot and go a long way in helping grow class! Thank you for your support!

In the short winter break message, and take a minute to explain why the last class didn't make it out when it should have-Life has gotten really loud as the year has come to an end-and I also want to take a minute to wish you a warm and meaningful holiday season. What do you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, Festivus, Gothmas, or whatever celebration that brings you comfort, joy, and surrounds you with loved ones. I hope you find rest, Laughter, and a little piece before you head into the new year. I will see you back in class on January 6, 2026. 

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/4th-period-u-s-history--5621461/support.

Visit the class at Spreaker.com and follow! Link to the page HERE!  It would mean a lot and go a long way in helping grow class! Thank you for your support!

This special lecture drags us out of the neat timelines of early U.S. history and into the explosion that forced America into World War II. December 7th, 1941 wasn’t just a surprise attack—it was the end result of years of resentment, broken promises after World War I, and Western powers refusing to fully accept Japan as an equal at the global table. Layer on top of that the American embargo on oil, gasoline, and raw materials, and you get an island empire with no fuel, no patience, and nothing left to lose. Desperation didn’t cause the war—but it sure finished loading the gun.

We also confront the darker truth behind expansion itself. Japan—alongside its ally Germany—wasn’t just chasing territory for resources or security. Wrapped inside that ambition was a far more dangerous hunger for domination, racial purity, and imperial control. Expansion was marketed as survival. In reality, it was enforced hierarchy at gunpoint. From there we follow Operation Z: Japan’s carrier fleet vanishing into the North Sea, nearly destroyed by storms and detection, only to reappear like a ghost eleven days later, 200 miles off Oahu. At 6:10 a.m., midget submarines hunted beneath Pearl Harbor, Hickam and Wheeler Fields were hit first to pin American aircraft to the ground, and the sky filled with fire.

The Arizona became a burning tomb. The Oklahoma rolled and trapped hundreds of sailors inside its iron belly. The Nevada—bloody, burning, but moving—became the lone ship that tried to escape the kill zone. And when the smoke cleared, the damage didn’t stop with steel and bone. Pearl Harbor detonated a global wave of racial hatred: American propaganda twisted Japanese soldiers into monsters, while Japanese propaganda went so far as to have terrified Japanese civilians with lies that Americans would rape and slaughter them—driving families to suicide in panic when U.S. Soldiers invaded their territories. This lecture isn’t about clean heroics or movie-ready villains. It’s about empire, fear, racial mythology, and what happens when nations addicted to power finally collide at sunrise.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/4th-period-u-s-history--5621461/support.

Visit the class at Spreaker.com and follow! Link to the page HERE!  It would mean a lot and go a long way in helping grow class! Thank you for your support!

In this episode of 4th Period U.S. History, we dive headfirst into the amendments—the literal updates America installed to keep this democracy from crashing every few decades. We start with the Bill of Rights, the Founders’ desperate attempt to say, “Hey, government, please don’t be weird about power.” From free speech to due process, we lay out exactly what these protections are supposed to do—and how they were designed to shield citizens from the very behavior we’re watching unfold today. It’s almost like history left us a cheat sheet, and everyone promptly set it on fire.

Next, we turn to the heavy hitters of equality: the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, and 26th Amendments—the ones that expanded who gets to be an American, who gets to vote, and who gets to show up in this country’s story. We unpack the 13th Amendment’s abolition of slavery, and the giant asterisk that comes with it: “except as punishment for a crime,” a loophole that still echoes loudly in our prisons today. Then we walk through the citizenship and voting amendments, marveling at how much effort it took (and still takes) just to let people exist, vote, or be recognized as full humans.

And yes, I name names. I call out the current administration for treating the Constitution like it’s a choose-your-own-adventure book where every ending somehow grants them more power. We walk through their attempts to muzzle free speech, sidestep due process, and swing a wrecking ball at birthright citizenship—as if the 14th Amendment were a suggestion rather than, you know, the law. It’s a masterclass in pretending the Bill of Rights is a seasonal menu: available when convenient, quietly removed when the chef gets cranky. Spoiler alert: none of this behavior is just unethical or “controversial”—it’s flat-out illegal. So buckle up as we explore the amendments built to protect you, and the very modern leaders who keep trying to jailbreak democracy while insisting the Founders would have totally approved.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/4th-period-u-s-history--5621461/support.

Visit the class at Spreaker.com and follow! Link to the page HERE!  It would mean a lot and go a long way in helping grow class! Thank you for your support!

In this episode of 4th Period U.S. History, we take a joyride through the Constitution—America’s favorite sacred text that most people quote more than they actually read. We walk through Articles 1–7, breaking down exactly what the Founders were trying to prevent (spoiler: everything happening right now). From the legislative branch’s power-shopping list to the executive’s “please don’t be a tyrant” guidelines, we look at how this document tried—with the desperation of a group project leader—to keep the federal government functional.

Next, we dig into the judicial branch and pretend, just for a moment, that everyone still understands what “independent” means. Article 4 steps into the spotlight to remind states that they’re supposed to work with the nation, not cosplay as 50 tiny fiefdoms. Then Article 6 shows up, waving the oath clause around like, “Hey! Remember me? The thing every official swears to? The one that says your loyalty is to the Constitution and not to your favorite strongman of the week?” It’s almost adorable how optimistic the Framers were.

And yes, I do my best to be unbiased, but I’m not going to gaslight you. When the Constitution lays out the rules in plain language and the current administration decides those rules are more of a suggestion, I’m going to say it. This episode dives into what those legal obligations actually are—and why ignoring them isn’t just bad leadership, but unconstitutional. So buckle up: we’re unpacking the document everyone claims to love but very few seem to follow.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/4th-period-u-s-history--5621461/support.

Visit the class at Spreaker.com and follow! Link to the page HERE!  It would mean a lot and go a long way in helping grow class! Thank you for your support!

In this episode, we plunge headfirst into the murky origin story of the so-called “First Thanksgiving,” which, shocker, was never the peaceful, kumbaya potluck the picture books promised us. We back up to the Brownist roots of the Pilgrims, trace their flight from England to Holland to the “New World,” and track the cheery stats—like how nearly half of the 102 passengers on the Mayflower didn’t survive the first winter. (Nothing says “holiday tradition” like death, starvation, and a colony being held together with prayer and someone else’s food.) We also go ahead and spotlight that cute little fact about the Pilgrims robbing Native graves because nothing pairs better with religious piety than looting the neighbors.

Then we turn to the Wampanoag—people who had been thriving on this land for 12,000 years before the English stumbled ashore acting like they discovered a new continent. We break down how the Wampanoag didn’t just help the Pilgrims out of charity; it was a political alliance, a strategic move in a world already devastated by epidemics brought by earlier European contact. They taught the Pilgrims how to grow food, navigate the land, and stop dying every five minutes, and in return… well, we all know how that relationship went once the colonists got comfortable and started believing their own propaganda.

Finally, we take apart the myth itself—the Disneyfied 1621 feast we pretend is the “First Thanksgiving” and the far bloodier thanksgiving of 1637 after the Mystic River Massacre, when English colonists, alongside Native allies, obliterated the Pequot. Because apparently nothing says “thank you, God” like celebrating a massacre with a government-sanctioned feast. This episode digs into the uncomfortable truth: Thanksgiving didn’t begin as a feel-good story. It began as a mix of survival, manipulation, violence, and centuries of historical sugar-coating. So grab a plate, pull up a chair, and let’s ruin the holiday together—because nothing pairs better with your grandmother’s sweet potatoes than the bitter reminder that America’s warm-and-fuzzy origin story was stitched together with grave robbing, political desperation, broken alliances, and the kind of violence we now politely cover with cartoon turkeys and discounted Target décor.











Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/4th-period-u-s-history--5621461/support.

Visit the class at Spreaker.com and follow! Link to the page HERE!  It would mean a lot and go a long way in helping grow class! Thank you for your support!

In this episode, we peel back the glossy Revolutionary War narrative and hand the mic to three voices who dared to ask the newborn United States the questions it definitely did not want to answer. Abigail Adams writes with the audacity to suggest that women—brace yourself—might deserve actual rights. Chickasaw leaders show up to Congress politely asking who the hell they’re supposed to talk to now, since the British ghosted them and the new American government keeps changing its relationship status every five minutes. And Peter Bestes sends a letter to the Massachusetts Council reminding them that freedom is not a limited-time offer reserved exclusively for men who sign documents in fancy calligraphy.

As we dig into these voices, a pattern emerges clearer than a colonial dentist’s worst nightmare: America loved talking about liberty, but it loved gatekeeping it even more. The Revolution promised a fresh start, but for anyone not white, male, and holding property like it was Pokémon cards, the “pursuit of happiness” came with a long list of disclaimers and an asterisk the size of the Boston harbor. These writers and speakers weren’t outsiders—they were participants, observers, and inconvenient reminders that the founding ideals were already fraying before the ink was even dry.

So we follow their words, their demands, and their very reasonable questions about what freedom should look like—and we watch how the early republic politely smiled, nodded, and then did absolutely none of it. Dark humor? Always. Bitter truth? Required. Because these voices reveal the exact moment America began its long tradition of making big promises, breaking them almost immediately, and then acting confused when anyone pointed it out. And, lucky for us, they left a paper trail thick enough to make even the Founding Fathers shift uncomfortably in their powdered seats.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/4th-period-u-s-history--5621461/support.

Visit the class at Spreaker.com and follow! Link to the page HERE!  It would mean a lot and go a long way in helping grow class! Thank you for your support!