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/world-war-ii-1941-1945

Era Playlist 🎧: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0nWS5MJtVDYdYzp20FLsb8?si=J2CKwBLSRi2nL2LpxNp0vw

This show will always be free! But the notion struck you, would you want to buy me a coffee ☕️?: https://ko-fi.com/americanascrapbook

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/2jITx0r2hcI4zqxHPQnfAB?si=iGNI0R64QliuAfqqwxYIFQ

This podcast will always be free! But if you did enjoy it, would you maybe wanna think about buying me a coffee ☕️?: https://ko-fi.com/americanascrapbook

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) Horrific conditions of modern warfare
(00:06:48) American attitudes
(00:08:01) The Lusitania and the Zimmermann telegram
(00:09:21) Preparing for war
(00:09:42) Changing military tactics at Vimy Ridge
(00:11:14) The airplane in war
(00:12:17) America enters the war (the Meuse-Argonne)
(00:14:32) Marines at Belleau Woods
(00:15:20) The American homefront
(00:17:03) Armistice
(00:19:59) Shell shock and Freud
(00:21:34) The Russian Revolution
(00:22:42) Epilogue

Era playlist 🎧: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4QA4GT6i7Kb7yP3fxVngaY?si=y2YNMXpITLCmarMfLl2BQA

Further reading 📚: https://bookshop.org/lists/world-war-i-1914-1918

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 United States history.

(00:00:00) Introduction
(00:00:59) The Panic of 1893
(00:03:57) The union movement
(00:07:15) The Populist Party
(00:12:34) Innovation makes life better for more people
(00:18:43) Comfortable and cozy homelife
(00:22:32) Life on the margins
(00:24:33) The Wilmington Massacre
(00:26:45) The rate of change
(00:27:55) The muckrakers and popular movements
(00:30:53) The Spanish-American War
(00:32:38) The White House press corps
(00:33:14) The Panama Canal
(00:34:23) The power of collective bargaining and trustbusting
(00:38:42) The National Park Service
(00:40:43) Epilogue

Eras playlist 🎧: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3WZSVzxeBt6YCYulKXgtSD?si=1EoF25nSQZae_SEWFU8jRA

Further reading 📚: https://bookshop.org/lists/the-progressive-era-1893-1913

Food consolidation 🌽🍎: https://nutritionstudies.org/consolidation-in-the-food-system/

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.org/lists/the-gilded-age-1876-1892

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=WAYGAaccQLSFW6o639aGjg

Further reading 📚: https://bookshop.org/lists/reconstruction-1866-1875

I'm keeping this podcast completely free! But if you did enjoy it... wanna buy me a coffee ☕️?:

buymeacoffee.com/guidetoamericanhistory

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://bookshop.org/lists/civil-war-1861-1865

This episode (and all future episodes) are free! But if you did enjoy it... would you wanna maybe buy me a coffee ☕️?:

buymeacoffee.com/guidetoamericanhistory

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, more tariffs, financial panic, urban planning, gold dust, the Oregon Trail, the middle class, the Mississippi, the lessons of Ancient Sparta, and the time someone was almost beaten to death on the floor of the Senate.

Eras playlist 🎧: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3VVsYUqZVI9Z57cq5XxeSx?si=xQS_gFdLTPKJBLVIn2_ekw

Further reading 📚: https://bookshop.org/lists/the-compromise-era-1832-1860

Everything in this podcast will always be free! But if you enjoyed it... maybe you would want to buy me a coffee ☕️?

buymeacoffee.com/guidetoamericanhistory

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 towns, steam engines, and cotton. Plus a hefty dose of nostalgia and populism.

Era playlist 🎧: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2MpUxXo0tQTZiHqYwCpX2I?si=frhnUNNkTRi8fFQRDKlv_Q

Further reading 📚: https://bookshop.org/lists/an-era-of-good-feelings-1816-1831

This podcast is totally free! But if you did enjoy this episode, buy me a coffee ☕️?:

buymeacoffee.com/guidetoamericanhistory

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 Playlist 🎧: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0wqgqZkgpxzoZxJWWZj7CK?si=-EEqm9yZSJWLiPQklwm8kw

Further reading 📚: https://bookshop.org/lists/proof-of-concept-1801-1815