America: The Story of the USA

America: The Story of the USA

By Liam Heffernan | A Mercury PodcastSociety & CultureNewsPoliticsHistory
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America: The Story of the USA episodes

  • What is the Black Panther Party?

    In this powerful episode of America: A History, Liam sits down with acclaimed historian Robyn Spencer‑Antoine to unpack the real story of the Black Panther Party - far beyond the leather jackets, headlines, and Hollywood mythology.

    Drawing on decades of scholarship, Spencer‑Antoine traces the Panthers’ origins in Oakland’s local civil rights struggles, the socioeconomic inequalities that shaped Black life in the Bay Area, and the global revolutionary ideas that influenced the movement.

    As she explains, the Panthers emerged from “this confluence of political consciousness, this sense of possibility, and a desire for a different future, a remaking of America.

    .

    Special Guest:

    • Robyn Spencer-Antoine, an acclaimed historian and Associate Professor at the CUNY Graduate Center. She specializes in African American social protest after World War II, urban and working-class radicalism, and gender. She is also the author of The Revolution Has Come: Black Power, Gender, and the Black Panther Party in Oakland, a landmark study that re-centers women’s roles and organizational evolution within the Party,.

      .

      Highlights:

      02:17 - The origins of the Black Panthers

      08:42 - A uniquely Western movement

      11:23 - Huey Newton

      15:04 - Provocative versus passive activism

      21:23 - The 10 point program

      26:39 - The political leanings of the Black Panther party

      34:43 - Stigma and stereotypes

      42:48 - What happened to the Black Panthers?

      .

      For an extended reading list and to learn more, join our Patreon community now: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠

      .

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      55 min
    • Study Notes: The 10 Most Popular Tourist Destinations in the US

      America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask.

      This week, The Top 10 Tourist Attractions in the USA, in reverse order, based on annual visitor numbers, and correct at the time of writing in December 2025.

      .

      Contact us: [email protected]

      Join the community: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠⁠ - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

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      7 min
    • In the Making: Has American Politics Lost its Moral Compass?

      This week, on America: In the Making...

      • An announcement on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (00:00)
      • The death of civil rights activist Jesse Jackson (02:25)
      • 11 more dead after US strikes on drug boats (07:19)
      • Is morality in American politics dead? (21:51)
      • And President Obama believes in aliens (40:22)

        • Joining the show this week is Emma Long, Associate Professor in American History and Politics at the University of East Anglia.

        And also Jacob Jarvis, the host of American Friction, and a regular on The Bunker, so he loves podcasting about America almost as much as we do.

        .

        News sources:

        • American Friction [podcast]: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/american-friction/id1744345702 
        • Jesse Jackson’s Death: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jesse-jackson-dies-age-84-civil-rights-leader/ 
        • 11 dead after US strikes on alleged drug boats: https://apnews.com/article/boat-strikes-drug-trafficking-trump-5504d20ac43e0f4796084d0f1cefe5ec 
        • Drug dealers Trump has pardoned: https://www.complex.com/life/a/backwoodsaltar/drug-dealers-donald-trump-pardoned 
        • Pam Bondi testimonial: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/fiery-exchanges-dominate-bondi-appearance-before-congress-4-takeaways/ar-AA1Wa41i?ocid=BingNewsSerp 
        • How many countries has Trump attacked? https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/president-of-peace-really-countries-trump-has-bombed-in-his-second-term-article-153402053 
        • 2025 Government shutdown: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_United_States_federal_government_shutdown 
        • Impact of ICE raids: https://truthout.org/articles/the-trauma-of-ice-raids-is-rippling-through-public-schools-across-the-us/ 
        • Affordability crisis continues: https://www.allianz.com/en/economic_research/insights/publications/specials_fmo/260211-US-affordability.html 
        • Obama clarifies existence of aliens: https://www.nbcnews.com/video/barack-obama-clarifies-he-s-seen-no-evidence-of-aliens-257772101699

          • .

          Contact us: [email protected]

          Join the community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠⁠⁠⁠

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          49 min
        • Who is Elizabeth Keckley?

          This week, we discuss a woman whose journey from bondage to the heart of the Lincoln White House is a story of extraordinary perseverance and ingenuity. Her rise to prominence as a celebrated dressmaker and confidante to First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, her authorship of the groundbreaking memoir Behind the Scenes, and her philanthropic leadership during and after the Civil War, all mark her as a pivotal figure in American history.

          Yet, for much of the twentieth century, her story was marginalized - her achievements overshadowed by the very social barriers she fought to break down. Today, historians, artists, and writers are reclaiming her legacy, recognizing her not only as “Mrs. Lincoln’s dressmaker,” but as a businesswoman, author, activist, and Black female intellectual, whose life illuminates the intersections of race, gender, and power in nineteenth-century America.

          So in this episode, we explore her early years in slavery, her struggle for freedom, her career in Washington,, and the enduring impact she has had on American culture and scholarship, as I ask… who is Elizabeth Keckley?

          .

          Special Guest:

          • Professor Rebecca Fraser, a leading scholar of American history and culture at the University of East Anglia, specializing in the intersections of gender, race, and intellectual life in nineteenth-century America. Her recent book, Black Female Intellectuals in Nineteenth Century America: Born to Bloom Unseen?, reconceptualizes the very notion of “intellectual” to include women whose voices and creative work have long been excluded from mainstream scholarship.

            • .

            Highlights:

            03:48 - Early life

            08:16 - A day in the life of Elizabeth Keckley

            13:51 - Robert and Anna

            18:26 - Moving to St Louis

            26:58 - Hustling to the White House

            30:22 - Dressmaker to the First Lady

            35:00 - Where did it all go wrong?

            38:12 - Keckley the activist

            42:56 - Keckley's legacy

            .

            For an extended reading list and to learn more, join our Patreon community now: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠

            .

            Contact us: [email protected]

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            55 min
          • Study Notes: The Electoral College Explained

            America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask.

            This week, The Electoral College Explained - why it was created, how it works, and how it impacts a Presidential election.

            .

            Contact us: [email protected]

            Join the community: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠ - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

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            8 min
          • In the Making: Cree en Ti Mismo

            This week, on America: In the Making...

            • the fallout from Bad Bunny's Super Bowl performance (15:47),
            • teacher strikes continue in San Francisco (01:39),
            • that AI video with the Obamas (05:34),
            • the NAACP take on Elon Musk (38:06), and
            • a cat sanctuary puts some kindness back in the world (12:15)

              • Joining the show this week is Ira Chaleff, author of To Stop a Tyrant: The Power of Political Followers, which is available to buy now. He is co-author of the original handbook given to every newly elected member of the US Congress and is Chair Emeritus of the non-partisan Congressional Management Foundation.

              And Abre' Conner, Director of Environmental and Climate Justice at the NAACP

              .

              News sources:

              • NAACP Taking Action: Tech companies ‘be on alert,’ NAACP says with new guiding principles for data centers | The Verge

              • NAACP Playbook: https://naacp.org/articles/naacp-releases-playbook-frontline-communities-stop-dirty-data-centers 

              • NYT Magazine Article: https://law.news.niu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/03/Pollution-Is-Killing-Black-Americans.-This-Community-Fought-Back.-.pdf 

              • Bad Bunny and the Super Bowl: https://apnews.com/article/bad-bunny-kid-rock-super-bowl-halftime-698c46096a387cfec34e4cc2fba29d82 

              • Turning Point’s halftime show: https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/millions-of-super-bowl-fans-tune-into-turning-point-usas-halftime-show-instead-of-bad-bunny/ar-AA1VWOUB?ocid=BingNewsSerp 

              • Megyn Kelly on Piers Morgan: https://youtu.be/UmoekomrMww 

              • Spanish speaking Americans: https://factually.co/fact-checks/society/percentage-of-us-population-that-speaks-spanish-e6d3f7 

              • Teacher strikes in San Francisco: https://apnews.com/article/san-francisco-teachers-strike-ec574f8ac7ef0e0041e9f136e9f99140 

              • Trump’s Obama video: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/06/donald-trump-racist-meme-obama-explained/88544923007/ 

              • Trump not apologising: https://time.com/7372734/trump-obama-monkey-video-republican-criticism-racist-trope/ 

              • Cat Sanctuary: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/pet-sanctuary-takes-in-overflow-from-homeless-shelter-amid-unprecedented-cold-snap/ 

                • Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary: https://safehavenpet.org/

                  • .

                  Contact us: [email protected]

                  Join the community: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠⁠⁠

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                  1 hr 11 min
                • Who is Paul Robeson?

                  This week, we are discussing a gifted performer, a scholar, athlete, and, above all, a tireless activist. Born to a lineage marked by slavery and resilience, he rose to become one of the twentieth century’s greatest Renaissance figures, fighting for civil rights, and championing peace and internationalism.

                  His legacy is inseparable from the complex development of American national identity. His cosmopolitan vision, his refusal to be “just an entertainer” in a segregated nation, and his insistence that the artist must “take sides” brought him both global adulation and the crushing weight of McCarthyite repression.

                  We’re going to revisit his early influences, his multifaceted career, the full arc of his activism, and his impact on ideas of citizenship, art, and what it means to stand for justice in America and the world.

                  So in this episode, I’m asking… who is Paul Robeson?

                  .

                  Special Guest:

                  • Nicholas Grant, an Associate Professor of International History at the University of East Anglia. He is an expert on twentieth century United States, researching race, internationalism and transnational activism.

                    • .

                    Highlights:

                    02:51 - A disdain for Uncle Tom

                    09:02 - Race and social mobility

                    17:50 - Black America and the Harlem renaissance

                    23:19 - Leaving the echo chamber

                    29:05 - Robeson and Wales

                    39:18 - McCarthyism

                    44:17 - HUAC

                    .

                    For an extended reading list and to learn more, join our Patreon community now: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠

                    .

                    Contact us: [email protected]

                    Get the newsletter: ⁠https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/⁠

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                    57 min
                  • Study Notes: The Rules of American Football

                    America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask.

                    This week, The Rules of American Football - a brief history of the game, and everything you need to know, to understand what the heck is going on!

                    .

                    Contact us: [email protected]

                    Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

                    Get the newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

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                    6 min
                  • In the Making: The Return of the Epstein Files

                    This week, we're talking about the DOJ's release of three million documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein, and Trump's suggestion of nationalising elections.

                    Plus Sanam Naraghi Anderlini MBE discusses growing tension in the middle east, as the US and Iran inch ever closer to conflict.

                    All of this and more on another edition of America: A History in the Making.

                    .

                    Special Guests:

                    1. Clodagh Harrington from University College Cork. She is also host of the wonderful podcast A Chicken in Every Pot alongside Alex Waddan
                    2. Sanam Naraghi Anderlini MBE, founder of the International Civil Society Action Network, and host of the excellent podcast If You Were in Charge.

                      .

                      Mentioned in this Episode:

                      1. A Chicken in Every Pot: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-chicken-in-every-pot/id1780348590
                      2. ICAN: https://icanpeacework.org/
                      3. If You Were in Charge :https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/if-you-were-in-charge/id1770618616
                      4. Clintons agree to testify: https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/general/bill-and-hillary-clinton-agree-to-testify-in-house-about-jeffrey-epstein/ar-AA1VwJQU?ocid=BingNewsSerp
                      5. DOJ releases epstein files: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-publishes-35-million-responsive-pages-compliance-epstein-files
                      6. Met Police to investigate Peter Mandelson: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/clynp40ekrdt?page=4
                      7. Josh D’Amaro to Become Disney CEO: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/disney-ceo-announcement/
                      8. Trump wants to nationalise elections: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0mke841zj0o
                      9. FBI raid Fulton Country election office: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/winners-losers-from-james-harden-trade-to-cleveland-cavaliers/ar-AA1VCscN?ocid=BingNewsSerp
                      10. US shoot down Iranian drone: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-carrier-shoots-down-iranian-drone-as-tensions-escalate-and-diplomatic-talks-hit-a-snag/ar-AA1VABf1?ocid=BingNewsSerp

                        11. .

                        Want to advertise with us and support the American Studies community?

                        Email [email protected] and let's talk.

                        Contact us: [email protected]

                        Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

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                        56 min
                      11. What is The Last of the Mohicans?

                        Set in the forests of upstate New York during the French and Indian War, James Fenimore Cooper’s 1826 novel has become one of the most enduring works of early American literature. It helped define the frontier myth, shaped American ideas about Native peoples, and influenced generations of writers, filmmakers, and cultural storytellers.

                        Today, as we mark its 200th anniversary, we explore its themes, its historical context, and its complicated legacy.

                        So in this episode, I’m asking… what is The Last of the Mohicans?

                        ...

                        Special guest for this episode:

                        Professor Thomas Ruys Smith, a scholar of American literature and culture at the University of East Anglia. His work spans the 19th century, with particular expertise in the intersections of literature, history, and national identity. He has written extensively on American storytelling traditions, frontier mythology, and the cultural imagination of the early United States.

                        ...

                        Highlights from this episode:

                        02:09 - Standing the test of time

                        06:21 - America's newfound sense of self

                        10:36 - The story of The Last of the Mohicans

                        15:40 - Romanticising colonisation

                        21:23 - What the frontier means for America

                        27:09 - White male heroes

                        31:29 - Native American representations

                        35:57 - National identity isn't just black and white

                        40:32 - A more colourful America

                        47:05 - I'm freakin' Hawkeye

                        ...

                        Additional Resources:

                        1. The Last of the Mohicans — Free eBook
                        2. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/940
                        3. LitCharts: Themes and Analysis
                        4. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-last-of-the-mohicans (litcharts.com in Bing)
                        5. SparkNotes: Summary and Themes
                        6. https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mohicans/
                        7. Novelguide: Theme Analysis
                        8. https://novelguide.com/the-last-of-the-mohicans/theme-analysis (novelguide.com in Bing)
                        9. Montclair State University: Theme PDF https://cyber.montclair.edu/Resources/B2F9F/501012/ThemeOfLastOfTheMohicans.pdf (cyber.montclair.edu in Bing)
                        10. Encyclopedia Britannica: Cooper Biography
                        11. https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Fenimore-Cooper (britannica.com in Bing)
                        12. Library of Congress: Cooper Collection
                        13. https://www.loc.gov/collections/james-fenimore-cooper/about-this-collection/ (loc.gov in Bing)
                        14. American Literature: Cooper Overview
                        15. https://americanliterature.com/author/james-fenimore-cooper (americanliterature.com in Bing)
                        16. The Cambridge History of American Literature — Cooper chapter
                        17. https://www.cambridge.org
                        18. Oxford Bibliographies: James Fenimore Cooper
                        19. https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com
                        20. The Cambridge Companion to James Fenimore Cooper
                        21. https://www.cambridge.org
                        22. Playing Indian by Philip Deloria (on Native representation)
                        23. https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780300080674 (hup.harvard.edu in Bing)
                        24. The Invention of the American West by Richard Slotkin
                        25. https://www.amazon.com/Regeneration-Through-Violence-Mythology-1600-1860/dp/0806132290 (amazon.com in Bing)
                        26. National Park Service: French and Indian War Overview
                        27. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/french-and-indian-war.htm (nps.gov in Bing)
                        28. History.com: French and Indian War
                        29. https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/french-and-indian-war (history.com in Bing)
                        30. Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA)
                        31. https://naisa.org
                        32. Smithsonian NMAI: Native Representation in Literature
                        33. https://americanindian.si.edu (americanindian.si.edu in Bing)
                        34. The White Man’s Indian by Robert Berkhofer
                        35. https://www.amazon.com/White-Mans-Indian-Images-American/dp/0674957867 (amazon.com in Bing)
                        36. Roger Ebert Review of the 1992 Film
                        37. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-last-of-the-mohicans-1992 (rogerebert.com in Bing)
                        38. The New Yorker: Revisiting the Novel
                        39. https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/revisiting-the-last-of-the-mohicans (newyorker.com in Bing)
                        40. BFI: Michael Mann’s Adaptation https://www.bfi.org.uk

                          41. ...

                          And if you like this episode, you might also love:

                          Who Are Native Americans?

                          How Did Slavery Impact Cherokee Nation?

                          What is Thanksgiving?

                          ...

                          Contact us: [email protected]

                          Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

                          Get the newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

                          Brand & advertising enquiries: [email protected]

                          Want to advertise with us and support the American Studies community?

                          Email [email protected] and let's talk.

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                          56 min

                        About America: The Story of the USA

                        From the publisher's feed

                        SOTUS is your deep‑dive guide to how the United States became what it is today. From George Washington to Donald Trump, we unpack the people, places and events that shaped, and continue to shape, the nation’s identity.