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America: The Story of the USA
America: The Story of the USA episodes
- How to Make a Hollywood Christmas Movie
From Home Alone to Love Actually, Hollywood Christmas movies are as much a part of the festivities as Santa Claus and Christmas trees. There’s nothing quite like watching your favourite seasonal film to get you in the spirit. But what makes them so watchable? In this episode, we unpick some of our favourite festive treats as we find out… how to make a Hollywood Christmas movie.
Guests on this episode:
Thomas Ruys Smith, a Professor of American Literature and Culture and Deputy Director of Area Studies at the University of East Anglia.Jon Mitchell, an Associate Professor of American Studies at the University of East Anglia. He is interested in late 20th Century US culture, with a particular interest in the representation of gender and sexuality.Additional resources:
BOOK: The Last Gift: The Christmas Stories of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman by Thomas Ruys Smith
BOOK: Christmas Past: An Anthology of Seasonal Stories from Nineteenth-Century America by Thomas Ruys Smith
If you love this episode, you might also like:
What is the War on Christmas?
How to Make a Hollywood Christmas Movie
What's the History of Christmas in America?
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
42 min - What's the History of Christmas in America?
In the words of Andy Williams, It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but do we really know why we celebrate Christmas? Do our modern day traditions of Santa, trees and TV specials blind us from the real history of the holidays? This episode is definitely NSFK - not safe for kids - as we answer… what is the history of Christmas in America?
Guests on this episode:
Thomas Ruys Smith - a Professor of American Literature and Culture and Deputy Director of Area Studies at the University of East Anglia. His latest book, The Last Gift: The Christmas Stories of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, is available now.Brian Earl tells the fascinating stories behind our favourite holiday’s traditions through the popular podcast, Christmas Past. The podcast, one of the longest-running of its kind, delivers holiday cheer with a storytelling style inspired by public radio.Talking points:
- When did Christmas stop being a religious holiday?
- The Americanization of Christmas
- Santa Claus / Father Christmas / Saint Nicolas
- How Coca-Cola hijacked the holidays
Additional resources:
PODCAST: Christmas Past by Brian Earl
BOOK: Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions by Brian Earl
BOOK: The Last Gift: The Christmas Stories of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman by Thomas Ruys Smith
BOOK: Christmas Past: An Anthology of Seasonal Stories from Nineteenth-Century America by Thomas Ruys Smith
POEM: The Children’s Friend
If you love this episode, you might also like:
What is the War on Christmas?
How to Make a Hollywood Christmas Movie
What's the History of Christmas in America?
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
33 min - Is the President Above the Law?
The Presidency is considered one of the most important jobs in the world, and as the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. But where’s the line? How much power is too much power? In this episode, we look at Presidents past and present to figure out… are they really above the law?
To help me answer this question, who else but Dr. Emma Long, Associate Professor of American History and Politics and Head of the Department of American Studies at the University of East Anglia.
If you love this episode, you might also enjoy:
What Was the Constitutional Convention?
Why Does the President Only Serve Two Terms?
Is the President Above the Law?
How Are Presidents Elected?
What is the US Constitution?
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
36 min - What is Thanksgiving?
In America, Thanksgiving is comparable to Christmas on the holiday calendar. It’s when everyone gets together with turkey, football, and the Macy’s parade to be thankful for what they have. But where did this holiday really come from? In this episode we explore the history and the real meaning of America’s favourite holiday as we answer… what is Thanksgiving?
Our guest this week is David Silverman, a Professor of history a George Washington University. He specializes in Native American, Colonial American, and American racial history, and his most recent book is This Land is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving.
Additional reources:
BOOK: This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving by David J. Silverman
If you love this episode, you might also enjoy:
Why Do Americans Love Halloween?
What is Thanksgiving?
What's the History of Christmas in America?
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
35 min - Could Friends BE Any Bigger?
Insomnia Cafe doesn't sound like the name of one of the most successful TV shows of all time. And yet, this was almost the title for little comedy about 6 new yorkers navigating life, love and work.
So in this episode, as we remember the late Matthew Perry, we discuss why it became so huge and what that tells us about America, as we ask... could Friends BE any bigger?
Joining the podcast is Dr Rachael McLennan, Senior Lecturer in American Literature and Culture, and Head of School for Art, Media and American Studies at the University of East Anglia.
If you enjoy this episode, you might also like:
What Makes Country Music so American?
Are the Oscars Still Relevant?
Why Does Everyone Love Disney?
Could Friends BE Any Bigger?
How Accurate is Forrest Gump?
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
49 min - What Does Kindred Tell Us About Plantation Life?
In 1979, author Octavia Butler published a novel which would become a foundational text in our understanding of slavery. Kindred tells the story of Dana, an African American writer from California, who travels back uncontrollably to early 1800s Maryland to protect her ancestors and ensure her own existence.
In this episode, we are going to take a closer look at Kindred, both the book and its recent 2023 TV adaptation, as we answer the question... what does Kindred tell us about plantation life?
Guests on this episode:
Dr. Rebecca Fraser, a historian of 19th century America with a particular interest in the history of African Americans, especially relating to their resistance against slavery and the enslaved experience.Dr. Hilary Emmett, an Associate Professor in American Studies at the University of East Anglia. She researches the afterlives of enslavement in literature and visual culture, with a particular interest in the transnational reach of the late, great, Nobel prize winner, Toni Morrison.Additional Resources:
BOOK: Kindred (1979) by Octavia E. Butler
SERIES: Kindred (2023)
BOOK: Closer to Freedom: Enslaved Women & Everyday Resistance in the Plantation South (2004) by Stephanie Camp
BOOK: Dispossessed Lives: Enslaved Women, Violence and the Archive (2016) by Marisa J. Fuentes
If you love this episode, you might also enjoy:
Why Did America Ban Slavery?
How Did Slavery Impact Cherokee Nation?
Who is Frederick Douglass?
What Does Kindred Tell Us About Plantation Life?
Who is Harriet Tubman?
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
51 min - Why Do Americans Love Halloween?
Halloween has become a distinctly American holiday, but it wasn't always like this. In fact, the roots of this holiday may be frighteningly closer to home than you might think!
In this episode, Professor Thomas Ruys Smith returns to the podcast for an unscripted chat about the history of Halloween, and why it managed to proliferate so much in America and become the commercial holiday staple we know and love today.
If you enjoy this episode, you might also like:
Why Do Americans Love Halloween?
What is Thanksgiving?
What's the History of Christmas in America?
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
27 min - BONUS: 'Twas the Night of All Hallows
Ahead of the release of our Halloween special, Professor Thomas Ruys Smith recites a lost poem from 19th century America.
This is 'Twas the Night of All Hallows in its full, original glory.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
5 min - Who is Ed Gein?
You may not have heard the name Ed Gein before, but he's probably your worst nightmare. Otherwise known as the butcher of Plainfield, his crimes inspired some of the most iconic American horror characters of all time, including Norman Bates and Leatherface.
So in this episode, we get to know a little more about Eddie - who he was, what he did, and how he became one of the most influential serial killers in American history, as we ask... who is Ed Gein?
Guests:
Alex James, an American Studies postgraduate student at the University of East Anglia, with an interest in American’s obsession with serial killers and true crime.Harold Schecter, a Professor Emeritus at Queens College, the City University of New York, where he taught American literature for forty-two years. He has published over forty books including ‘Deviant: The True Story of Ed Gein’ and he is a two-time Edgar Award nominee. If you want to know anything about American serial killers, this is the man to speak to.Additional Resources:
BOOK: Deviant by Harold Schecter
GRAPHIC NOVEL: Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? By Harold Schecter
BOOK: Psycho by Robert Bloch
If you enjoy this episode, you might also like:
Who is Ed Gein?
Why Do Americans Love Halloween?
Why Do Americans Love Aliens?
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
43 min - What Challenge Does Black Lives Matter Represent to America?
You might think that the civil rights movement ended in the 1960s, but America is still a deeply divided country. In recent years, thanks to high profile cases of racially motivated police brutality such as George Floyd, Black Lives Matter has become a global movement.
So in this episode, we explore what it is, why now, and what this means for the US, as we ask... what challenge does Black Lives Matter represent to America?
This week's guest:
Dr. Nicholas Grant, a historian of twentieth century United States and author of 'Winning Our Freedoms Together: African Americans and Apartheid, 1945-1960.' His research focuses on race, internationalism and transnational activism.Key talking points:
- The history of Black Lives Matter, from the first raised fist at the 1968 Olympics to the formation of Black Lives Matter in 2013.
- George Floyd really made BLM a key issue of public interest and garnered worldwide attention, so is Black Lives Matter just an American movement anymore?
- What does the proliferation of the BLM movement in the last ten years tell us about America?
- One of the key arguments from the critics of BLM is that all lives matter. So why is Black Lives Matter only about Black Lives?
Additional resources:
WEBSITE: Black Lives Matter
If you enjoy this podcast, you might also like:
What Do We Get Wrong About the Civil Rights Movement?
What Challenge Does Black Lives Matter Present to America?
What is the Civil Rights Act?
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
33 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.
Designed for curious listeners, students, educators, and lifelong learners, this series blends accessible storytelling with historically grounded insight to help you understand not just what happened in America’s past, but why it still matters now.
If you want a clear, compelling, and richly narrated journey through U.S. history, this is the podcast that brings the American story to life.
Made in partnership with the British Association for American Studies.
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JOIN THE COMMUNITY: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community
GET THE NEWSLETTER: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/
BRANDS & ADVERTISING: [email protected]
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America: A History is a part of the Mercury Podcast Network, hosted by your resident US expert Liam Heffernan, in partnership with The British Association for American Studies: baas.ac.uk
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