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America: The Story of the USA
America: The Story of the USA episodes
- Who is Frederick Douglass?
You have probably heard the names Harriet Tubman or Booker T. Washington (not the WWE superstar), but what about Frederick Douglass?
As an African American born into slavery, nobody would have suspected this man would grow up to be one of the greatest public speakers of all time. Learning how to read and write by exchanging bread for books with local white children, Frederick Douglass broke out of bondage and became the most photographed person in 19th century America.
In this episode celebrating Black History Month 2023, we discuss the life and achievements of an abolitionist, a politician and, most importantly, a free black man in 19th century America, as we ask... who is Frederick Douglass?
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.Tony Phillips, a former undergraduate in American Studies at UEA. He forged a career as a documentary maker at the BBC, later becoming a commissioning editor at BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4. He was also Vice President of Content at WNYC Studios in New York, and he’s currently the exec producer on Every Voice with Terrance McKnight for WQXR NY.Key Points of Discussion:
- Douglass' upbringing as a slave, and his time in Maryland.
- What Frederick Douglass' can still tell us about the black experience in America today.
- Douglass the abolitionist and public speaker
- Post civil-war and his political career
Additional Resources:
BOOK: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
BOOK: Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom
PODCAST: Every Voice with Terence McKnight
BOOK: Frederick Douglass by Wililam S. Mcfeely
WEBSITE: Frederick Douglass’ Fifth of July Speech
If you enjoy this episode, you might also like:
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
37 min - Why is Children's Literature So Political?
From Huck Finn to Drag Queens, children’s literature has always been a deeply divisive subject.
But is this driven by parental overprotectiveness, or political bias?
In this episode, to celebrate Banned Books Week 2023, we look at the books and the people who have made headlines for all the wrong reasons, as we ask… why is children’s literature so political?
Our guests this week:
- Professor Thomas Ruys Smith, Professor of American Literature and Culture and Deputy Director of Area Studies at the University of East Anglia.
- Jonathan Hamilt, Executive Director of Drag Story Hour.
Hamilt is the first Executive Director of Drag Story Hour, taking it from a loose string of a few state’s events to a national 501 c 3 with an international chapter network. He has connected the chapter’s organizers and storytellers with each other on a global scale. Since being named Executive Director, Drag Story Hour has presented at Harvard, Yale, SXSW EDU, ABA, and the Medical Library Association.
Additional Resources:
WEBSITE: Drag Story Hour
WEBSITE: Banned Books Week
If you enjoy this episode, you might also like:
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
35 min - Who is Ron DeSantis?
From the war on Disney to the calamitous Presidential campaign launch on Twitter, Ron DeSantis is no stranger to the news, but what do we really know about him?
In this episode, we take a closer look at Trump's early challenger for the Republican nomination. Where does he come from? What does he stand for? And what does his meteoric rise through the GOP tell us about politics in America, as we answer the question... who is Ron DeSantis?
Returning from the faculty is Dr. Emma Long, Associate Professor of American History and Politics and Head of the Department of American Studies at the University of East Anglia.
Talking Points:
- DeSantis' rapid rise up the GOP, from a 0.4% victory margin in Florida to Presidential candidate
- Is he too young and inexperienced to run for President?
- The Culture Wars
- DeSantis vs Disney
- How can DeSantis beat Trump?
- Staying moderate enough to win the Presidency
Additional Resources:
WEBSITE: DeSantis for President
SOCIAL: DeSantis on Twitter
WATCH: Fox News (conservative) coverage of DeSantis
READ: New York Times (liberal) coverage of DeSantis
READ: BBC Coverage of DeSantis
This episode was recorded in July 2023
If you enjoy this episode, you might also like:
Will America Ever Elect a Woman for President?
Should Donald Trump Be Allowed to Run for President?
What is a Primary and a Caucus?
Who is Ron DeSantis?
How Are Presidents Elected?
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 - How Did Slavery Impact Cherokee Nation?
When you think of slavery, you most likely picture an African American on a white southern plantation, but the roots of slavery extended to Native American communities too.
In this episode we take a closer look at Cherokee freedpeople, why emancipation didn't necessarily mean freedom, and the complicated relationship with the federal government as we answer... how did slavery impact Cherokee Nation?
Joining the podcast is Dr. Andi Bawden. Her PhD considered Cherokee freedpeople and was interested in questions of race, identity, citizenship and sovereignty in the 19th and 20th centuries.
If you enjoy this episode, you might also like:
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
30 min - Who is Jimmy Carter?
From peanut farmer to Nobel Peace Prize winner via the White House, Jimmy Carter is a man driven by his strong faith in God, and a strong desire to succeed.
But what exactly did the 39th President achieve, and what will his enduring legacy be? In this episode, we dive a bit deeper in our first Presidential biography as we ask... who is Jimmy Carter?
Our guests this week are:
- Iwan Morgan, an emeritus professor of US Studies at University College London and an expert on the US Presidency. His most recent books are ‘Reagan: American Icon’ and ‘FDR: Transforming the Presidency and Renewing America’.
- Daniel K. Williams, a professor of history at the University of West Georgia and the author of several books on religion and politics in the United States, including ‘The Election of the Evangelical: Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and the Presidential Contest of 1976’.
Additional Resources:
READ: Reagan: American Icon
READ: FDR: Transforming the Presidency and Renewing America
READ: The Election of the Evangelical: Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and the Presidential Contest of 1976
LISTEN: Presidential - Jimmy Carter: Keeping the Faith
LISTEN: American Elections: Wicked Games - 1976, Ford vs Carter: Unimpeachable
WEB: The Carter Center
If you enjoy this, you may also like:
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
32 min - What is the American Dream?
The American Dream has come to define what every American should reach for. You'll hear it in almost every Presidential campaign speech, you'll read about it in every American novel, and you'll see it depicted in every classic American painting (basically anything by Edward Hopper), but do we even know what it is? Is it the same for everyone? And how can you get it?
In this episode we are going to take a closer look and figure out if there's any actual reality to this Dream, or if it's one big PR scam, as we answer the question... what is the American Dream?
Joining me on the podcast for the first time, but hopefully not the last, is Christopher Bigsby, an emeritus professor at the University of East Anglia. He has published more than sixty books, co-written radio and television plays, and published a number of novels, as well as a biography of Arthur Miller.
Points of Discussion:
- The first use of the American Dream and its popularization through works such as The Great Gatsby
- Is the American Dream really just the Caucasian Dream? We discuss the intent behind the American Dream, and its applicability to non-white, non-males.
- If you want to achieve the American Dream, is it more complicated than just buying some land and a gun?
Additional Resources:
BOOK: The Epic of America by James Truslow Adams
SONG: Only in America by Jay & the Americans
PLAY: The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O’Neill
BOOK: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
BOOK: Who Are We? by Samuel P. Huntington
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
40 min - Why Are Guns Still Legal?
On average, there is at least one mass shooting in America every single day.
News of the latest school shooting has become a regular occurrence, as gun crime in America draws attention not just domestically, but around the world.
Gun violence is an epidemic that shows no signs of stopping, but why? Why is banning guns so controversial? Who is standing in the way? And why would anyone still be in support of gun ownership? In this episode, we discuss an issue that continues to plague and divide America, as we figure out... why are guns still legal?
Returning to the podcast from the faculty is Emma Long, Associate Professor of American History and Politics and Head of the Department of American Studies at the University of East Anglia.
Our special guest is Chris Marvin, a retired Army officer, Black Hawk helicopter pilot, and a combat-wounded veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Today he serves as the veteran lead for the nation’s largest gun violence prevention organization, Everytown for Gun Safety. He is also an expert on gun suicide prevention, and he is currently producing a documentary exploring American gun culture.
Chris shares his insights as he continues the fight to end gun violence, and prevent guns from being the single biggest killer of children in the US.
Additional Resources:
WEBSITE: Everytown for Gun Safety
ARTICLE: Gun Violence a Major and Growing National Problem by Pew Research Center
If you enjoy this episode, you might also like:
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
35 min - What Do We Get Wrong About the Civil Rights Movement?
When you think of the Civil Rights Movement, you probably think of Martin Luther King, the back of the bus, or maybe even the Klu Klux Klan. Over time, the battle for civil rights in America has been simplified, tweaked, even fabricated. So in this episode we take a closer look at a struggle which has torn apart, reshaped and defined the United States of America as we ask... what do we get wrong about the Civil Rights Movement?
Joining from the faculty is 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.
We also have the pleasure of being joined on this episode by Gary Younge, an award-winning author, broadcaster and professor of sociology at the University of Manchester. His books include The Speech: The Story Behind Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream, and he is one of the most highly regarded voices on global civil rights.
Connect with Gary Younge:
Visit his website
Follow on X
Additional Resources:
BOOK: Winning Our Freedoms Together: African Americans and Apartheid, 1945-1960 by Nicholas Grant
BOOK: The Speech: The Story Behind Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream by Gary Younge
WEBSITE: The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
BOOK: Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision by Barbara Ransbury
BOOK: Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women Who Started It: The Memoir of Jo Ann Gibson Robinson
If you enjoy this episode, you may 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
42 min - What Makes the Super Bowl so Super?
The Super Bowl has evolved from just an American football game to an annual entertainment spectacle. But how did the Super Bowl manage to live up to its name so much?
Why is football so deeply rooted in American life?
And what does America's love of sport tell us about their national identity?
In this episode, we explore how a national sport became a multi-billion dollar economy as we answer the question… what makes the Super Bowl so super?
From the faculty this week, and making his professional debut on the podcast, is Thomas Ruys Smith, Professor of American Literature and Culture and Deputy Director of Area Studies at the University of East Anglia.
And our special guest is a guy who, to many NFL podcast fans, will be a very recognisable voice. Robert Mays is the host of The Athletic Football Show and all-round expert of the sport.
Additional Resources:
PODCAST: The Athletic Football Show
WEBSITE: NFL Website
BOOK: The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
If you enjoy this episode, you might also like:
What Makes the Super Bowl so Super?
When Did the USA Last Host the Olympics?
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 - Who Are Native Americans?
When you think of US history, do Native Americans come to mind?
In this episode, we begin our journey into the history of indigenous people of North America, their complicated relationship with the US federal government, and their ongoing fight to protect the land they call home, as we answer the question... who are Native Americans?
Returning from the faculty today is Jacqueline Fear-Segal, Professor of American and Indigenous Histories at the University of East Anglia.
And our special guest is Stephanie Pratt, who was appointed as the first Cultural Ambassador for the Crow Creek Dakota Tribal Council, where she is an enrolled member. She is also a highly respected academic who has published extensively on the visual and museum representations made of Indigenous American peoples from early contact to the present day.
Additional Resources:
WEBSITE: Edward S. Curtis Gallery
BOOK: Mni Sota Makoce: The Land of the Dakota by Gwen Westerman & Bruce White
FILM: We Shall Remain
If you enjoy this episode, you may also like:
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
38 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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