America: The Story of the USA

This week, UEA's Emma Long and former leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Vince Cable join the show to discuss the controversial Enhanced Games, Pope Leo's apology for slavery, and the best graduation present ever... or not.

Our guest today is Emma Long, Associate Professor in American History and Politics at the University of East Anglia.

We're also delighted to welcome to the show the UK’s former Business Secretary, former leader of the Liberal Democrat party, and knight of the realm, Sir Vince Cable…

.

Stories:

01:28 - The Pope Apologises for Slavery

09:32 - White House Shooting

14:40 - The Enhanced Games

36:55 - Best Graduation Present Ever

.

Sources:

.

America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

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

Get in touch: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A nation can win a war and still spend generations arguing over what that victory meant. In the decades after Appomattox, the Republican Party - born in opposition to slavery and triumphant in preserving the Union - found itself wrestling with the very legacy it had created. Was the party the guardian of emancipation, the steward of Union memory, the engine of national reconciliation, or something more conflicted altogether?

Today, we trace how the Civil War didn’t just shape the GOP’s past, but set it on a path that would define its identity, its voters, and its vision of America for more than a century.

So in this episode, I’m asking… how did the civil war change the republican party?

.

Special Guest:

Tim Galsworthy a lecturer in History and Military History at Lincoln Bishop University. He specializes in the interplay between memory, politics, and race in the modern United States, with a particular focus on the Republican Party and Civil War memory. He is also the author of The Republican House Divided: Civil War Memory, Civil Rights, and the Transformation of the GOP.

.

Highlights:

02:51 - Abraham Lincoln the Great Unifier

09:22 - The Lost Cause

13:16 - A Retreat from Civil Rights

20:14 - The National Union Strategy

27:50 - Remembering vs Celebrating

34:10 - Being Raised in the Lost Cause

38:01 - The Republican Pivot

46:25 - Lessons from the Past

49:57 - Did Obama Create Trump?

.

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/⁠⁠⁠

Brands & advertises: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Today: and the latest in our Presidents series, is about the fifth President, James Monroe - his election, presidency, key achievements and legacy.

.

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]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, US senators have voted unanimously to withhold their own pay during future shutdowns. We also look at the latest redistricting news, and what it could mean for future elections.

And, as the war in Iran continues, we take stock of what exactly is happening after Trump warned the clock is ticking on a peace deal. What does that even mean, and what does peace even look like?

My guest this week is Andrew Gawthorpe from Leiden University, whose research focuses on the foreign policy and politics of the modern and contemporary United States, and is the host of the excellent newsletter, America Explained.

.

Stories:

03:54 - Redistricting https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-congress-trump-voting-rights-b939802fd1ee9c3ae47a8619151a9746

14:04 - Senators Withhold Pay During Shutdowns https://apnews.com/article/senate-pay-shutdown-withhold-government-face16eac3196ad4c3bedf3d699be87f

19:23 - The War in Iran https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd0p4y9y48xo

39:56 - WordSkills Competition https://uk.news.yahoo.com/community-college-student-michigan-1st-113401010.html

.

Sources:

.

America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

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

Get in touch: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speeches in wartime do more than persuade. They inspire, they unify, and they define the terms of struggle. In the years around 1861, orators on both sides used rhetoric to justify secession, to call men to arms, to appeal for foreign sympathy, and to reframe the meaning of the Union. From abolitionist orations to Confederate defenses of slavery, public speech shaped recruitment, diplomacy, and memory.

So in this episode, I’m asking… how did speeches win the American Civil War?

.

Special Guest:

Thomas Wright, a Professor of History at the University of Sussex, who specialises in 19th‑century American political culture and rhetoric. His recent work examines public persuasion, print culture, and transatlantic debates during the Civil War era.

.

Highlights:

02:10 - Speeches were an event

05:45 - Politics and religion

09:35 - The Antislavery Movement

16:13 - The Most Consequential Speech in American History

21:06 - The Confederate Argument

27:18 - Did the South Really Believe in Slavery?

32:36 - Abraham Lincoln

39:52 - The Art of the Soundbite

42:45 - Gladstone's Speech

48:00 - What Makes Speeches So Powerful?

53:59 - Modern Speeches

.

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/⁠⁠⁠

Brands & advertises: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Today every Constitutional Amendment — what they are, why they were passed, and the big debates surrounding them.

.

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]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, after an epic Truth Social session from the President, we revisit a question we asked several weeks ago... is Donald Trump really ok? Because things are getting out of hand now!

Also, Trump rehires a guy he fired a year ago into the same job.

And a diplomatic test of strength for the White House as Trump visits China, in what may just turn out to be a historic trip.

My guest this week is John Meagher, one of Ireland's top new comedians and a former martial artist who represented his country. So like Joe Rogan, but better.

.

Stories:

01:31 - Trump hires Cameron Hamilton to FEMA... again https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/president-nominates-cameron-hamilton-lead-fema-year-after-fired-rcna344632

10:58 - Trump in China

22:12 - Is Trump ok? https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/trump-truth-social-obama-arrest-controversy-1796488

44:50 - Poonsylvania https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/05/12/large-fertilizer-spill-makes-messy-commute-along-highway/7921778605613/

.

Sources:

.

America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

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

Get in touch: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amelia Earhart’s disappearance in 1937 is one of the most enduring mysteries in modern history. Her final flight was meant to be the crowning achievement of a remarkable career - a round‑the‑world journey that would push the limits of aviation and cement her status as a global icon. Instead, it became the beginning of decades of speculation, investigation, and myth‑making.

Today, we’re looking at what we actually know about that final voyage, the theories that have emerged, and why her story continues to captivate the world.

So in the second of our two-part special, I’m asking… what happened to Amelia Earhart?

.

Special Guest:

Rachel Hartigan, a journalist, author, and longtime National Geographic contributor who has written extensively about Amelia Earhart, including her latest book ⁠Lost: Amelia Earhart’s Three Mysterious Deaths and One Extraordinary Life⁠, which is available right now.

.

Highlights:

02:02 - Amelia the Advocate

07:54 - Her Last Known Location

13:46 - The Official Story

17:26 - Three Theories

27:08 - An Enduring Mystery

33:22 - Influence and 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]

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

Brands & advertises: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Today we’re looking at a question that confuses a lot of people: What exactly are the U.S. territories? Where are they, how did they come under American control, what political power do they have, and what does their future look like?

.

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]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we take a closer look at the ongoing battle between President Trump and Universities, and what this tells us about education, the first amendment, free speech, and politics in America.

We also discuss the Supreme Court's decision to dismantle part of the Voting Rights Act, and essentially allow states to redraw voting districts to the detriment of black and minority representation.

Plus, a team of Connecticut scientists may have discovered an alternative to plastic, and the answer lies in cannabis.

My guest this week is Kate Ballantyne, a Senior Lecturer in American History at Liverpool John Moores University.

.

Stories:

01:14 - SCOTUS and the Voting Rights Act

09:59 - Vivek Ramaswamy for Ohio Governor

22:58 - Trump, Activism and the War on Education

45:18 - Cannabis Plastic

.

Sources:

.

America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

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

Get in touch: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices