The First Amendment of the US Constitution is just forty-five words long, but its impact has drastically shaped American life. For much of American history, the First Amendment was narrow, unevenly applied and frequently ignored, especially for those challenging the status quo. The First Amendment tells a larger story about who gets to speak, who gets to be heard, and how a nation decides where freedom ends and danger begins.

Our guest this week is Michael Hattem, historian of the American Revolution whose newest work titled The Declaration of Independence: A Concise History will be published in the fall of 2026.

Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Tom Delargy. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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Eisenhower, Washington, Greene, Grant. There have been thousands of Generals in the United States' Armed Forces. Picking out the best of the crop would be impossible, right?

In this episode, Don is joined once again by Major Jonathan Bratten of the National Guard to sift through some of the stand out figures in our military history. The impossible questions are only just getting started.

Edited by Richard Power, produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

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American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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The two-term limit, the idea that the President of the United States may not seek a third term, has a long history. Originating from a decision made by George Washington, it quickly became an established political norm in America. Since then however it has transformed from a political expectation to a constitutionally mandated practice... but why?

Our guest today is historian and Professor Jeremi Suri of the University of Texas at Austin, author works including ‘Civil War By Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy.’

Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Tom Delargy. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

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American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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New weapons, new opponents, new technology - as warfare evolves, armies need generals able to evolve with it. In this episode, Don is joined by Cecily Zander to discuss the most innovative generals in American History. Whether it's the use of tanks, total war or local scouts, these mean have changed the world we live in.

Cecily is the author of the upcoming 'Abraham Lincoln and the American West', and 'The Army Under Fire: Antimilitarism in the Civil War Era'. Edited by Aidan Lonergan, produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

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American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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In July 1776, a group of men in Philadelphia committed an unthinkable act: they challenged one of the most powerful empires in the world by signing what became known as the American Declaration of Independence.

What had happened in the previous years that pushed them to such drastic action? What were the disagreements over the document's wording? And what movements and ideas were inspired by its message?

To take us through this topic, we welcome back Michael Hattem, author of ‘Memory of ‘76: The Revolution in American History.’ His newest work titled ‘The Declaration of Independence: A Concise History’ will be published in the Fall of 2026.

Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Tom Delargy. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

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American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

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Ruthless tactics. Extreme violence. The loss of huge numbers of their own troops. The deaths of the most opposing troops. What makes a general 'bloody'? And who fits that description best?

In this first of four episodes on American Generals, Don and Jonathan Bratten sort through the rolodex of military leaders. Robert E. Lee, John Bell Hood, John J. Pershing or Douglas MacArthur. Who will win this unwelcome title?

Major Jonathan D. Bratten is command historian for the Maine National Guard and a regular guest on American History Hit. He has written extensively on the history of Guard units from states across New England. His book is entitled 'To The Last Man: A National Guard Regiment in the Great War, 1917-1919'.

Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Richard Power. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

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From the 1830s until the arrival of the transcontinental railroad, hundreds of thousands of people packed their possessions into wagons and headed west, seeking land and opportunity. Following in the footsteps of Native Americans and fur trading ‘mountain men’, many travelled for several months along what became known as the Oregon Trail. But as Don hears from YouTube history teacher Mr Beat (youtube.com/c/iammrbeat), not all would succeed. Miles from civilisation, people succumbed to disease, dangerous river crossings and attacks by Native Americans, whose land they were crossing and on which they intended to settle.

Produced by Benjie Guy. Mixed by Thomas Ntinas. Senior Producer: Charlotte Long.

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Ever since independence, a question has hovered over the government of the United States. How much power should the President have? Not too much, lest they become a monarch. But not too little, they are elected to do a job and that job must be done.

In this episode of American History Hit, Don is joined once again by Professor of Political Science, Graham G Dodds. Graham is author of 'The Unitary Presidency' and, together, he and Don discuss the power of the President.

Can they commit a crime? How has the unitary executive been used in domestic, and foreign, spaces? And where was this theory born - with the Constitution, Hamilton, Reagan or Bush?

Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.

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When fossils were discovered in the US during the 19th Century, it altered American understandings of science, religion, race and more. So what was the Hadrosaurus Foulkii, and why did it have such an enormous effect?

Caroline Winterer, William Robertson Coe Professor of History and American Studies at Stanford University, joins Don for this episode. Caroline's book on this topic is 'How the New World Became Old: The Deep Time Revolution in America'.

Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Nick Thomson. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.

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Today we're delving into the archives and revisiting Don and Michael Kauffman's conversation on the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln...

On the evening of 14th April, 1865, the Union was celebrating victory in the civil war, won 5 days earlier with General Lee's surrender at Appomattox. President Abraham Lincoln was watching a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington DC. But some Southern sympathisers still thought the Confederacy could be restored. Among them was the actor John Wilkes Booth. He entered the theatre, made his way to Lincoln's box and carried out the first assassination of a US president. Michael Kauffman takes Don through the conspiracy to murder Lincoln and the act itself, after which Booth fled on horseback, into the night.

Produced by Benjie Guy. Mixed by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer: Charlotte Long.

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