How much do you know about American history? Well, if your historical interests brought you here, then there’s probably a lot you do know, and even more that you’ve forgotten. Hello, I’m Dustin Bass and this is American Tales — a podcast designed to explore the world through American history. 

Back to my original question, you probably know that Christopher Columbus is credited with discovering America — and you also know that it appears the Vikings discovered it before he did. I’m certain you know that the American colonists, led by George Washington, defeated Great Britain in the American Revolution with great assistance from the French, and even some help from the Spanish and Dutch. You probably know that the United States Constitution is the longest surviving constitution in world history, and that the words of the Declaration of Independence helped guide Americans toward a more perfect union by finally, after some doing — such as the Civil War, women’s suffrage, and the Civil Rights movement — enshrining into law and practice that “all men are created equal.” You probably know about the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and the ensuing exploration adventure of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. You’ve heard about the Gold Rush of 1848 and 49. As aforementioned, you know about the Civil War and the era that followed — an era that Mark Twain coined as the Gilded Age. You’ve heard of Theodore Roosevelt — he’s one of the faces on Mount Rushmore. You probably know something about Woodrow Wilson, the president during our involvement in World War I. There’s the Roaring 20s and the Great Depression. There’s Dec. 7, 1941…that brought us into World War II. You are certainly aware that after that war, America became the global leader economically, militarily, and for all intents and purposes, politically. Of course, not everyone would agree with that sentiment, especially the Soviets, against whom we struggled for nearly five decades in what was called The Cold War. There was the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and the fall of Communism. And with that fall came the promise of a new world order. The world was new, and within this new world America introduced the internet, which entirely altered the global landscape.

These are all the things you know or perhaps forgot you knew.

But what about everything else? Those moments and people we’ve never heard of. Those moments and people who are, perhaps not intentionally ignored, but have simply been overlooked.

American Tales is a podcast that will unearth the things you know, the things you thought you knew, the things you’ve forgotten, and the things you were never told.

My hope is that you will not only learn more about American history, but that this podcast will create in you a stronger sense of appreciation and pride about our great country, our accomplishments, and about the leaders — known and unknown — who have guided us through good times, bad times, and even those times we’ve all forgotten.

At the end of every episode there will be a further reading recommendation. I will also cite all of my sources in the episode notes.

Every episode has been fact-checked for accuracy. But if you happen to hear something that is incorrect, feel free to contact me at ⁠[email protected]⁠.

American Tales is under the banner of The Sons of History, a history-teaching initiative launched in 2018 by myself and Alan Wakim.

In these narrations I will be using different voices and accents where applicable. I’m not a classically trained voice actor, so you’ll forgive me if the accents are not exact.

Episode 1 releases Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, so please click the subscribe button. Also, you can follow the show on Instagram or X @amtalespodcast.

Episodes will post every Monday morning at 5 AM Eastern Time.