In this episode of American Tapestry, Andrew Roth continues his exploration of America's rich tradition of protest music, examining how songs have served as powerful expressions of freedom, justice, and social change. From the earliest women's rights anthems and suffrage songs to the music of second-wave feminism, Roth traces the evolution of songs that challenged inequality before turning to the African American spirituals, abolitionist hymns, and gospel traditions that laid the foundation for the Civil Rights Movement. Along the way, he highlights the contributions of influential artists including Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Erie native Henry "Harry" Burleigh, Odetta, Lead Belly, Pete Seeger, Fannie Lou Hamer, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, and Billie Holiday, whose iconic recording of Strange Fruit is often regarded as the greatest protest song of all time. Through the stories behind these timeless songs, Roth demonstrates how America's freedom music has inspired generations to demand equality, challenge injustice, and encourage the nation to live up to its highest ideals.

This Classic American Tapestry episode is a reprise of Episode 13 from August 2021. It opens with Bruce Springsteen’s 2026 “Streets of Minneapolis” and then explores protest music, its global origins and examples from Beethoven’s celebration of the rights of man in the 9th Symphony’s “Ode to Joy” and Irish songs of rebellion then shifting focus to American protest music from “Yankee Doodle” to abolitionist songs to labor anthems to the great Civil Rights songs of mid-20th century America to anti-war songs during the Viet Nam War era down to today and songs seeking racial justice as we explore American patriotic music and the freedom of which it sings – American freedom holidays on The American Tapestry Project.

Who was Irene Morgan Kirkaldy? John Stark? Frances Perkins? Or, more famously, Levi Strauss? This episode of The American Tapestry Project explores yet another new thread in the stories of how Americans weave the common objects of their love into the fabric of their national story by introducing you to some Unsung American Heroes. The Cambridge Dictionary defines unsung as “not noticed or praised for hard work, courage or great achievements”. An unsung hero does great deeds but receives little or no recognition for them. We’ll begin correcting that by telling you their story and the contribution they made to America’s tapestry of stories from Fred Harvey to Elizabeth Peratrovich, from Sergey Brin to Lydia Maria Child. While we’re at it, we’ll also answer listener questions about some books of interest behind the series: Jill Lepore’s The Case for the Nation, Joseph Ellis’ His Excellency and John Lewis Gaddis’ The Landscape of History.

Who was Irene Morgan Kirkaldy? John Stark? Frances Perkins? Or, more famously, Levi Strauss? This episode of The American Tapestry Project explores yet another new thread in the stories of how Americans weave the common objects of their love into the fabric of their national story by introducing you to some Unsung American Heroes. The Cambridge Dictionary defines unsung as “not noticed or praised for hard work, courage or great achievements”. An unsung hero does great deeds but receives little or no recognition for them. We’ll begin correcting that by telling you their story and the contribution they made to America’s tapestry of stories from Fred Harvey to Elizabeth Peratrovich, from Sergey Brin to Lydia Maria Child. While we’re at it, we’ll also answer listener questions about some books of interest behind the series: Jill Lepore’s The Case for the Nation, Joseph Ellis’ His Excellency and John Lewis Gaddis’ The Landscape of History.

In this episode, in honor of Women’s History month we’ll explore the careers of a sampling of the great women crooners of the early 20th century who took love songs out of the parlor and onto the stage and then radio and the movies. Who were the great women crooners who redefined the love song for a new era and a new generation. We’ll meet Nora Bayes, Annette Handshaw, Helen Forrest, Dinah Shore, Ella Fitzgerald and other as we celebrate Women’s History month with the sounds of the women who dominated pop music from the 1910s to the mid-1950s and beyond.

Although Valentine's Day is not an official holiday anywhere, it is celebrated in more countries around the world than any other holiday. Where did this rose-hued holiday custom of gift-giving, card sharing, chocolate consuming courtship, and romance originate? Did you know that every February over 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold, that the average person spends $164.76 for the day, that approximately one billion cards are exchanged around the world, that $2 billion-plus will be spent on flowers, and that each year approximately 18 percent of women send themselves flowers? Discover the origin and path through history taken to now by this holiday celebrating “saints, sex, sentiment, and chocolate.

In this episode we step back into the era before radio, recorded music, and streaming playlists to an era when the soundtrack of daily life was created by people in their homes at pianos often by flickering light – the 19th century world of parlor songs, love, and courtship.

This episode combines two threads in The American Tapestry Project: the American Way of Christmas and popular music by examining the backstories of ten of the best Christmas carols about that American icon – Santa Claus. From “Up on the Rooftop” to “Twas the Night Before Christmas” we’ll hear the best that’s been sung about Jolly Old St. Nick and Santa Claus who is coming to town and knows whether you’ve been naughty or nice.

In the first part of Episode 55, The American Tapestry Projects exploration of the history of American popular music begins with a brief look at mid-19th century minstrelsy as the origin of American popular music and variety show entertainment, the career of its greatest songwriter, Stephen Foster, and concludes by pivoting to the origins and customs of Thanksgiving Day with Bing Crosby crooning “I’ve Got Plenty to Be Thankful For.”

This episode of The American Tapestry Project explores the origins of Columbus Day and Halloween. Who was Columbus and how did his holiday celebrate Italian Americans and where did the Halloween custom of trick or treating originate? For that matter, what does the word Halloween mean? Find out Episode 54 of The American Tapestry Project.