The shadow of the First World War hung over the world. The victors were exhausted and the vanquished wanted revenge. We discuss the death of European democracies, the global origins of World War II, and America’s reluctant journey to war.

The Great Depression sucked, the Dust Bowl made it even worse. We discuss how American greed destroyed both the economy and the land. Buckle up.

The 1920s was an era of contradictions. We deconstruct the popular image of the Roaring Twenties and examine the tensions at work in American culture. The decade was anything but simple.

Who doesn’t like beer? Lots of people, apparently. As Americans sought to remedy the ills plaguing their society, beer was caught in the cross hairs. We tell the story of how the American beer industry rose to defend itself against Progressive Era reforms in a decades-long fight. And it almost worked.

At the turn of the 20th century, America flexed its power globally and claimed a small empire. We tell the messy story of American imperialism and the ideas which shaped the process.

The Industrial Revolution created a divide between the wealthy and the poor. The result? Class warfare on the streets of America. We discuss the Gilded Age in all its volatility and bloodshed.

The American West was the meeting ground for numerous races and cultures; Native Americans, Hispanics, Anglo Americans, African Americans, and Chinese immigrants. During Westward Expansion, each group brought their own musical tradition and expressed themselves through song. We examine their stories of oppression, resistance, and peace, told through music.

The Civil War shattered the nation; during Reconstruction (1865-1877), America had to put itself back together. It was an era of experimentation and corruption, of Civil Rights and racial violence. We discuss the struggle to control the legacy of the Civil War.

You asked, and we answered!

The Civil War freed families from slavery and divided families on the battlefield. We look at how the war impacted America’s most intimate relationships.

War, compromise, violence on the floor of the senate, blood on the frontier, then war again. We discuss how slavery and westward expansion put the Nation on the road to civil war.

From the colonies to emancipation, generations of women, men, and children were traded as commodities. We discuss the 250 year evolution of African slavery in America.

Cholera, fire, violence, and manure. Life in antebellum New York was exciting, dirty and filled with class conflict. We discuss the environmental and social struggles in the early decades of the city’s urbanization.

Part two! We continue the story of the twin revolutions–specifically their impact on slavery, political parties, pop culture, and Native Americans in the antebellum era.

Revolutions in both transportation (railroads! canals!) and communication (printing press!) disrupted and reshaped early American society. In part one, we look at the transformation of the economy, gender roles, and religious belief in the antebellum era.

The Revolution was just the beginning. Next, the Founding Fathers had to create the Nation. We discuss the contentious and complex origins of the American government.

You asked, and we answered!

The American Revolution didn’t just create a new nation, it created a new way of thinking. We discuss how religion, philosophy, and politics fused to form a distinctly American worldview.

This bloody conflict reshaped colonial power across the globe and set the stage for the American Revolution. So why don’t we talk about it more? Because it’s really, really complicated. We discuss it anyway.

Sugar, gold, potatoes, and slaves. We discuss how trade created, destroyed, and transformed cultures on both sides of the Atlantic.