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Episodes from American History Hit
What Is The Kennedy Curse?
Their name is synonymous with power, influence ... and tragedy. And with so much of the latter, many have taken to speculating - are the Kennedy family cursed?To find out more, Don is joined by Professor Barbara Perry, co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center.What is the Kennedy Curse? How far back does it go? And how do the family interpret it?Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to Hi...
The Trail of Tears | The Frontier
The Trail of Tears is one of the darkest chapters in American history: the forced removal of thousands of Native Americans from their ancestral lands in the Southeast to territories west of the Mississippi River. In this episode we focus specifically on the experiences of the Choctaw people.In this final episode of our 'Frontier' miniseries, we are lucky to welcome Ryan Spring to take us through this story. Ryan is a Cultural Research Associate in the Historic Preservation Department of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Tomos...
Rise and Fall of the Shakers
The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, best known as the Shakers, emerged in the UK in the 18th Century. So how is it that the three remaining Shakers are based in the US? How did this religion cross the Atlantic? And where did they get their nickname from?Don is joined for this episode by Professor Doug Winiarski, professor of Religious Studies at the University of Richmond, and editor of upcoming 'Shakers at the Centre: Manifesting Spirits and Spectacles in 19th Century America'.Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Sophie...
The Texas Rangers | The Frontier
We've all heard of the Texas Rangers: an undoubted icon of the American West.In this week’s instalment of our Frontier series, we’ll be exploring the history of lawmen famed for riding across a violent and uncertain landscape. But how much of their reputation reflects the realities of the frontier, and how much was shaped by legend? Were the Rangers truly defenders of order in a lawless land, or agents of expansion whose actions came at a devastating cost to neighbouring Indigenous and Mexican communities?To help take us through this stor...
The Battle of Fredericksburg
This is the largest battle, by number of combatants, of the entire Civil War. But why? What was the federal objective at Fredericksburg? And how did it all go so wrong for Burnside and his troops?Don is joined to explore the Battle of Fredericksburg by returning guest Chris Mackowski. Chris is the Copie Hill Fellow at the American Battlefield Trust, and a professor at the Jandolin School of Communication at St Bonaventure University.Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to...
Murder on the California Trail | The Frontier
The words 'Donner Party' have become synonymous with disaster in the American imagination. In this week’s instalment of our Frontier miniseries, we’ll be exploring how this group of pioneers' journey across the Old West ended with fatal consequences...To tell us more about this story, we’re very lucky to welcome Daniel James Brown as our guest. Daniel is a writer who specialises in historical non-fiction and is the author of The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party.Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Produc...
America's Bloodiest Day: Battle of Antietam
It's known as the deadliest single day in American history: the Battle of Antietam.After weeks of Union defeats, Confederate forces pushed north into Maryland and carried the war onto Northern soil for the first time. Near a quiet creek in Maryland, two armies faced one another and engaged in a battle that would decide the course of American history.To take us through today's episode, we welcome our guest Garry Adelman. Garry is an award-winning author and vice president of the Center for Civil War Photography. He works full time as Chief...
How Wild Was the Wild West? | The Frontier
Heroic cowboys on horseback. Bands of outlaws. Brawls in small town saloons.This is the Wild West as popular culture remembers it. But was it really as “wild” as we’ve been led to believe? Did the violence of the frontier truly revolve around outlaws and lawmen... or were much larger forces shaping life on the Frontier?To explore this question, we welcome Tore Olsson as our guest for this episode. Tore is Professor of History at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and his most recent work is Red Dead’s History: A Video...
What Did FDR Get Wrong?
Franklin D Roosevelt is consistently considered one of the United States' best Presidents. Elected four times, he oversaw the end of the Great Depression and victory in the Second World War.But was all of this actually his work? Did FDR solve the depression? And how do both his failure to support an anti-lynching bill and the internment of thousands of US citizens during the war impact his legacy?Don is joined by David Beito, Professor Emeritus at the University of Alabama and author of 'FDR: A New Political Life'....
Life and Death on the Oregon Trail | The Frontier
In the first instalment of our Frontier miniseries, we explore one of the most iconic symbols in American history: the Oregon Trail. For decades, thousands of Americans packed their lives into wooden wagons and set out for the West. They crossed sun-scorched plains without shade, climbed mountains without roads, and forded rivers that could turn deadly in an instant. Along the way, many buried loved ones beside the trail and pressed on.What compelled ordinary people to leave everything behind and walk nearly two thousand miles into uncertainty? How much did they truly understand about the...
The Making of Malcolm X
Known by the end of his life as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, the Black Nationalist leader best known as Malcolm X died at just 39. Despite his short life, however, his legacy continues to this day.Don is joined by Clarence Lang today, who introduces us to this legendary figure and takes us through the events that made him who he was.Clarence is the Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts and professor of African American studies at Penn State. He is currently working on his third book, 'Malcolm X: A...
Darkest Hours: Origins of Slavery
The Origins of Slavery in America, from its early colonial history to its expansion after the Revolutionary war, is the darkest chapter of American history. In this episode, we'll explore how European colonists first brought enslaved Africans to the Americas, how legal frameworks were devised to uphold the practice and what they were forced to endure on the plantations.Today we welcome Justene Hill Edwards, Historian and Professor at University of Virginia, as our guest on today’s episode. Justene is the author of Savings and Trust: the Rise & Betrayal of the Freedman’s Bank, which was...