In the 1850s, the United States was lurching toward a crisis over slavery -- and abolitionist John Brown stepped into the fray. Brown believed it was his God-given destiny to destroy slavery. His crusade took him from abolitionist meetings in the Northeast, to the Underground Railroad in Ohio, to the bloody plains of Kansas.In 1854, a fierce conflict erupted ... Show More
Apr 2021
Bleeding Kansas | The Pottawatomie Massacre | 2
On the night of May 24th, 1856, radical abolitionist John Brown and seven of his followers crept along the banks of Kansas’s Pottawatomie Creek and stormed a proslavery settlement. They dragged five men from their cabins and killed them in cold blood. Soon, Brown’s name was splas ... Show More
39m 9s
Apr 2021
Bleeding Kansas | The Raid on Harpers Ferry | 3
In December 1858, John Brown was back in Kansas and Missouri, making headlines for dramatic and deadly raids on plantations. He and his followers freed 11 enslaved men and women and led them on an 1,100-mile journey to freedom in Canada.But all the while, Brown was focused on fin ... Show More
36m 40s
Nov 2024
A Violent Week In Kansas History
Hello, I'm from the past (yesterday). How's the post-election world? Does the USA still exist? Well, let's go back in time and look at another election. This time, Kansas 1855 when settlers were deciding if it should be a free state or a slave state. And because of that choice, ... Show More
26m 34s
May 2025
A Vicious Beating on the Senate Floor
May 22, 1856. Charles Sumner isn’t worried about making friends in the Senate. His rhetoric is inflammatory, almost intentionally. He’s an ardent abolitionist in a time when people are still enslaved throughout the South. In his most recent speech, Sumner attacked his colleagues ... Show More
34m 51s
May 2024
451. Custer's Last Stand: The Charge of the 7th Cavalry (Part 6)
The U.S. was cast into a spiralling panic following the economic depression of 1873, and waves of paramilitary violence swept through the south as the debates surrounding Reconstruction swirled on. Amidst this uncertainty, the government, under the leadership of Ulysses S. Grant ... Show More
1 h
Feb 2024
Origins of the Civil War
<p>The war between the Union and the Confederacy is a major turning point in the history of the United States. But why did it happen?</p><br><p>From slavery and states' rights, to economic, legislative, moral, and political issues, in this episode, Don and Professor Adam Smith ex ... Show More
34m 54s
Sep 2021
Robert Smalls Stole A Confederate Ship and Sailed to Freedom, Part One: Planning the Heist
<p>Born into slavery, Robert Smalls dreamed of freedom for not just himself and his family, but all oppressed people. As the US became consumed in the Civil War, he hatched a daredevil plan to make this dream a reality -- by stealing a Confederate ship and sailing straight past t ... Show More
25m 12s