In April 1613, years of bloody warfare culminated in the kidnapping of the paramount chief Powhatan’s daughter Pocahontas. The English colonists in Jamestown offered to return her in exchange for stolen weapons, English prisoners, and corn, but their proposal was met with silence.
In the meantime, Pocahontas befriended English colonist John Rolfe. Rolfe pou ... Show More
Nov 2024
Jamestown | Chief Opechancanough | 5
<p>Many people are familiar with Powhatan, the Paramount Chief who ruled over a vast network of more than 30 tribes in the Chesapeake region when the English arrived in 1607. But it was Powhatan’s brother, Opechancanough, who came closest to wiping out the English colony at James ... Show More
40m 1s
Jul 2019
Rachel B. Herrmann, "No Useless Mouth: Waging War and Fighting Hunger in the American Revolution" (Cornell UP, 2019)
When the British explored the Atlantic coast of America in the 1580s, their relations with indigenous peoples were structured by food. The newcomers, unable to sustain themselves through agriculture, relied on the local Algonquian people for resources. This led to tension, and th ... Show More
43m 28s
Mar 2025
The Servants' Revenge: Arsenic & a Poisoned Pint of Beer
<p>Why did two servants living in Plymouth, England, poison their whole household in 1675? How did they sneak arsenic into the food? And what on earth is pottage?</p><br><p>Today Maddy Pelling and Anthony Delaney talk to Dr Blessin Adams, author of "<em>Thou Savage Woman: female ... Show More
51m 51s
Sep 2025
The Business of Migrant Detention
The U.S. immigration detention system is spread out across federal facilities, private prisons, state prisons, and county jails. It’s grown under both Democratic and Republican presidents. And it’s been offered up as a source of revenue for over a century, beginning with the firs ... Show More
50m 24s