Children say it every day in school, but have you ever wondered why we recite the pledge of allegiance? We journey back to the late 1800s to understand how a massive wave of immigration and sagging magazine subscriptions gave rise to this vow of patriotism. From the Civil War to anti-immigrant nativism and Cold War politics, this one pledge tells many storie ... Show More
Jan 7
Will the Real Uncle Sam Please Stand Up?
He’s a symbol of patriotism, protest, and power. But behind the red, white, and blue is a real man—and a disputed American origin story. How did a real guy go from meatpacker to meme, to personification of a nation and, eventually, the most famous Army recruiter in history?I WANT ... Show More
31m 14s
Jul 2025
The History of America’s Independence Day!
We have a very important and interesting topic, especially these days. We will talk about the history of America, how this country was born, and why they celebrate Independence Day every year on July 4th. We will go back a little in history to talk about the land before it was ca ... Show More
10m 4s
Jul 2025
How Country Music Became the Sound of U.S. Patriotism
<p>Today's country music industry is deeply associated with a certain jingoistic ‘rally around the flag,' ‘support the troops’ spirit. In this week’s podcast, we're re-airing a conversation with <a href="https://www.josephmthompson.com/about">Joseph M. Thompson,</a> author of <a ... Show More
30m 45s
Sep 2025
CLASSIC: The Forced Assimilation of Native People
For centuries the U.S. government conspired to persecute, attack and marginalize the native population. When open warfare became too expensive, some factions of the government proposed a different approach -- what if, they wondered, we erase native culture? This inspired a massiv ... Show More
56m 21s
Jul 2024
Listen Now: American History Tellers, First Ladies
The Cold War, Prohibition, the Gold Rush, the Space Race. Every part of your life - the words you speak, the ideas you share - can be traced to our history, but how well do you really know the stories that made America? We'll take you to the events, the times and the people that ... Show More
7m 55s