logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
30m 32s

Everybody Pledge Now

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
About this episode
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
Up next
Nov 19
It's Season 12!
<p>Sidedoor returns for its twelfth season on Wednesday, November 26th!</p> 
1m 48s
Oct 10
A Message Regarding the Shutdown
<p>Please be advised that new episodes will not be released during the government shutdown. For up-to-date information on the status of the Smithsonian, please visit our website at si.edu. </p> 
15s
Oct 1
Monkey Mystery: The Case of the Capuchin Kidnappers
<p>Why are capuchin monkeys kidnapping howler monkey babies in Panama? We investigate this bizarre case of primate abduction with researchers working with the Smithsonian to get to the bottom of this bizarre behavior. We'll talk about their discoveries, the social dynamics betwee ... Show More
23m 14s
Recommended Episodes
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 2024
The Sound of Patriotism
<p>Every year on the Fourth of July, households across America embrace the aesthetics of patriotism. On this week’s On the Media, find out how the early country music industry got a major boost from the US military and became associated with the “sound of patriotism.” Plus, how a ... Show More
50m 38s
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
Jul 2025
Revoking US citizenship
President Trump wants to ramp up denaturalization — revoking citizenship from Americans who were born elsewhere. It’s a practice with a long and controversial history. This episode was produced by Denise Guerra, edited by Jolie Myers, fact checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by ... Show More
25m 20s
Nov 2024
The Origins of the Revolutionary Tradition in America (feat. Gerald Horne)
<p>We are joined by Dr. Gerald Horne for a discussion on the meaning of the American Revolution and his extensive scholarship on re-assessing 1776 as a "counterrevoluton." At the heart of this discussion is the political and practical question for socialist politics in our time, ... Show More
1h 11m
Jul 2024
Evening Edition: Honoring The Star Spangled Banner
Both the U.S. national anthem and the flag that inspired the song are major legacies of the War of 1812 when the United States and its allies fought against the United Kingdom to preserve the young country. In September of 1814, British forces attacked Fort McHenry in Baltimore a ... Show More
19m 22s
Sep 30
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
Nov 5
Listen Now: American History Tellers | The Mayflower
<p>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 th ... Show More
3m 31s
Sep 2024
Was Abraham Lincoln Gay . . . And Should We Care?
<p>The writer Carl Sandburg, in his 1926 biography of Abraham Lincoln, made a provocative claim—that the President’s relationship with the Kentucky state representative Joshua Speed held “streaks of lavender.” The insinuation fuelled a debate that has continued ever since: Was Li ... Show More
41m 54s
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