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The Truth About the Louisiana Purchase
Episode 415
We're all taught in school about the Louisiana Purchase, supposedly the greatest bargain in American history. Napoleon's deal with the Americans is w…
1 month ago
Did Lee's Surrender End the Civil War?
Episode 414
When and where did the Civil War end? Was it really over when Lee surrendered at Appomattox?
Don is joined for this episode by Caroline E. Janney, Pro…
1 month, 1 week ago
Why Did Reconstruction Fail?
Episode 413
Over the course of this series, we've discussed the extraordinary promise of Reconstruction, as well as the relentless attacks these efforts came und…
1 month, 1 week ago
The Fire That Changed New York
Episode 412
On March 5 1911, 146 people died in a fire that lasted just 18 minutes. This event was to change the history of New York, and has an ongoing impact i…
1 month, 2 weeks ago
Reconstruction Era: Terror in the South
Episode 411
Reconstruction promised freedom and political equality, but how quickly did that promise begin to unravel? Why did white Southern resistance become s…
1 month, 2 weeks ago
Civil War Battle Of The Ironclads
Episode 410
In March 1862, wooden warships had dominated global warfare for centuries. In less than 48 hours off the coast of Virginia, two experimental metal mo…
1 month, 3 weeks ago
Reconstruction Era: A False Dawn of Freedom?
Episode 409
With the end of the Civil War, four million formerly enslaved people in the South were now free. It was the beginning of a remarkable experiment: reb…
1 month, 3 weeks ago
Plessy v. Ferguson: The Supreme Court Case That Enshrined Jim Crow
Episode 408
In 1896 the Supreme Court ruled that Jim Crow segregation laws were not unconstitutional in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. This is the case that Bro…
2 months ago
What Happened to the Confederates?
Episode 407
Across the defeated Confederacy, there had been an expectation that those who had taken up arms against their citizens would be punished. This did no…
2 months ago
How Did the Supreme Court Claim Power?
Episode 406
Can you think of a time in history when a law has been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court?
Having been used over 180 times, judicial review i…
2 months ago