The History of the Americans

Latest Episodes
Sidebar: The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere 2: The Ride
This is the second of two "Sidebar" episodes in honor of the 250th anniversary of Paul Reveres famous ride, which we will celebrate on the night of April 18 by putting two lights in a window of our h
Sidebar: The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere 1: The Prelude
April 18, 2025 is the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's "Midnight Ride" to alarm the towns around Boston that the "Regulars" were marching out to capture artillery and ammunition at Concord, or perha
King Philip’s War 3: The Fire Spreads
It is July 1675 in New England. On June 23, fighting men of the Wampanoag nation and of Plymouth Colony had begun killing each other and enemy civilians in earnest. The question was whether this sti
King Philip’s War 2: Lighting the Match
After Massasoit's death in 1660 or 1661, his son Wamsutta became sachem of the Pokonoket community and the leading sachem of the Wampanoag confederation, and early on he followed Algonquian custom and
King Philip’s War 1: The Kindling of War
This episode looks at the background causes of the brutal war between the New English colonies of Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, and Connecticut and their indigenous allies against a tribal alliance inc
Jolliet and Marquette: Loose Ends and Notes on Early Chicago
This episode ties up the loose ends that remained at the end of the expedition of Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette in 1673. Among other things, we explore the ultimate fate of Jolliet's optimistic
Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette Explore the “Mesippi”
In the summer of 1673, two now famous Frenchmen and five others who are all but nameless traveled by canoe from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at the Straits of Mackinac to central Arkansas on the we
Raid on America 3: “All Theyr Cry was for New Yorke!”
This is the last of a three-episode series on the Dutch "raid on America" in 1673, during the Third Anglo-Dutch War. Commander Cornelis Evertsen the Youngest of the Admiralty of the Dutch province of
Raid on America 2: Kees the Devil Sails
This is the second of three episodes about a daring Dutch raid on the West Indies and the English colonies of North America during the Third Anglo-Dutch War. The extended raid, led by Commander Cornel
Raid on America 1: Overview of the Anglo-Dutch Wars
This is the first of three episodes about a daring Dutch raid on the West Indies and the English colonies of North America during the Third Anglo-Dutch War. The extended raid, led by Commander Corneli