The History of the Americans

The History of the Americans


Latest Episodes

Bacon’s Rebellion 3: Go Ahead, Shoot!
October 06, 2025

Nathaniel Bacon and his army of volunteers have returned from beating up on the friendly Occaneechees (Occaneechis) on the Roanoke River in southern Virginia. It is election day, and Henrico County wi

Bacon’s Rebellion 2: The Susquehannocks Strike Back
September 25, 2025

The Susquehannocks, having successfully escaped from their beseiged fort on Piscataway Creek in Maryland, fled through the Virginia Piedmont to set up winter quarters on the James and Roanoke Rivers.

Bacon’s Rebellion 1: The Case of the Repossessed Hogs
September 15, 2025

The year is 1675, and we are in Virginia. All kinds of social, demographic, fiscal, and economic pressures have been building for decades, and the common people are restive. There have been a string o

Notes on Virginia 1644-1675
September 02, 2025

We are back in Virginia, finally! In my defense, offered in response to the many listeners who have asked for "more Virginia," the thirty years before the Third Anglo-Powhatan War and Bacons Rebellio

Augustine Herrman’s Map
August 08, 2025

I got the idea for this episode talking to a bartender in Prague. The place was empty, and the fellow was garrulous and quickly said he loved American history, which naturally prompted me to suggest a

Sidebar Conversation: Phil Magness on The 1619 Project
July 28, 2025

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Dr. Phillip W. Magness is an economic historian and the David J. Theroux Chair in Political Economy at the Independent Institute.Magness research has

King Philip’s War 9: Aftermath
July 24, 2025

This is the last episode of our telling of King Philip's War. We cover the fate of the last Algonquian sachems, including the daring capture of Annawon, and the consequences of the war for the Indian

King Philip’s War 8: The Defeat of the Algonquians
July 14, 2025

Maps of New England during King Philips War In May 1676 the tide of King Philip's War had turned against the Algonquians of southern New England, but the New English settlers didn't know it yet. T

King Philip’s War 7: The Turn of the Tide
June 30, 2025

Maps of New England during King Philips War March 1676 had been catastrophic for the settlers of New England. Algonquians allied with Metacom (King Philip) attacked all across the frontier, forcin

King Philip’s War 6: The Awful Winter of 1676
June 16, 2025

Maps of New England during King Philips War After the Great Swamp Fight, Josiah Winslow turned away overtures from the Narragansetts for a ceasefire, incorrectly believing he had the upper hand. I