A History of the United States. A podcast charting the history of the United States of America from the foundation of Jamestown to the end of the cold war, covering political, military, economic, social and cultural history.
Reading the feed…
Hello and welcome to A History of the United States. This episode gives an introduction to the project and myself.
This week we begin telling the story. We cover the early voyages by the French to the New World, see how New Spain gained control of Florida, and look at why England was so perfectly poised to be the most successful of the colonists. The situation is set up for an introduction to Jamestown next week.
This week we begin the real narrative. We look at the foundation of the Virginia Company, the failed settlement of St. George's Fort, North Virginia, and the voyage of the ships which would found Jamestown. Also included are a witty observation by Thomas Jefferson about the weather and the worst Back to the Future joke ever.
Surprise early episode! This week introduce the Native Americans in the region, the Powhatan Confederacy. We look at their leadership, society and culture. We then actually found the Jamestown settlement.
In this week's Friends themed episode Newport sails back to London to report on the foundation of Jamestown, but in Virginia everything starts falling apart. There is an outbreak of Typhoid Fever, everyone starts arguing, and then Smith goes on an adventure.
This week we follow John Smith's misadventures with the Powhatans, where he travels to their capital at Werowocomoco. We also look at how Jamestown made its way through the winter, Newport's return to the colony, and Smith's exploration missions.
This week we cover Newport's Second Supply of Jamestown, and English relations with the Powhatans completely breaks down.
This week Jamestown enters the Starving Time and in London the Virginia Company decides the colony needs a revolution.
This week everything goes wrong. EVERYTHING GOES WRONG. Gates gets lost, hundreds starve to death, and Jamestown is abandoned. It's hard to see how things could be any worse.
This week Jamestown attempts to rebuild itself under the governorship of Lord De La Warr, but things very quickly go horribly wrong. This is Jamestown, after all. Just another false dawn.
This week the English decide to kidnapping the Powhatan princess, Pocahontas. We also cover the state of the colony in the 1610s, Pocahontas' trip to England in 1616, the early growth of the tobacco industry (tomacco references aplenty) and look at the creation of the first democratic American institution, Virginia's House of Burgesses.
This week we delve into social history for the first time this series. As the title suggests, we introduce a few elements which will be important as time develops, such as the introduction of slavery to Virginia and growing inequality. In short, we cover how miserable life was for your average Virginian.
This week we return to the narrative (after a quick word about my MA results). After 8 years of English oppression, the Powhatans have enough and launch a war, meanwhile in London the Virginia Company collapses due to sheer incompetence.
This week we once again break out of the narrative to talk about Virginia's increasing political sophistication across the 1620s and 1630s.
This week we cover a lot: the 1644 Powhatan Uprising, the governorship of Berkeley, the English Civil War, the Navigation Acts, Mercentilism, the legalisation of slavery, exploration, and we introduce segments.
This week we were supposed to cover thanksgiving, but I screw up the timings so we talk about General Bacon instead.
This week Bacon's Rebellion gets underway and makes a bid for independence from England.
This week Bacon's Rebellion falls apart, royal order is imposed and Virginia does not become independent.
This week we begin chapter 2 of the podcast, New England. But in order to do this we go back and cover the reformation and the origins of Puritans, we also take the Separatists over to the Netherlands in 1607.
This week we take the Separatists through their time in Holland to their decision to sail to the New World in the Mayflower.
This week we take the Pilgrims across the Atlantic to Plymouth. Along the way we look at duels on the Mayflower, the Mayflower Compact, how much the Pilgrims hated Cape Cod, and terminology.
This week, in a particularly unfocused episode, we move the narrative forward 15 days. In addition we also describe the legal situation of settlement in New England in 1620, have an overview of the Julian calendar, and I explain how to thatch a roof.
This week we finally make some progress in New England. The Pilgrims make it through their first winter and make first contact with the Native Americans of the region.
This week the narrative speeds up and we cover most of 1621. We look at an expedition to speak with Massasoit, fertiliser, and the first thanksgiving.
This week the narrative speeds up and we cover most of 1621. We look at an expedition to speak with Massasoit, fertiliser, and the first thanksgiving.
