On Episode 45, we are joined by UCL's Nick Witham (@ndwitham) to examine the turbulent events of 1968 in the United States. 50 years on, what are the legacies of the 365 days of tumult? What happened? What impact did it have on various groups in society? And how important were the 'Sixties' more broadly? We guide you through the assassinations, cultural upheavals, Vietnam protest, and - of course - the music of 1968. Thanks again for listening. We'll be back next month to examine Native...

On Episode 44 of American History Too! we're joined by TWO very special guests - the University of Exeter's Rachel Pistol (@PistolRachel) and the University of Edinburgh's Tim Cooper (@tscooper11) - to discuss how Asian-Americans have fared in American society since the late nineteenth century to the present day.  Discover more about the so-called 'Yellow Peril', Japanese Internment during World War II, and why these issues are still relevant to modern day America. Look out for a NEW kind...

On Episode 43 of American History Too! we delve into the United States' topsy-turvy relationship with its southern neighbours. The US has had a fascinating and complex relationship with its American cousins and joined by the University of Manchester's Tom Tunstall Allcock (@TunstallAllcock) we trace its highs and lows from the Monroe Doctrine in the 1800s all the way to the 1960s and the LBJ administration's 'Man in Latin America', Thomas Mann.  We examine JFK's 'Alliance for Progress' and...

On this month's episode we're joined by Lancaster University's politics lecturer Richard Johnson (@richardmarcj) to discuss five pioneering black politicians who ran for election in the decades before Barack Obama's ascension to the White House in 2008: Ed Brooke, Tom Bradley, Douglas Wilder, Harvey Gantt, and Carol Moseley Braun.   The podcast begins with a clip of Richard's interview with Braun in which she discusses her views on race and politics.   Throughout the discussion Richard...

(Our guest this month, Hannah Rose Murray, @Hannah_RoseM , frederickdouglassinbritain.com) One spring evening in 1838, formerly enslaved African American Moses Roper spoke to a crowded audience in Leicester, and during one section of his speech, declared: "Many will say “This is the slaves’ side of the question. The slave-holders would tell a different story.” You have heard the slave-holders’ story 250 years ago. Now, I think it is time for the slaves to speak." In an extraordinary...

For Episode 40 of American History Too! we've fired up the Translatlantic cables to chat to Dixie State University's Jeremy Young (@jeremycyoung) about his work on the 'Age of Charisma' between 1870 and 1940. Jeremy guides through what it meant to be a charismatic leader and, indeed, a charismatic follower during this era. Why were these leaders both appealing and yet simulatanously destined to lose in presidential elections? Why did they die out from 1940 onwards? And who was the first...

50 years on from the 'long, hot summer' of 1967 we look back at the race riots that became a common feature of the 1960s landscape in the United States. Should we call them riots? Why did they happen in the same decade in which African-Americans achieved the greatest legislative progress in 100 years? How did politicians responded to America's burning cities? And do they hold any lessons for modern America? These are just some of the questions we seek to answer about the riots. The podcast...

On this month's episode we're joined by Fraser McCallum to discuss the paranoid cinema of the 1970s that emerged in the midst of assassinations, Watergate, and an array of government misdeeds that had been exposed in the previous decade. In particular we examine The Conversation (the trailer for which begins this episode, 1974), The Parallax View (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975), and - of course - All the President's Men (1976). We discuss why these films emerged, what they say about...

On Episode 37 of American History Too! we look at a man and an organisation who encapsulated much of what 19th century America was about: immigration, westward expansion, big business, labour relations, war, and politics. We examine Allan Pinkerton and the ‘eye that never sleeps’, the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.   Scholarship Christopher Andrew, For the President’s Eyes Only: Secret Intelligence and the American Presidency, from Washington to Bush (New York: HarperCollins,...

The 16th President of the United States, unlike so many of his fellow nineteenth century White House occupants, has not been lost to History. Indeed, his name lives on as the Capitol of Nebraska, as a popular car brand, and as a name for one of America’s two political parties. Beyond the United States, his legacy also has a powerful reach. Here in Scotland, there is statue of him in Edinburgh, while in 2009, the Rwandan government saw fit to issue a stamp bearing his face. And that face,...

On Episode 35 of American History Too! we're joined by the University of Hull's Rachel Williams to discuss the role that religion played in the American Civil War.   Rachel guides us through the evolution of religion from the founding years through to the antebellum era and the effect it had on the emerging country. What effect did relgion have in justifying slavery in the South? Has religion in the US benefitted from not having a predetermined state religion? And what was the effect of the...

On Episode 34 of American History Too! we're joined by the University of Birmingham's James West (@ejwestuk) to discuss the history of Black History Month and the debates that surround BHM. Over the course of the hour we get stuck into the legacy of the Civil Rights movement, the origins of Black History Month and whether it is viewed in a positive light by black Americans. Finally, James offers us a fascinating insight into how corporations have advertised during BHM, and whether their...

On Episode 33 we turn our attentions back to the CIA and pick up where we left off in Episode 31. Joined by the University of Reading’s Dafydd Townley, we whizz through the CIA’s successes and failures in the 1950s and 1960s, when the agency was given free rein by Congress to do as it pleased without questioning. With the Vietnam War and the Watergate Scandal fuelling public distrust in American institutions, however, it was only logical that the CIA – for so long shrouded in mystery –...

In 1942, GIs who were being deployed to Britain were presented with a clear set of official instructions which warned them what they could expect to find when they reached wartime Britain: ‘‘You are coming to Britain from a country where your home is still safe, food is still plentiful, and lights are still burning. So it is doubly important for you to remember that their British soldiers and civilians have been living under a tremendous strain. It is always impolite to criticize your hosts....

World War II is over, the Cold War is just beginning, and the United States is set on winning hearts and minds - and foreign elections - by any means necessary. On episode 31 of American History Too! we travel back to the mid-1940s and tell the story behind the creation of the CIA's covert operations programme. From tales of Jesus to a disaster in Bogota, the programme's birth was an interesting one to say the least. Thanks again for listening and we'll be back next month to discuss the...

What it says in the title. It's over and in an attempt to process Trump's shock victory we break down the 2016 election into historical perspective. To do so, we're joined once more by Paddy Andelic (@pkandelic). We discuss why Trump won, why Clinton lost, where the parties stand, and what history suggests we're in store for from a Trump presidency. Finally, we answer an eerily prescient listener question. We'll be back next week with our regular podcast so look out for that, and thanks...

On Episode 30 of American History Too! we take a deep dive into the history of music and presidential campaigns in the United States. Joined by the Imperial War Museum's Fraser McCallum we discuss the rise of campaign music from the nineteenth century to the current 2016 election, including all the great love affairs and spats that have existed between politicians and musicians.  Following our discussion of music, we then delve into a debate on whether the politics as entertainment - a...

In London on May 22nd 1846, the great anti-slavery campaigner and orator Frederick Douglass - who himself was a former slave – stood before a large audience and related to them the reasons why he was there:  “Why do I not confine my efforts to the United States? My answer first, that slavery is the common enemy of mankind and it should be made acquainted with its abominable character. Slavery is a system of wrong, so blinding to all around, so hardening to the heart, so corrupting to...

In 1921, the influential magazine Literary Digest speculated on the morality and nature of the modern young woman: Is the “old fashioned girl”, with all that she stands for in sweetness, modesty, and innocence, in danger of becoming extinct? Or was she really no better nor worse than the “up to date” girl, who in turn will become the “old fashioned girl” to a later generation? Is it even possible as a small, but impressive, minority would have us believe that the girl of today has...

With the Republican convention in Cleveland complete, all eyes turn now to Philadelphia where the Democrats will gather to nominate the first ever woman to head a major party ticket in US history.  Joined once more by the University of Oxford's Paddy Andelic (@pkandelic) we take a deep dive into the recent history of the Democratic party and travel the road to Hillary Clinton. Beginning amid the chaos of the 1968 convention in Chicago, we talk through Humphrey, McGovern, Watergate Babies,...

Still baffled by Donald Trump's nomination? Be perplexed no more! With the Republican party heading to their convention in Cleveland to nominate the billionaire tycoon, we're joined by the University of Oxford's Paddy Andelic (@pkandelic) to discuss the Republicans over the past half century as we look to map out the road to Trump. On our travels we cover Barry Goldwater, Civil Rights, Richard Nixon, Watergate, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and both Bush I & II. We also...

In 1936, not long after German heavyweight boxer Max Schmeling knocked out his African-American opponent, Joe Louis, the journal Der Weltkampf published the following statement: “These countries cannot thank Schmeling enough for this victory for he checked the arrogance of the Negro race and clearly demonstrated to them the superiority of white intelli- gence. He restored the prestige of the white race and in doing so accomplished a cultural achievement. I for one am convinced that...

On January 20th 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution - which banned the production, transport, and sale of alcohol - went into effect. Among the many Americans rejoicing at the passage of Prohibition that evening, was one Pauline Sabin.  Sabin, a wealthy WASP socialite, who was New York’s first ever female member of the Republican National Committee, foresaw many positives to an alcohol-free society. Like many American women, Sabin viewed alcohol as a threat to the...

In early 1943 – while the Battle of Stalingrad raged thousands of miles away – US government officials explored the hotel room of a recently deceased scientist. They were looking for the plans to a weapon that could change the war. They were looking for a death ray. The death ray did not exist, but there was enough doubt that Federal officials thought it wise to assess the thousands of notes and sketches that had been made during the scientist’s lifetime. After their assessment, the notes...

‘On the 25th of September 1984, in one of the hardest-hitting speeches of his long Presidential campaign against Ronald Reagan, former Vice-President Walter F. Mondale spoke powerfully at George Washington University about the contemporary political landscape: This election is not about jellybeans and pens pals. It is about toxic dumps that give cancer to our children. This election is not about country music and birthday cakes. It is about old people who can’t pay for medicine....