The People's Founding Father

More from American History Hit

1. 

   E419 · 14 Sep 2026 · 54 min

   What Really Happened At Waco?

   76 people died on 19th April 1993 when the compound of a religious sect, the Branch Davidians, went up in flames. It had been under siege by government agencies for 51 days, but no one knows what started the fire. Don is joined by Jeff Guinn, investigative reporter and author of ‘Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Dividians, and a Legacy of Rage’ to find out why the United States’ Government was interested in this religious compound outside Waco, Texas, and how the situation escalated to this point. Produced and edited by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long. Sign up to History Hit for…

2. 

   E418 · 10 Sep 2026 · 56 min

   Sherman's March: Invading the South

   General William Tecumseh Sherman's famous invasion of the Confederacy in 1864 has become American legend... but what did Union troops do along their route and how consequential was it to the final defeat of the Confederates? Our guest today is Anne Sarah Rubin, professor of history at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is the author of ‘ Through the Heart of Dixie: Sherman’s March and American Memory ’, and her most recent work is ‘ The Perfect Scout: A Soldier’s Memoir of the Great March to the Sea and the Campaign of the Carolinas, ’ Produced by Tomos Delargy. Edited by Tim…

3. 

   E417 · 7 Sep 2026 · 32 min

   America's Worst President

   What makes a bad President? Who was the worst of all time? In this episode from the archive, Don is joined by Professor Jeremi Suri, author of The Impossible Presidency and co-host of This Is Democracy . Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe . You can take part in our listener survey here . All music from Epidemic Sounds. American History Hit is a History Hit podcast. Hosted…

4. 

   E415 · 31 Aug 2026 · 43 min

   The Truth About the Louisiana Purchase

   We're all taught in school about the Louisiana Purchase, supposedly the greatest bargain in American history. Napoleon's deal with the Americans is widely remembered as a triumph for the United States… but is this history really as simple as we’re often taught? Our guest today is historian Alexander Mikaberidze, Professor of History at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. He is the author of award winning books including ‘ The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History ’ and, most recently, ‘ The Louisiana Purchase: The Grand Bargain and the Making of America’ . Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced…

5. 

   E414 · 27 Aug 2026 · 41 min

   Did Lee's Surrender End the Civil War?

   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, Professor at the University of Virginia and author of 'Ends of War: The Unfinished Fight of Lee’s Army after Appomattox'. Listen to hear why Lee's and Grant's armies ended up at Appomattox Court House, what the terms of surrender were, and when the war actually ended. Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week…

6. 

   E413 · 24 Aug 2026 · 49 min

   Why Did Reconstruction Fail?

   Over the course of this series, we've discussed the extraordinary promise of Reconstruction, as well as the relentless attacks these efforts came under. In this final episode, we're stepping back from the events themselves to ask the biggest question of all: why did Reconstruction fail? For today's episode, we welcome Prof. Aaron Sheehan-Dean of Louisiana State University back onto the show. His works include ‘ Why Confederates Fought: Family and a Nation in Civil War Virginia ’ and most recently ‘ Fighting with the Past: How Seventeenth Century History Shaped the American Civil War ’.…

7. 

   E426 · 8 Oct 2026 · 43 minNew

   Fur Trapping, Empire & the Hudson’s Bay Company

   Did you know that almost 40% of the land that is now Canada was once owned by a single commercial company? The Hudson's Bay Company surrendered this area for the sum of £300,000 in 1869. But how did they come to control it? What was life like for fur traders in North America? And what was the Pemmican War? Don is joined today by Stephen R. Bown, author of ‘The Company: The Rise and Fall of the Hudson’s Bay Empire’. Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aliza Dams. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every…

8. 

   E425 · 4 Oct 2026 · 44 min

   Winter at Valley Forge: Washington's Darkest Hour?

   After suffering defeat after defeat, George Washington’s battered army was forced to retreat into the forests of rural Pennsylvania, where they set up camp to wait out the winter. The encampment at Valley Forge would be their home for the next six months, during which thousands would endure freezing temperatures, hunger and disease... Our guest today is Prof. Rick Herrera, Senior Historian at the U.S. Army War College. He is the author of the award-winning ' Feeding Washington’s Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778 ' and ' For Liberty and the Republic: The American Citizen as…

9. 

   E424 · 1 Oct 2026 · 40 min

   Nazi Scientists in America: Operation Paperclip

   Why would the United States have welcomed Nazis after the Second World War? Through Operation Paperclip, more than 1,500 German and Austrian scientists and engineers moved to America to share technology developed in the Third Reich. Don is joined by Eric Lichtblau in this episode to find out who these people were, why the US needed them, and whether any of them should have faced punishment. Eric Lichtblau is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author of 'The Nazis Next Door - How America Became A Safe Haven For Hitler’s Men'. Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Tim Arstall. Senior Producer…

10. 

    E423 · 28 Sep 2026 · 48 min

    Early Humans of Ice Age America

    When did the first humans arrive in America? Archaeologists have long pushed the theory that human habitation in the Americas dates back only to about 10,000 years. But now there's overwhelming evidence that humans have been in the Americas for over 30,000 years. And perhaps much longer. Our guest today is Dr. Paulette Steeves, professor of geography, archeology, and land stewardship at Algoma University. She is also author of the books The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere, and Reclaiming Deep Human Histories of the Western Hemisphere: Archaeologists Who Braved Prejudice to…

Every episode of American History Hit →