OK. Buckle your seatbelts. We’ve made it to the only event in American history that really matters… WORLD! WAR! TWO! I’m just kidding. But it’s amazing how many people come up to me at parties and tell me they’re a history buff only to find out that they’ve just read thirty books on D-Day. Now, …
Category: Season 3: U.S. History
US History Ep. 14: The New Deal or, “Saving Mr. Banks!”
Last episode people danced while the economy crumbled. Today, we need to figure out what happened next. How do you bring an entire country out of total financial collapse and unemployment? No, really. I’m asking for us right now. Well, if you’re a Democrat you would say, “The government needs to spend a ton of …
U.S. History Episode 13 The Roaring 20s or, “Does any of this sound a little familiar?”
Woo! It’s been a few months since my last episode, has anything big happened? Just kidding. Turns out that making a podcast for fun wasn’t one of my top priorities during a global pandemic – I’m honestly as surprised as you are. But seriously, sorry it’s been such a long time. I needed a few …
US History Ep. 12: World War I or, “Woodrow Wilson’s War”
Act 1: Wilson and the War We can’t really understand WWI in America without talking about Woodrow Wilson. And we can’t understand Woodrow Wilson without talking about Tommy Wilson, because that was actually his name. His dropped his first name “Thomas” when he decided that his middle name Woodrow was more distinguished. But personally, I …
US History Ep. 11 The Women’s Era or, “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make It On This Podcast”
All right. The ladies of American history have been dancing on the edges of our narrative for about 200 years. I think it’s about time we gave them an episode of their own. Shall we? Today’s episode is all about The Women’s Era or, “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make It On This Podcast.” We’re going to …
US History Ep. 10: The Progressive Era or, “No more thumbs in our meat, please!”
So we’ve reached the 20th century – finally! – and the U.S. overall is doing pretty well. Our economy is booming, we’ve got colonies now… the nation is doing well. But the people that live in the nation… most of them aren’t doing as great. Remember the Gilded Age? Uber capitalism on steroids with absolutely …
US History Ep. 9: Imperialism or, “Just a spoonful of sugar helps imperialism go down…”
Welcome back to Anti-Social Studies! Last episode we talked about the Gilded Age and it was dark. Like, Dickensian-level darkness: poverty, tiny child labor hands, fat corrupt politicians. But on the other hand, electricity! So it balances out, right? Today we’re not moving forward in time, but staying in the very end of the Gilded …
US History Ep. 8: The Gilded Age or, “Imagine Newsies… but no one’s dancing.”
Last episode we talked about the end of Reconstruction and the rise of the Jim Crow South. But don’t worry! Because today we’re traveling North to see the glitz and glamor of city life in the era of industrialization! Electric lights! Millionnaires! Skyscrapers! Oh yeah, and also poverty, inequality, and corruption. Dang it! Can’t we …
US History Ep. 7: The Postwar South or, “Reconstruction. Reconstruction!”
We left last episode on a cliffhanger. I know you’ve all been desperately waiting for two weeks wondering “Who will win the Civil War???” Well then, let’s get right to it! Today’s episode is all about the post-Civil War South or, “Reconstruction. Reconstruction!” (That’s a deep-cut Grease 2 reference right there. And if you already …
US History Ep. 6 The Civil War or, “Sorry I’m not Ken Burns!”
Welcome back to Anti-Social Studies! Last time we talked about sectionalism. The federal government kept putting off talking about the horrific question of slavery but, ultimately, it was an issue that had to be resolved one way or another. The growing tension and disagreements amongst various sections of the U.S. was only exacerbated by American …