America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask.

This week, The Rules of American Football - a brief history of the game, and everything you need to know, to understand what the heck is going on!

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Contact us: america@podcastsbyliam.com

Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

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This week, we're talking about the DOJ's release of three million documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein, and Trump's suggestion of nationalising elections.

Plus Sanam Naraghi Anderlini MBE discusses growing tension in the middle east, as the US and Iran inch ever closer to conflict.

All of this and more on another edition of America: A History in the Making.

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Special Guests:

1. Clodagh Harrington from University College Cork. She is also host of the wonderful podcast A Chicken in Every Pot alongside Alex Waddan
2. Sanam Naraghi Anderlini MBE, founder of the International Civil Society Action Network, and host of the excellent podcast If You Were in Charge.

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Mentioned in this Episode:

1. A Chicken in Every Pot: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-chicken-in-every-pot/id1780348590
2. ICAN: https://icanpeacework.org/
3. If You Were in Charge :https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/if-you-were-in-charge/id1770618616
4. Clintons agree to testify: https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/general/bill-and-hillary-clinton-agree-to-testify-in-house-about-jeffrey-epstein/ar-AA1VwJQU?ocid=BingNewsSerp
5. DOJ releases epstein files: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-publishes-35-million-responsive-pages-compliance-epstein-files
6. Met Police to investigate Peter Mandelson: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/clynp40ekrdt?page=4
7. Josh D’Amaro to Become Disney CEO: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/disney-ceo-announcement/
8. Trump wants to nationalise elections: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0mke841zj0o
9. FBI raid Fulton Country election office:

Set in the forests of upstate New York during the French and Indian War, James Fenimore Cooper’s 1826 novel has become one of the most enduring works of early American literature. It helped define the frontier myth, shaped American ideas about Native peoples, and influenced generations of writers, filmmakers, and cultural storytellers.

Today, as we mark its 200th anniversary, we explore its themes, its historical context, and its complicated legacy.

So in this episode, I’m asking… what is The Last of the Mohicans?

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Special guest for this episode:

1. Professor Thomas Ruys Smith, a scholar of American literature and culture at the University of East Anglia. His work spans the 19th century, with particular expertise in the intersections of literature, history, and national identity. He has written extensively on American storytelling traditions, frontier mythology, and the cultural imagination of the early United States.

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Highlights from this episode:

02:09 - Standing the test of time

06:21 - America's newfound sense of self

10:36 - The story of The Last of the Mohicans

15:40 - Romanticising colonisation

21:23 - What the frontier means for America

27:09 - White male heroes

31:29 - Native American representations

35:57 - National identity isn't just black and white

40:32 - A more colourful America

47:05 - I'm freakin' Hawkeye

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Additional Resources:

1. The Last of the Mohicans — Free eBook
2. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/940
3. LitCharts: Themes and Analysis
4. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-last-of-the-mohicans (litcharts.com in Bing)
5. SparkNotes: Summary and Themes
6. https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mohicans/
7. Novelguide: Theme Analysis
8. https://novelguide.com/the-last-of-the-mohicans/theme-analysis (novelguide.com in Bing)
9. Montclair State University: Theme PDF https://cyber.montclair.edu/Resources/B2F9F/501012/ThemeOfLastOfTheMohicans.pdf (cyber.montclair.edu in Bing)
10. Encyclopedia Britannica: Cooper Biography
11. https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Fenimore-Cooper (britannica.com in Bing)
12. Library of Congress: Cooper Collection
13. https://www.loc.gov/collections/james-fenimore-cooper/about-this-collection/ (loc.gov in Bing)
14. American Literature: Cooper Overview

America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask.

This week, A Brief History of the 50 States. I’ll explain how the United States grew from the 13 original states into the 50 states we have today, explaining the legal process of admission, major land acquisitions, political forces that shaped statehood, and the final additions of Alaska and Hawaii.

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Contact us: america@podcastsbyliam.com

Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

Get the newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

Brand & advertising enquiries: liam@mercurypodcasts.com

This week, we're talking about Trump showing signs of cooling on ICE in Minnesota, social media giants feel the pressure, plus Mr. Potato Head finds himself at the center of a legal dispute.

Plus, the US are lining up for a possible strike on Iran, but when will they make their move, and what will this mean for Iran, America, and the world?

All of this and more on another edition of America: A History in the Making.

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Special Guest:

This week, we are delighted to be joined by Theo Zenou, Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University. He earned his PhD in American history from Cambridge University and writes for The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal UnHerd and others.

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Links to Stories in this Episode:

Donald Trump describes 'very good call' with Tim Walz

Who Was Alex Pretti?

Judge orders ICE chief to appear in court or risk contempt | AP News

Greg Bovino, architect of Trump's immigration sweeps, departs Minneapolis | AP News

Why Rhode Island might ditch its Mr. Potato Head license plates | AP News

TikTok settles just before social media addiction trial to begin - BBC News

Seahawks, Patriots set to meet in Super Bowl rematch - CBS News

Composer Philip Glass drops Kennedy Center world premiere over Trump takeover | Reuters

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Want to advertise with us and support the American Studies community?

Email liam@mercurypodcasts.com and let's talk.

Contact us: america@podcastsbyliam.com

Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

Get the newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

Brand & advertising enquiries: liam@mercurypodcasts.com

This week, we explore what is arguably the most consequential event in the creation of the United States, reshaping the Western world by enshrining new concepts of liberty, equality, and self-governance. So I want to know what really caused it, why people risked their lives for it, and how are modern day debates about power, justice and identity still shaped by it, as I ask… what is the American Revolutionary War?

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Special guest for this episode:

1. Liz Covart, the award-winning creator and host of Ben Franklin’s World. Her work, both academic and public, shines in exploring how early Americans navigated 18th-century complexity: loyalty and revolution, community and conflict, the realities of freedom and the challenges of pluralism. She is also the founder of Scholar.DIY, a public benefit company that empowers scholars to transform their expertise into compelling digital stories.

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Highlights from this episode:

02:56 - A world of empires

08:51 - Taxation without representation

17:21 - The revolution for social mobility

25:48 - Shaping American identity

29:27 - Key battles

34:12 - A mutual enemy

39:22 - The defining moments in America's victory

45:06 - Impact of independence on marginalised groups

49:29 - Liberty and equality for some

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Additional Resources:

1. Encyclopedia Britannica: Timeline of the American Revolution — Detailed chronology and major themes
2. American Battlefield Trust: Revolution Timeline — Comprehensive timeline, maps, major battles
3. Library of Congress: Revolution Primary Sources — Original documents and teaching resources
4. Have Fun With History: 10 Most Important People in the American Revolution — In-depth profiles and legacy discussions
5. Mount Vernon: 10 Facts About the Revolutionary War — Focus on George Washington’s leadership and decision-making
6. American Revolution.org: Best Primary Sources — Diaries, letters, maps, memoirs, political cartoons
7. Khan Academy: Philosophical

America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask.

This week, US time zones: what they are, why they exist, and a few quick tips so you don’t miss a lecture (or a podcast recording) ever again.

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Contact us: america@podcastsbyliam.com

Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa - use code USA26 for 50% off your first month

Get the newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/

Brand & advertising enquiries: liam@mercurypodcasts.com

This week, on America: In the Making…

1. Will Greenland be the death of the UK-US special relationship?
2. AI-generated confusion after Monkeys escape a zoo in Missouri, and
3. One small step for Congress, one giant leap for mankind. I speak to Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy at The Planetary Society, about Trump’s failed efforts to decimate the NASA budget.

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Special Guest:

This week, we are delighted to be joined by Emma Long, an Associate Professor in American History and Politics at the University of East Anglia.

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Useful Links:

1. Trump has threatened Europe with higher tariffs. What happens now? | The Independent
2. The exchange of messages between Norway's prime minister and President Trump | Reuters
3. Keir Starmer about to hold emergency press conference
4. Trump Shares Map of US Including Greenland, Canada, Venezuela - Newsweek
5. Congress passes $24.4 billion NASA budget, rejecting Trump's deep cuts
6. As Musk works to slash federal spending, his own firms have received billions in government contracts - ABC News
7. The Planetary Society
8. Army has put 1,500 soldiers on standby for possible Minnesota deployment | AP News
9. Multiple monkeys on the loose in St. Louis | AP News
10. Supreme Court weighs Trump's firing of the Fed's Lisa Cook by social media | Reuters