America: The Story of the USA

Liam Heffernan | A Mercury Podcast

This is your deep‑dive guide to how the United States became what it is today - politically, culturally, and socially. We unpack the pivotal moments, defining conflicts, influential leaders, and overlooked voices that shaped, and continue to shape, the nation’s identity. Designed for curious listeners, students, educators, and lifelong learners, this series blends accessible storytelling with historically grounded insight to help you understand not just what happened in America’s past, but why it still matters now. If you want a clear, compelling, and richly narrated journey through U.S. history, this is the podcast that brings the American story to life. Made in partnership with the British Association for American Studies. . AD FREE & BONUS CONTENT: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa . GET THE NEWSLETTER: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/ BRANDS & ADVERTISING: liam@mercurypodcasts.com . America: A History is a part of the Mercury Podcast Network, hosted by your resident US expert Liam Heffernan, in partnership with The British Association for American Studies: baas.ac.uk

  1. PastMaster Feed Drop: Make America Great – The "true" story of the founding of the USA, ft Liam Heffernan

    15h ago

    PastMaster Feed Drop: Make America Great – The "true" story of the founding of the USA, ft Liam Heffernan

    As The United States of America celebrates 250 years, we've sent our operative undercover to meet the Founding Fathers and make a few key changes... Philadelphia, October 1774. The First Continental Congress is wrapping up its final sessions inside the Pennsylvania State House, and 56 of the most influential men in the colonies are filing out into the street — tricorn hats, righteous indignation, and a very tall Virginian named Washington who already looks like he's won something. Into this steps Abraham Starsen-stripes, a man who has arrived from the future with a musket, three pounds in his pocket, and an extremely ambitious CV. Liam Heffernan — podcast producer, self-described America obsessive, and the man behind "America: The Story of the USA" — has come on PastMaster to do one thing: become the first US president. His plan is to win over the founding fathers before Washington can consolidate power, using diplomacy, an eye-catching party trick, and a flexible definition of what counts as presidential gravitas. The Game Master notes that the path to the presidency typically runs through reputation and alliances, and probably not juggling. Liam disagrees. The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia from September to October 1774, as tensions between the thirteen colonies and the British Crown approached breaking point. The Intolerable Acts, Parliament's punitive response to the Boston Tea Party, had united delegates from across the colonies in a way nothing else had managed. What they produced was a petition and a plan; what they didn't produce was a president. That role wouldn't exist for another fifteen years, which means there's technically still a vacancy, and technically still time to apply. If you were sent back in time, could you survive and thrive — or would you be burnt at the stake for being a witch? PastMaster is the show that turns history into an interactive adventure game. Each episode, a comedian is dropped into the past with nothing but modern knowledge and terrible ideas. The AI Game Master is strict. The chaos is inevitable. The past will be mastered. Era: Modern | 1774 CE | Philadelphia, United States Featuring: Liam Heffernan — podcast producer (host of America: The Story of the USA, Big Cheese at Mercury Podcasts) . EPISODE LINKS Follow Liam's adventure on the PastMaster Interactive Map 👉 https://map.pastmasterpod.com Liam Heffernan: America: The Story of the USA podcast 👉 https://mercurypodcasts.com . GET IN TOUCH Sign up to our newsletter 👉 www.pastmasterpod.com Instagram 👉 @pastmasterpod TikTok 👉 @pastmasterpod X 👉 @pastmasterAI Email us 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 7m
  2. In the Making: Happy Birthday (War is Over)

    5d ago

    In the Making: Happy Birthday (War is Over)

    A few hours before recording, the US and Iran have agreed a provisional peace deal, putting an end to the conflict in the Middle East. But what next? What does this mean for the US domestically? And do Iran now hold a trump card with the Strait of Hormuz? Plus, as Trump turns 80 and watches a bunch of UFC fighters beat each other up at the White House, we discuss why there's no upper age limit on the Presidency.. and if there should be. And, after $14 million was spent turning Washington's reflecting pool blue, it's green again. Joining me this week is Emma Long, Associate Professor in American History and Politics at the University of East Anglia. . Stories: 01:47 - US Iran Peace Deal 18:25 - Visas and the FIFA World Cup 26:48 - Age Limits on the Presidency 48:05 - The Reflecting Pool . Sources: The War is Over: https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-war-oil-deal-june-17-2026-19652f4611b704c0a991bf1f5bc9a4b9  Trump’s MMA White House birthday bash: https://www.npr.org/2026/06/15/nx-s1-5857679/trump-celebrates-birthday-and-countrys-250th-with-ufc-event-at-the-white-house  World Cup visa issues: https://www.sportbible.com/football/football-news/fifa-world-cup/fifa-statement-donald-trump-visa-ban-world-cup-504443-20260116  Referee denied entry to the US: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/soccer/referee-denied-entry-into-us-was-talking-to-very-bad-people-official-says/ar-AA25FCxs?ocid=BingNewsSerp  Green algae in the reflection pool: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/general/white-house-blames-obama-as-reflecting-pool-turns-green-with-algae-days-after-big-renovation/ar-AA25SvL3?ocid=BingNewsSerp . America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/ Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/americathestoryoftheusa Get in touch: america@podcastsbyliam.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 4m
  3. What Was the AIDS Epidemic?

    Jun 16

    What Was the AIDS Epidemic?

    In the 1980s a new disease exploded into public view and reshaped American life. What began as small clusters of rare infections quickly became a national catastrophe that exposed deep social fault lines - stigma, political neglect, and a fragmented public‑health system. The epidemic’s devastation was not only biological but political: state variation in policy and resources produced wildly different outcomes across the country. So in this episode, I’m asking… what was the AIDS epidemic? . Special Guest: Stephen Colbrook is the author of Patchwork Pandemic: State Politics and the Fractured US Response to HIV/AIDS. His research traces how state politics, federalism, and local activism shaped the U.S. response in the 1980s and early 1990s, producing geographic inequities in care and outcomes. Get the book: https://a.co/d/0jdNiZYj . Highlights: 01:58 - Patchwork Pandemic 04:51 - How did AIDS become an epidemic? 10:58 - Inequality and treatment 21:59 - The government response to HIV 25:58 - Strings Attached 32:54 - Were Gay Men Ignored? 39:53 - The Importance of State Level Governance . For an extended reading list and to learn more, join our Patreon community now: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠ . Contact us: america@podcastsbyliam.com Get the newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠ Brands & advertises: liam@mercurypodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min
  4. In the Making: Why Does the White House Care So Much About UK Politics?

    Jun 11

    In the Making: Why Does the White House Care So Much About UK Politics?

    This week, as the death of Henry Nowak causes political chaos in the UK, Vice President JD Vance decides to weigh in, but why? Plus, the Kennedy Center removes Trump's name from the building after months of protestation, and... NASA are building a Moon Base. Would you live there? Joining me this week is Kate Ballantyne, a Senior Lecturer in American History at Liverpool John Moores University. . Stories: 01:16 - The Kennedy Center Drops Trump 07:55 - More Deaths at Louisiana ICE Facility 16:45 - JD Vance and Henry Nowak 34:01 - NASA's Moon Base . Sources: The Kennedy Center drops Trump: https://www.usnews.com/news/entertainment/articles/2026-06-08/the-kennedy-center-drops-trump-branding-as-bill-mahers-twain-award-guests-are-revealed  Deaths at an ICE detention facility: https://apnews.com/article/ice-detainee-death-winn-a1ab66753aa4a1effdff0b7abef2240f  Inhumane conditions: https://apnews.com/article/ice-immigration-detention-medical-neglect-dhs-32c3fbeef0c44dfb02fcab890b2c9a96  Downing Street response to JD Vance comments: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crlplwn1jkro  What is the Henry Nowak case? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpvpv2xylgeo  Black arrests in the UK: https://irr.org.uk/research/statistics/criminal-justice/  JD Vance on X: https://x.com/JDVance/status/2062938286977421755 Moon Base: https://www.nasa.gov/moonbase/ . America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/ Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/americathestoryoftheusa Get in touch: america@podcastsbyliam.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    43 min
  5. What is the National Archive?

    Jun 9

    What is the National Archive?

    The memory of the United States is preserved through The National Archive - the institution responsible for protecting the documents that define the nation’s laws, identity, and democratic accountability. From the Charters of Freedom to billions of federal records, it safeguards the evidence of government action and the stories of the American people. But the Archives is more than a repository: it’s a public trust, a cultural institution, and increasingly a political battleground So in this episode, I’m asking… what is the National Archive? . Special Guest: Colleen Shogan, the former Archivist of the United States, leading the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). She has overseen the preservation of federal records, the expansion of public access, and the stewardship of some of the nation’s most iconic documents. Her experience places her at the centre of debates about transparency, record‑keeping, and the political pressures facing cultural institutions today. . Highlights: 02:16 - Why was the archive created? 08:46 - Why did it take so long? 11:23 - What's in the archive? 15:50 - The selection process 21:13 - The social value of the National Archive 28:22 - A record of enslaved history 31:57 - The archive and politics 37:36 - A very presentist view of our lives 42:47 - A digital future . For an extended reading list and to learn more, join our Patreon community now: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠ . Contact us: america@podcastsbyliam.com Get the newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠ Brands & advertises: liam@mercurypodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    55 min

Trailers

Ratings & Reviews

3.7
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

This is your deep‑dive guide to how the United States became what it is today - politically, culturally, and socially. We unpack the pivotal moments, defining conflicts, influential leaders, and overlooked voices that shaped, and continue to shape, the nation’s identity. Designed for curious listeners, students, educators, and lifelong learners, this series blends accessible storytelling with historically grounded insight to help you understand not just what happened in America’s past, but why it still matters now. If you want a clear, compelling, and richly narrated journey through U.S. history, this is the podcast that brings the American story to life. Made in partnership with the British Association for American Studies. . AD FREE & BONUS CONTENT: https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa . GET THE NEWSLETTER: https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/ BRANDS & ADVERTISING: liam@mercurypodcasts.com . America: A History is a part of the Mercury Podcast Network, hosted by your resident US expert Liam Heffernan, in partnership with The British Association for American Studies: baas.ac.uk

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