America: The Story of the USA

Liam Heffernan | A Mercury Podcast

Blending US history, American politics, and current affairs, America: The Story of the USA is your best deep‑dive into the forces that shaped the United States, and the forces shaping it now. We unpack the big moments, bold ideas, and cultural shifts that define the nation. Whether you’re in the US, the UK, or anywhere with an interest in US news, this podcast brings clarity and context to the American experience. Each episode explores the threads connecting founding‑era history, constitutional debates, presidential politics, civil rights, foreign policy, and the modern headlines dominating today’s US political landscape. From the origins of American democracy to the latest developments in Washington, we break down how the past informs the present — and why it matters. . 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. In the Making: Has American Politics Lost its Moral Compass?

    1D AGO

    In the Making: Has American Politics Lost its Moral Compass?

    This week, on America: In the Making... An announcement on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (00:00) The death of civil rights activist Jesse Jackson (02:25) 11 more dead after US strikes on drug boats (07:19) Is morality in American politics dead? (21:51) And President Obama believes in aliens (40:22) Joining the show this week is Emma Long, Associate Professor in American History and Politics at the University of East Anglia. And also Jacob Jarvis, the host of American Friction, and a regular on The Bunker, so he loves podcasting about America almost as much as we do. . News sources: American Friction [podcast]: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/american-friction/id1744345702  Jesse Jackson’s Death: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jesse-jackson-dies-age-84-civil-rights-leader/  11 dead after US strikes on alleged drug boats: https://apnews.com/article/boat-strikes-drug-trafficking-trump-5504d20ac43e0f4796084d0f1cefe5ec  Drug dealers Trump has pardoned: https://www.complex.com/life/a/backwoodsaltar/drug-dealers-donald-trump-pardoned  Pam Bondi testimonial: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/fiery-exchanges-dominate-bondi-appearance-before-congress-4-takeaways/ar-AA1Wa41i?ocid=BingNewsSerp  How many countries has Trump attacked? https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/president-of-peace-really-countries-trump-has-bombed-in-his-second-term-article-153402053  2025 Government shutdown: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_United_States_federal_government_shutdown  Impact of ICE raids: https://truthout.org/articles/the-trauma-of-ice-raids-is-rippling-through-public-schools-across-the-us/  Affordability crisis continues: https://www.allianz.com/en/economic_research/insights/publications/specials_fmo/260211-US-affordability.html  Obama clarifies existence of aliens: https://www.nbcnews.com/video/barack-obama-clarifies-he-s-seen-no-evidence-of-aliens-257772101699 . Contact us: america@podcastsbyliam.com Join the community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get the newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Brand & advertising enquiries: liam@mercurypodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min
  2. Who is Elizabeth Keckley?

    4D AGO

    Who is Elizabeth Keckley?

    This week, we discuss a woman whose journey from bondage to the heart of the Lincoln White House is a story of extraordinary perseverance and ingenuity. Her rise to prominence as a celebrated dressmaker and confidante to First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, her authorship of the groundbreaking memoir Behind the Scenes, and her philanthropic leadership during and after the Civil War, all mark her as a pivotal figure in American history. Yet, for much of the twentieth century, her story was marginalized - her achievements overshadowed by the very social barriers she fought to break down. Today, historians, artists, and writers are reclaiming her legacy, recognizing her not only as “Mrs. Lincoln’s dressmaker,” but as a businesswoman, author, activist, and Black female intellectual, whose life illuminates the intersections of race, gender, and power in nineteenth-century America. So in this episode, we explore her early years in slavery, her struggle for freedom, her career in Washington,, and the enduring impact she has had on American culture and scholarship, as I ask… who is Elizabeth Keckley? . Special Guest: Professor Rebecca Fraser, a leading scholar of American history and culture at the University of East Anglia, specializing in the intersections of gender, race, and intellectual life in nineteenth-century America. Her recent book, Black Female Intellectuals in Nineteenth Century America: Born to Bloom Unseen?, reconceptualizes the very notion of “intellectual” to include women whose voices and creative work have long been excluded from mainstream scholarship. . Highlights: 03:48 - Early life 08:16 - A day in the life of Elizabeth Keckley 13:51 - Robert and Anna 18:26 - Moving to St Louis 26:58 - Hustling to the White House 30:22 - Dressmaker to the First Lady 35:00 - Where did it all go wrong? 38:12 - Keckley the activist 42:56 - Keckley's legacy . 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/⁠⁠ Brand & advertising enquiries: liam@mercurypodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    55 min
  3. In the Making: Cree en Ti Mismo

    FEB 12

    In the Making: Cree en Ti Mismo

    This week, on America: In the Making... the fallout from Bad Bunny's Super Bowl performance (15:47), teacher strikes continue in San Francisco (01:39), that AI video with the Obamas (05:34), the NAACP take on Elon Musk (38:06), and a cat sanctuary puts some kindness back in the world (12:15) Joining the show this week is Ira Chaleff, author of To Stop a Tyrant: The Power of Political Followers, which is available to buy now. He is co-author of the original handbook given to every newly elected member of the US Congress and is Chair Emeritus of the non-partisan Congressional Management Foundation. And Abre' Conner, Director of Environmental and Climate Justice at the NAACP . News sources: NAACP Taking Action: Tech companies ‘be on alert,’ NAACP says with new guiding principles for data centers | The Verge NAACP Playbook: https://naacp.org/articles/naacp-releases-playbook-frontline-communities-stop-dirty-data-centers  NYT Magazine Article: https://law.news.niu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/03/Pollution-Is-Killing-Black-Americans.-This-Community-Fought-Back.-.pdf  Bad Bunny and the Super Bowl: https://apnews.com/article/bad-bunny-kid-rock-super-bowl-halftime-698c46096a387cfec34e4cc2fba29d82  Turning Point’s halftime show: https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/millions-of-super-bowl-fans-tune-into-turning-point-usas-halftime-show-instead-of-bad-bunny/ar-AA1VWOUB?ocid=BingNewsSerp  Megyn Kelly on Piers Morgan: https://youtu.be/UmoekomrMww  Spanish speaking Americans: https://factually.co/fact-checks/society/percentage-of-us-population-that-speaks-spanish-e6d3f7  Teacher strikes in San Francisco: https://apnews.com/article/san-francisco-teachers-strike-ec574f8ac7ef0e0041e9f136e9f99140  Trump’s Obama video: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/06/donald-trump-racist-meme-obama-explained/88544923007/  Trump not apologising: https://time.com/7372734/trump-obama-monkey-video-republican-criticism-racist-trope/  Cat Sanctuary: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/pet-sanctuary-takes-in-overflow-from-homeless-shelter-amid-unprecedented-cold-snap/  Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary: https://safehavenpet.org/ . Contact us: america@podcastsbyliam.com Join the community: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠⁠⁠ Get the newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠ Brand & advertising enquiries: liam@mercurypodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 10m
  4. Who is Paul Robeson?

    FEB 10

    Who is Paul Robeson?

    This week, we are discussing a gifted performer, a scholar, athlete, and, above all, a tireless activist. Born to a lineage marked by slavery and resilience, he rose to become one of the twentieth century’s greatest Renaissance figures, fighting for civil rights, and championing peace and internationalism. His legacy is inseparable from the complex development of American national identity. His cosmopolitan vision, his refusal to be “just an entertainer” in a segregated nation, and his insistence that the artist must “take sides” brought him both global adulation and the crushing weight of McCarthyite repression. We’re going to revisit his early influences, his multifaceted career, the full arc of his activism, and his impact on ideas of citizenship, art, and what it means to stand for justice in America and the world. So in this episode, I’m asking… who is Paul Robeson? . Special Guest: Nicholas Grant, an Associate Professor of International History at the University of East Anglia. He is an expert on twentieth century United States, researching race, internationalism and transnational activism. . Highlights: 02:51 - A disdain for Uncle Tom 09:02 - Race and social mobility 17:50 - Black America and the Harlem renaissance 23:19 - Leaving the echo chamber 29:05 - Robeson and Wales 39:18 - McCarthyism 44:17 - HUAC . 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/⁠ Brand & advertising enquiries: liam@mercurypodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    57 min
  5. In the Making: The Return of the Epstein Files

    FEB 4

    In the Making: The Return of the Epstein Files

    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. . Special Guests: Clodagh Harrington from University College Cork. She is also host of the wonderful podcast A Chicken in Every Pot alongside Alex Waddan Sanam Naraghi Anderlini MBE, founder of the International Civil Society Action Network, and host of the excellent podcast If You Were in Charge. . Mentioned in this Episode: A Chicken in Every Pot: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-chicken-in-every-pot/id1780348590 ICAN: https://icanpeacework.org/ If You Were in Charge :https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/if-you-were-in-charge/id1770618616 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 DOJ releases epstein files: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-publishes-35-million-responsive-pages-compliance-epstein-files Met Police to investigate Peter Mandelson: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/clynp40ekrdt?page=4 Josh D’Amaro to Become Disney CEO: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/disney-ceo-announcement/ Trump wants to nationalise elections: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0mke841zj0o FBI raid Fulton Country election office: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/winners-losers-from-james-harden-trade-to-cleveland-cavaliers/ar-AA1VCscN?ocid=BingNewsSerp US shoot down Iranian drone: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-carrier-shoots-down-iranian-drone-as-tensions-escalate-and-diplomatic-talks-hit-a-snag/ar-AA1VABf1?ocid=BingNewsSerp . 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    56 min

Trailers

Ratings & Reviews

3.7
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Blending US history, American politics, and current affairs, America: The Story of the USA is your best deep‑dive into the forces that shaped the United States, and the forces shaping it now. We unpack the big moments, bold ideas, and cultural shifts that define the nation. Whether you’re in the US, the UK, or anywhere with an interest in US news, this podcast brings clarity and context to the American experience. Each episode explores the threads connecting founding‑era history, constitutional debates, presidential politics, civil rights, foreign policy, and the modern headlines dominating today’s US political landscape. From the origins of American democracy to the latest developments in Washington, we break down how the past informs the present — and why it matters. . 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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