The Way of Improvement Leads Home: American History, Religion, Politics, and Academic life.

John Fea
  • 4.8 (117)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

A biweekly discussion dedicated to American History, historical thinking, and the role of history in our every day lives. Hosted by historian John Fea

  1. DEC 17

    Episode 130: Hamilton vs. Jefferson in History and Memory

    Our guest on this episode of the podcast is Jeffrey Rosen, the president of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. He is with us to talk about his more recent book, The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America. In the wake of the American Revolution, Hamilton and Jefferson developed contrasting, often clashing visions for balancing liberty and power in the new republic. It is a debate that continues to define–and divide–our country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    54 min

  2. DEC 2

    Episode 129: The American Revolution as a World War

    Most of the stories we will tell about the American Revolution during the nation's 250th anniversary in 2026 will take on a feel of American exceptionalism. They will come mostly from within the geographical bounds of what today is the United States, and most of those stories will concentrate on the eastern seaboard—the so-called "13 colonies." Our guest in this episode, University of Maryland historian Richard Bell, encourages us to take a broader view. He is the author of The American Revolution and the Fate of the World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    47 min

  3. NOV 18

    Episode 128: Beecherism

    Many Americans have heard of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. But did you know that her father was a famous evangelist, her brother was "the most famous man in America," and her sister founded the home economics movement? In this episode, we talk with author Obbie Tyler Todd about the Beecher family, one of the most important families in 19th-century America. Todd is the author of The Beechers: America's Most Influential Family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1 hr

  4. NOV 4

    Episode 127: Phillis Wheatley: A Black Evangelical Poet in Revolutionary America

    In this episode, we talk with David Waldstreicher, author of the George Washington Prize-winning The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet's Journeys Through American Slavery and Independence. We discuss early American poetry as the eighteenth-century equivalent of pop music and tweeting, the influence of evangelical Christianity on Wheatley's poetry, and the tension between slavery and the American Revolution in colonial Boston. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    55 min

  5. OCT 21

    Episode 126: Christianity and Big Time Sports in Modern America

    In this episode we talk with historian Paul Putz about the history of Christianity and sports in America. This episode is for sports fans, history buffs, and anyone interested in how sports ministries like Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Athletes in Action navigated some of the major social, cultural, and political events of post-World War II America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    57 min

  6. OCT 7

    Episode 125: Black Evangelicals in American History

    What does it mean to be Black and evangelical—and why has that story been so often overlooked? In this episode, John Fea sits down with Vincent Bacote, co-creator and host of the new documentary Black and Evangelical. They explore the history of Black evangelicals in America, from the Nottage Brothers and the Great Migration to the founding of the National Black Evangelical Association and the unforgettable moment Tom Skinner took the stage at Urbana ‘70. Bacote discusses why this documentary matters today, how white evangelical institutions shaped (and sometimes constrained) Black evangelical life, and the enduring tension between gospel proclamation and confronting systemic racism. Watch the documentary for free at blackevangelicals.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    50 min

  7. 12/12/2023

    Episode 124: Christian Capitalism in Early America

    In this episode we talk with Wesleyan University historian Joseph Slaughter, author of Faith in Markets: Christian Capitalism in Early America. He offers a new account of the interplay between religion and capitalism in early American history by focusing on 19th-century Protestant entrepreneurs and how they infused faith into their business and, in turn, how those businesses shaped our capitalist economy today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    55 min

  8. 12/03/2023

    Episode 123: Drew Gilpin Faust on Growing-Up at Midcentury

    She was a privileged baby boomer who grew up on a horse farm in segregated Virginia. By her 21st birthday she had worked for peace in Communist Europe, traveled the country in the cause of racial justice, marched for voting rights in Selma, and led anti-Vietnam protests at Bryn Mawr College. Our guest in this episode is distinguished American historian and former Harvard University president Drew Gilpin Faust. She talks about her memoir, Necessary Trouble: Growing Up at Midcentury. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    45 min
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A biweekly discussion dedicated to American History, historical thinking, and the role of history in our every day lives. Hosted by historian John Fea

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