Independence was only the beginning. In the final episodes of John Adams, the Revolution gives way to politics, power struggles, and the difficult work of governing a fragile new nation. Adams finds himself caught between rivals and expectations, while the cost of public life reshapes his family and his legacy. Listen to our review on the Public History podcast.
John Adams crosses the Atlantic to plead America’s case before Europe, while Abigail Adams fights a quieter battle at home in Massachusetts. Episodes three and four of HBO’s John Adams reveal the exhausting diplomacy, family strain, and stubborn determination behind the Revolutionary cause. Listen to this episode of the Public History podcast.
The new US-Israeli air war reached the edges of one of Iran’s most important historic sites - the Golestan Palace. These moments raises a larger question about what happens when modern conflict collides with the past. This episode explores the long struggle to protect cultural heritage in wartime and why those battles still matter today. Listen to the Full Story.
We begin our rewatch of HBO’s John Adams with the Boston Massacre and a risky defense that tested the rule of law at the edge of revolution. From Abigail’s steady influence to the messy birth of independence, this episode revisits a familiar story that feels urgent again. Listen to this episode of the Public History podcast.
A 1990s epic becomes a doorway into an 18th-century world. This Public History podcast episode revisits Last of the Mohicans to unpack the real history of the French and Indian War - Fort William Henry, a young George Washington, and the myths that still shape how Americans imagine the frontier. Listen to the episode.
In this episode of Public History with Justin, Jake, and Molly, Jake and Molly are joined by public historian Rich Condon to explore the Port Royal Experiment - an early, improvised effort to build freedom during the Civil War. Long before Reconstruction formally began, formerly enslaved people tested land ownership, education, and self-governance in coastal South Carolina. Listen to the episode.
In this "emergency" episode of Public History with Justin, Jake, and Molly, Jake and Molly respond to the quiet removal of slavery interpretation at Philadelphia’s President’s House ahead of America’s 250th. Listen to the full episode.
In this episode of Public History with Justin, Jake, and Molly, we revisit The Patriot (2000) as both a Revolutionary War story and a product of its time. The conversation digs into mythmaking, historical shortcuts, and how Hollywood action tropes still shape how Americans imagine the Revolution. Listen to the episode.
This holiday episode of the Public History podcast revisits It’s a Wonderful Life as more than a Christmas classic. We unpack the war trauma behind Jimmy Stewart’s performance, the clash between Bedford Falls and Potterville, and why Frank Capra’s critique of power still feels uncomfortably relevant today. Read the full story.
On October 8, 1871, Peshtigo, Wisconsin vanished in a wall of fire, leaving more than 1,200 dead. It remains the nation's deadliest wildfire. This podcast episode traces the disaster’s origins and its eerie legacy that lingers today. Listen to the latest episode of the Public History podcast.