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American History Hit — History
American History Hit

Join Don Wildman twice a week for your hit of American history, as he explores the past to help us understand the United States of today.

We’ll hear how codebreakers uncovered secret Japanese plans for the Battle of Midway, visit Chief Powhatan as he prepares for war with the British, see Walt Disney accuse his former colleagues of being communists, and uncover the dark history that lies beneath Central Park.

From pre-colonial America to independence, slavery to civil rights, the gold rush to the space race, join Don as he speaks to leading experts to delve into America’s past.

New episodes every Monday and Thursday.

Brought to you by History Hit, the award-winning podcast network and world’s best history channel on demand, featuring shows like Dan Snow’s History Hit, Not Just The Tudors and Betwixt the Sheets.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Copyright: © History Hit

Latest Episodes:

Civil War Battle Of The Ironclads Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

In March 1862, wooden warships had dominated global warfare for centuries. In less than 48 hours off the coast of Virginia, two experimental metal monsters made every Navy on Earth obsolete overnight.

Don Wildman is joined by Dr Howard Fuller reader in war studies at University of Wolverhampton, UK. His first book was Clad in Iron: The American Civil War and the Challenge of British Naval Power.

Edited by Tim Artstall. Produced by Freddy Chick and Tomos Delargy.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reconstruction Era: A False Dawn of Freedom? Aug 10, 2026

Show notes

With the end of the Civil War, four million formerly enslaved people in the South were now free. It was the beginning of a remarkable experiment: rebuilding the South on the foundations of freedom and equal citizenship. For a brief moment, the United States of America begins its first real attempt at establishing a multi-racial democracy.

Our guest today is Bradley Rebeiro, Associate Professor of Law at BYU Law School. He is the author of ‘Until the Last Yoke is Broke: The Constitutional Vision of Frederick Douglass’, which is out on September 29th of this year.

Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Plessy v. Ferguson: The Supreme Court Case That Enshrined Jim Crow Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

In 1896 the Supreme Court ruled that Jim Crow segregation laws were not unconstitutional in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. This is the case that Brown v. Board of Education would eventually overturn but not until six decades of Jim Crow laws had been endured. Who was Plessy? Who was Ferguson? And how on earth did the Supreme Court reach its conclusions?

Don Wildman's guest today is Dr Michael Ross, historian of constitutional history with a focus on Reconstruction era at the University of Maryland.

Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Freddy Chick and Tomos Delargy.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Happened to the Confederates? Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

Across the defeated Confederacy, there had been an expectation that those who had taken up arms against their citizens would be punished. This did not happen however and instead ex-Confederates were gradually brought back into the fold. Decades later, they managed to cultivate a dangerous mythology that obscured the truth about the nature of the Confederacy and the Civil War in general...

Our guest today is Brigadier General Ty Seidule, Professor Emeritus of History at West Point and teaches at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. He’s the author of ‘Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause.’

Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Did the Supreme Court Claim Power? Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

Can you think of a time in history when a law has been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court?

Having been used over 180 times, judicial review is one of the most important powers that the US Supreme Court has. So where did it come from?

In this episode, Don and is joined by Professor Cliff Sloan to discuss the 1803 ruling of Marbury v. Madison. Cliff has served on all three branches of the Federal Government during his career. He now teaches at Georgetown Law, serves on the board of the Journal of Supreme Court History and is the author of 'The Court at War: FDR, His Justices and the World They Made'.

Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Life in Mobland Chicago Jul 27, 2026

Show notes

Just how dangerous was it to live in Chicago during the 1920s? Was it all gangsters, tommy guns and spilt moonshine?

Don is finding out what it was like to exist alongside the likes of Al Capone with Paul Durica, Director of Exhibitions at Chicago History Museum.

Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Long Walk of the Navajo Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

Between 1863 and 1866, more than 10,000 Navajo (Diné) were forcibly removed from their lands by the U.S. Military and forced to marched hundreds of miles into present day New Mexico. Many died of starvation and exposure on the march and while in exile. Don is joined by Dr. Jennifer Nez Denetdale, professor and chair of American Studies at the University of New Mexico, and author of the books Reclaiming Diné History: The Legacies of Navajo Chief Manuelito and Juanita, as well as The Long Walk: The Forced Exile of the Navajo.

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Hannah Feodorov. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Robin Hood of the Wild West Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

Robbing from the rich to give to the poor and downtrodden - this is the legend of Joaquin Murrieta.

But how true was it? Murder rates in 1850s California were 30 times higher than they are today, and Joaquin was part of this violence. Was he a social bandit, or was he fuelled by self-interest?

Don is finding out today with historian John Boessenecker, author of ‘Bring Me the Head of Joaquin Murrieta'.

Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Best Presidential Speeches Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

The words of an American president have often carried the power to shape not only public opinion, but the course of the nation itself. In this episode, we explore three landmark presidential speeches, examining the historical moments that inspired them, the ideas they advanced, and the lasting imprint they have left on American political culture.

Our guest today is Professor Jeremi Suri, historian and Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. His works include ‘Civil War By Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy’ and 'The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office.'

Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Truth about Billy the Kid Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

We're heading west again, this time looking for Billy the Kid. Who was he? What crimes did he really commit? Is there any chance he survived that final ambush?

Don is joined by author George R. Matthews, who went back to the sources for his book 'Billy the Kid: The Life Behind the Legend'.

Edited by Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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