In The Past Lane - The Podcast About History and Why It Matters

Historian Carol Berkin talks to this history podcast about her new book, A Sovereign People: The Crises of the 1790s and the Birth of American Nationalism. She focuses on 4 major crises that threatened the young nation: the Whiskey Rebellion, the Genet Affair, the XYZ Affair, and the Alien and Sedition Acts. Challenging previous interpretations in American history, Berkin argues that while these crises were divisive and controversial, they contributed to the formation of American national identity.

It’s JFK's 100 birthday so this American history podcast episode will examine the life and legacy of the nation's 35th President. First, I talk with historian Michael J. Hogan about his book, The Afterlife of John Fitzgerald Kennedy: A Biography. It explains how JFK and his loyalists carefully crafted and preserved an idealized historical image of him. Second, I visit the museum dedicated to the JFK assassination, the 6th Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza to talk to some of the people who visit the site.

In this episode, we take a close look at a small war that had a massive impact on US history - the Spanish American War that began in 1898. I talk to historian Stephen Kinzer about his latest book, titled: The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire. Kinzer takes a close look at the Spanish-American War, the great debate it triggered over imperialism, and how its resolution marked a new and troubling chapter in US history. Tags: American history, history podcast

In this American history podcast episode, we take a close look at Thomas Jefferson. This multi-talented Founder was part businessman, philosopher, writer, naturalist, theologian, statesman, architect, and inventor. To help us understand Jefferson and why he still matters, I talk to historian Annette Gordon-Reed, co-author of "Most Blessed of the Patriarchs": Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination. It’s a deep and compelling examination of this most important and most enigmatic of Founders.

In this episode we mark the 100th anniversary of the US entry into World War I, a decisive turning point in American history, as it marked the first time the US engaged in a European war. I talk to historian Michael S. Neiberg about his new book, The Path to War: How the First World War Created Modern America, a fascinating examination of the years between 1914 – when WW1 began in Europe – and 1917, when the US finally entered the conflict. Tags: American history, history podcast

In this episode, it’s all about Alexander Hamilton. Lately, he’s the hottest Founder – and it’s all due to the smash Broadway hit, “Hamilton: The Musical.” I sit down with historian Stephen F. Knott to discuss his book, Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America. I also pay a visit to the Hamilton’s home in NYC: The Hamilton Grange. Tags: American history, history podcast

In this episode, we take on the question, Why does the US, with 5% of the world's population, hold 25% of its prison population? I speak with historian Elizabeth Hinton, author of, From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime: The Making of Mass Incarceration in America. She explains the key public policy decisions regarding crime and criminal justice—and the assumptions about race and poverty that shaped them—that caused the US prison population to explode after 1970. Tags: American history, history pod

MSR S2 Ep06 Mercy Street Rewind, featuring Megan Kate Nelson

MSR S2 Ep05 Mercy Street Rewind, featuring Megan Kate Nelson

MSR S2 Ep04 Mercy Street Rewind, featuring Megan Kate Nelson

MSR S2 Ep03 Mercy Street Rewind, featuring Megan Kate Nelson

In this first of a two-part exploration of the origins of mass incarceration in the US, I visit the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA. It's a famous prison built in the 1820s that closed in the 1970s and then later was turned into a museum. Its history highlights the many phases of criminal justice in the US – and the evolving theories that shaped them. Tags: American history, history podcast

MSR S2 Ep02 Mercy Street Rewind, featuring Megan Kate Nelson

MSR S2 Ep01 Mercy Street Rewind, featuring Megan Kate Nelson

MSR S2 Extra 1 Mercy Street Rewind