How the Hell Did We Get Here?

In this episode, John explains how it is that the United States, less than 30 years after fighting Great Britain to become and independent country, wound up fighting the British once again. John begins by discussing James Madison as a presidential figure: how he became president, what he wanted to achieve and how he differed from the first three presidents. John also breaks down the issues that Madison had to deal with during his term that didn’t involve Great Britain and France messing with American shipping and trade, including the annexation of Florida, congressional and party factionalism and maintaining na...

In this episode, John stacks up the lives and careers of two of the most important Founding Fathers of the United States: Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. John goes into a lot of detail about the endeavors and accomplishments that make both men the legendary historical heavyweights that they are. He talks about their impact on American governance, American economics, American culture, American religion and the trajectory of American society from independence onward.

But John also deals with the many shortcomings and foibles of both men. John explains why he is more “Team Hamilton” than “Team Jefferson” because...

In this episode, John explores the mass religious movement in the United States referred to as The Second Great Awakening. John discusses the origin of this explosion of religious growth and diversification and why it was that it occurred in the aftermath of the American Revolution. John talks about how the movement defied expectations of the Founding Fathers, who anticipated a more secular society after the Revolution, and how it demonstrated another dichotomy between the elites and the “middling sort”, in much the same way the divergence between Federalists and Democratic Republicans did.

John also goes through some...

In this episode, John focuses on slavery in the United States in the years after the American Revolution. John investigates why it is that slavery did not die out, as most of the Founding Fathers expected it would in the 1780s and 1790s. John talks about the reasons why so many Americans believed that slavery was on its way out in America, not the least of which was the fact that slavery absolutely did not comport with the ideals on which the United States was founded as an independent country.

John explores the social, economic and political...

In this episode, John discusses the important events and decisions of Thomas Jefferson’s second term as the third U.S. President. John begins by talking about the Sally Hemings affair, which was actually brought to public attention in a very direct way for the first time about halfway through Jefferson’s first term. John explains how and why it was that Jefferson’s decades-long relationship with one of his slaves became a national story, why it matters when considering Jefferson’s legacy and how it was that Jefferson dealt with it all when it became a public scandal.

Joh...

In this episode, John reviews through what he has learned so far doing the show. John covers a variety of topics that he has gone into detail on in previous episodes, stretching all the way back to the very first How the Hell Did We Get Here. John starts out by talking about the Pre-Columbian period and the years between Columbus and the settlement of Jamestown, before discussing all the things he learned about the colonial period that he did not know before he started researching for the show, including the plantation of Ireland, how it affected English settlement...

In this episode, John does a deep dive into the early years of the Judicial Branch of the federal government. John begins by explaining how courts, judges and lawyers were perceived by the colonists in the decades before the American Revolution and what role it was in society and in the colonial governments that these elements played. John then discusses the changes that Americans wanted to see in the judicial system upon achieving independence from Great Britain and how the rapid evolution of democracy in the various states led to a push for a more uniform legal system in...

In this episode, John discusses the circumstances that allowed the Jefferson administration to complete the Louisiana Purchase from France. John explains how it was that France came to acquire Louisiana again and what it was that drove Napoleon to sell the territory to the U.S. less than five years after acquiring it. John also talks about the Lewis and Clark expedition and its importance to the foundation of an American presence in the middle of North America.

John also goes through the Jefferson administration’s decision to go to war with the Barbary Pirates in 1801. John co...

In this episode, John dives into the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, focusing specifically on his most important ideas and priorities as he took over from the Federalists as America’s third president. John discusses why Jefferson was such a monumental figure in American history, how he and his ideas came to dominate the first quarter century of the 1800s and how he saw his role in America’s “Empire of Liberty”. John talks about the Jeffersonians’ goals to shrink the size of the federal government, pay off the national debt, demilitarize the U.S. from the brink of war with Franc...

In this episode, John discusses the conditions leading up to the presidential election of 1800. He breaks down who the main candidates were, how both the Federalist and Democratic Republican parties campaigned in this very early era of party politics and what the strengths and weaknesses of both sides were as the election approached. John also explains the division within the Federalist Party between Alexander Hamilton and John Adams and how this internal rift made winning the election very difficult for the party in general and John Adams in particular.

John also examines how the structure of the...

In this episode, John discusses the John Adams administration and the most significant events and developments of the period in which he presided as the second President of the United States. John begins by going over the factors that led to further political polarization, as the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans grew further and further apart on the issues. John explains the importance of the growing political press in the United States during the 1790s and the increasing demand for a more participatory democracy from Americans all over the country. 

John goes on to discuss the very s...

In this episode, John discusses the circumstances surrounding the presidential election of 1796. John explains how the Democratic Republican Party and the Federalist Party had become more or less fully formed partisan organizations by the time the election was to take place and what the issues were that divided the two of them. John goes into detail about how each party viewed itself, its place in American Politics and each party’s vision for the future of the United States as the election approached.

John then goes on to discuss what actually happened in the presidential election of 1796 an...

In this episode, John discusses the origins of the United States’ first political parties: the Federalist Party and the Democratic Republican Party. John goes over the various factors that created enough political division to account for political parties coming into existence, despite the fact that this was not anticipated at the Constitutional Convention or during the ratification process. John breaks down the issues that created opposing constituencies for two political parties, including the interpretation of the constitution, Alexander Hamilton’s financial program and whether the United States should more closely align itself with Britain or with France in the earl...

In this episode, John dives into the details of westward expansion after the Revolutionary War and the ways that both the movement of the United States and white Americans west affected Native Americans. John begins with a brief recap of how Native Americans and European-descended white settlers had interacted prior to the Revolution and then explains how the Revolution affected the relationship between Native Americans and whites in some general and specific ways. John talks about the motivations for those on either side of the divide and how the existence of an independent United States, various state governments and...

In this episode, John gets into the first ever United States Congress and the beginnings of the first Washington Administration as they begin to govern under the recently ratified Constitution. John discusses the realization of the founding fathers that they will not be able to govern as they had envisioned and, instead, will have to embrace a governing system of democratic advocacy. John talks about how the Congress set up the basic structures for both the Executive and the Judicial branches as well as determining some of the ways in which the legislature would work with the new President.<...

In this episode, John sets up the circumstances the Washington Administration and the first Congress inherited as it formed the new national government under the Constitution. John talks about the expanding democratic rights Americans during and after the Revolution and how this dynamic affected the evolution of American government at the local, state and national levels in the 1770s, 80s and 90s. John also discusses the demands that newly empowered citizens were making of the their governments and how these demands made the governing and economic elite nervous, which resulted in the “conservative backlash” of the Constitution.

Fina...

In this episode, John discusses the religious beliefs of some of the most prominent and impactful of the founding fathers. John begins by briefly reviewing over the broad strokes of the religious history of the British North American colonies from the early 1600s to 1770, discussing the religious diversity of the colonies, the most common denominations and the Great Awakening. John then explains the fundamentals of one of the most important belief systems embraced by a number of the founding fathers he covers later in the episode: Deism.

John spends a few minutes on the religious beliefs of...

In this episode, John finishes his discussion of the Constitutional Convention and the ratification of the document that created the current United States government. John briefly recaps the major accomplishments of the first two months of the Constitutional Convention and then discusses the Committee on Postponed Parts and how it proposed to resolve some of the major debates still taking place among the delegates. John profiles the presidency, as envisioned by the delegates, and explains what it was about the office, its powers and the concerns for how the person who filled the position would be selected that made...

In this episode, John does a deep dive into the Constitutional Convention. He goes into detail about how the debate over the Virginia Resolves shaped the direction of the convention, how it was that the "nationalists" like James Madison and James Wilson seized control of the debate with the Virginia Resolves to achieve their goals of reform and the way these proposals were received by delegates to the convention who did not participate in the process of shaping the resolves. John explains how the Virginia Plan, as the resolves came to be called, represented a revolution in the government...

In this episode, John gets into the details of how the Constitutional Convention came together and what the agenda was for those most responsible for putting it together. John reviews through the weaknesses of the government under the Articles of Confederation that pushed the likes of James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and Robert Morris to call for a much stronger central government. He then explains how those men, thinking of themselves as "nationalists", recruited George Washington to their cause in order to bring legitimacy and popular support to their arguments.

Finally, John discusses the days leading up to...

In this episode, John gives a broad strokes rundown of both how the Constitution was created and the process by which it was ratified. John discusses the major controversies at the convention that needed to be resolved and explains very generally what the interests and motivations of the delegates at the convention were. John then breaks down the ratification process in the various states, briefly discussing how difficult or not it was from one state to the next.

In this episode, John explains how the Constitutional Convention was actually created and put into motion in 1787. John discusses the dire situation in which the young United States found itself, with threats from foreign adversaries and all sorts of domestic disputes and disorder, and how the government created by the Articles of Confederation was unable to resolve any of these major problems. John talks about the push by the "nationalists", as they came to be called, like James Madison, Robert Morris and Alexander Hamilton, to form a much stronger central government than the one that existed under the Articles...

In this episode, John discusses the many challenges the United States faced as it emerged victorious from the Revolutionary War and sought to solidify its standing as an independent republic. John talks about the infamous Newburgh Conspiracy among a number of Continental Army officers, why it emerged and how George Washington was narrowly able to stop it from happening. John lists a number of the very serious difficulties the United States encountered as it tried to gain its footing and why those challenges were made more difficult under the first form of government, the Articles of Confederation.

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In this episode, John goes through the events of the Revolutionary War from the signing of the alliance with France in 1778 to the conclusion of the War with the Treaty of Paris in 1783. John explains the shifts in strategy and emphasis undertaken by the British after their defeat at Saratoga and how the Continental Army, George Washington and the United States' new French allies counter the British military and government. John breaks down what led to the British defeat, who participated in the peace negotiations and the complicated diplomatic interests Americans had to navigate as they sought to get...

In this episode, John covers the period from the Declaration of Independence to the completion of the Treaty of Alliance with France. John explains the many challenges that the United States had to face as it fought for its independence against Great Britain and how it was that the new nation was able to overcome these challenges. John also discusses some of the most important military engagements that occurred in 1776 and 1777.

In this episode, John explains what led to the Declaration of Independence in July of 1776. John starts by going through the colonial reaction to the Intolerable/Coercive Acts, including the Suffolk Resolves and the meeting of the First Continental Congress. He then details the actions taken by the Continental Congress as it attempted to bring the colonies together for collective action and tried to, at first, reconcile with the British Government.

Finally, John explains how the violence began at Lexington and Concord, what the colonists did in response to it, and how everything that happened between that...

In this episode, John discusses the events that led to the Tea Act and how the colonists reacted to this new British policy. John explains the connection between the Tea Act and the Boston Tea Party and how the British government freaked out at the colonists' protest.

Most importantly, John breaks down the British reaction to the Boston Tea Party, the Intolerable Acts, and explains how these measures led to a "point of no return" in the American Revolution that would soon result in the outbreak of war between Britain and the colonies.

In this episode, John discusses the events that led to the Tea Act and how the colonists reacted to this new British policy. John explains the connection between the Tea Act and the Boston Tea Party and how the British government freaked out at the colonists' protest.

Most importantly, John breaks down the British reaction to the Boston Tea Party, the Intolerable Acts, and explains how these measures led to a "point of no return" in the American Revolution that would soon result in the outbreak of war between Britain and the colonies.

In this episode, John discusses the first measures taken by the British government in the aftermath of the French and Indian War and how they created a rift between Britain and the colonies. John goes over the Proclamation of 1763 first and explains what it was and why it upset those in the colonies. He then talks about the Sugar Act and the Currency Act and how those were perceived as over-stepping British authority.

John then spends a while talking about the Stamp Act and why it created such an uproar and how it fundamentally and irreparably harmed...

In this episode, John explains the numerous ways in which the French and Indian War (or Seven Years War) contributed to a growing divide between Great Britain and the 13 colonies of British North America. John talks about how the experience of the war, which ended the period of Salutary Neglect, brought the British and the colonists into much greater contact with one another and how that did a lot to damage their views of each other. John also discusses the massive amount of debt the British government took on to fight the war, how that pushed the British government...

In this episode, John explains the factors that began to drive a wedge between the 13 British North American Colonies that would eventually become the United States and Great Britain. John details the economic, political and geographic elements of the relationship between Britain and the colonies that made it increasingly difficult for the two to coexist as they had up through the mid-18th century. Land disputes, arguments over trade and mercantilism and strained relations with Native Americans are all contributing factors to the deteriorating relationship that culminates in the French and Indian War, which John also discusses.

In this episode, John explains the various ways in which the colonists in the 13 British North American colonies were connected to Britain during the period of Salutary Neglect. John goes over the factors that made remaining a part of the British empire attractive to the colonists in order to help the listeners understand why revolution seemed unlikely for most of the 1700s. There were economic, political and military advantages to being under the British umbrella that John unpacks as he seeks to make sense of how, though many colonists had little patriotic attachment to Great Britain, they nonetheless saw...

In this episode, host John Miller breaks down the origins and ramifications of Bacon's Rebellion in colonial Virginia in the late 17th century. John explains how Bacon's Rebellion impacted slavery in the colonies from the late 1600s into the mid 1700s and how the expansion of slavery impacted the colonies. Additionally, John talks about Salutary Neglect, what brought it about and how it affected the colonies as they developed a unique American identity.

In this episode, John discusses the importance of the English Civil War, Mercantilism and the Dominion of New England to the continuing story of what will be the United States. John explains what caused the English Civil War, who was on which side, who won and why it mattered for the British North American colonies. John also defines mercantilism and gives a rundown of how it worked in the British North American colonies. He tells the audience how mercantilism affected the relationship between England and the colonies and what the Navigation Acts have to do with all of this.<...

In this episode, John gives a breakdown of the origins and character of each of the original thirteen colonies that will compose the United States. John will cover who it was that created the colonies, the motivations of those who did so and how they evolved over the first few decades of their respective existences. The colonies will be grouped into regions and John will explain what makes each region different and how the colonies within that region had common-or different--characteristics.

In addition, John gives each colony its very own colonial motto! Are you from one of...

In this episode, John explains how the English colonized Ireland in the 1500s and 1600s and how the English transferred there experiences in Ireland to North America. John will cover the English decisions and processes for how they tried to assert their authority over Ireland, how the Irish resisted and what all this meant for the relationship between England and Ireland.

John will also explain the demographic crisis that unfolded among Native American communities east of the Mississippi and north of the Gulf of Mexico. He will explore why the period 1580 to 1650 was so catastrophic for Native...

In this episode, John goes through the various groups of people who colonized North America and explains how and why they did it. Specifically, John will discuss the Spanish presence in what is now the Southwestern United States, the French colonization of Canada and the Mississippi River Valley and the first two English colonies in what would be the United States at Jamestown and Plymouth. The episode will go into detail about the motivations for each group of colonizers, how they interacted with Native Americans and what ultimately became of their efforts at colonization in the 1500s and 1600s.<...

In this episode of How the Hell Did We Get Here?, John explains both the "discovery" of the New World and the way it was colonized by various European peoples in the 16th century. Beginning with how Europeans started to explore more of the Atlantic world in the 1400s and concluding with some brief consideration of English and French involvement in the New world toward the end of the 1500s, John will go through the most impactful events, the primary motivations and the most important circumstances of how colonization unfolded.

By the end of the episode, listeners...

In this episode, John examines the regions of the world that will intertwine with one another to create what will be the United States, well before those regions were even aware of one another. What was North America like before Europeans arrived? How did North and West African civilization function before Europeans began to trade with those areas regularly? And what was going on in Western Europe before Europeans began to look outward and imagine themselves as part of a much larger world?

This series is all about context and this show will explore the backgrounds of...

In this episode, host John Miller introduces himself to the audience and explains his motivation for starting the podcast, How the Hell Did We Get Here? John gives a little background about himself, why he is so interested in history, what he hopes to accomplish with the show and why he thinks history is so important.

John also delves briefly into some examples of how historical thinking works, how historical understanding can contextualize current events and why examining history is kind of weird.