The History of the Americans Podcast

30/06/2025

There's a new episode up, "King Philip’s War 7: The Turn of the Tide." After the darkest month of the war (from the vantage point of the settlers), the tide begins to turn in April 1676. The war is closer to over than anyone knows.

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Maps of New England during King Philip’s War March 1676 had been catastrophic for the settlers of New England. Algonquians allied with Metacom (King Philip) attacked all across the frontier, forcing the evacuation of far-flung towns in both Massachusetts and Plymouth, and destroying Providence, Rh...

25/06/2025

Here at the meet-up!

24/06/2025

Friendly reminder for Boston-area listeners: We will do a meet-up tomorrow, on June 25, 2025 at 5:30 at Trillium – Fort Point, 50 Thomson Pl, Boston. Reservation under my name. DM me if you think you can make it!

21/06/2025

Friendly reminder for Boston-area listeners: We will do a meet-up on June 25, 2025 at 5:30 at Trillium – Fort Point, 50 Thomson Pl, Boston. Reservation under my name. DM me if you think you can make it!

16/06/2025

Attention Boston-area listeners: We will do a meet-up on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at 5:30 at Trillium – Fort Point, 50 Thomson Pl, Boston, MA 02210. Reservation under my name. I’ll also post information in a blog post on the website for the podcast, and on X and Facebook, links below. Send me an email at thehistoryoftheamericans *at* gmail if you think you can make it.

16/06/2025

There's a new episode up, "King Philip’s War 6: The Awful Winter of 1676." We have the "hungry march," the "Nine Men's Misery," the burning of Providence, and the last real appearance of Roger Williams in our history.

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Maps of New England during King Philip’s War [Attention Boston-area listeners: We will do a meet-up on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at 5:30 at a venue TBD. I’ll also post information in a blog post on the website for the podcast, and on X and Facebook, links below. Send me…

16/06/2025

in 1666, Robert Sandford, late of Surinam and Barbados, and 20 other men leave the Cape Fear River to explore South Carolina south of Cape Romain. He would return on July 12, having explored Port Royal, Edisto, Kiawah, and Charleston Harbor, and having named the Ashley River. Sandford would recommend Port Royal (the harbor behind Hilton Head) to be the site of the first English settlement in South Carolina.

Spaniards had been in South Carolina off and on since perhaps 1514, and certainly by 1521. Even in the 1660s Spaniards occasionally came up the coast to trade and visit Santa Helena on Parris Island, which had largely been abandoned to Indians. As late as 1663, however, the English had…

13/06/2025

Recent events called to mind this short essay, "Is there an 'arc of history?'", which I wrote three years ago. You might have missed it! Anyway, I think it still holds up. But do you?

In the immediate aftermath of the Dodds decision overturning Roe v. Wade -- context supplied for those of you reading this post months or years in my future -- there has been a lot of venting online about the interruption of progress and the breaking of the "arc of history."…

09/06/2025

Four hundred years ago *today,* Sarah Rapelje was born at Ft. Orange, today's Albany, NY, the first European baby in New Netherland. She lived 60 years, had 15 children by two marriages, and at least a million people living today are descended from her.

08/06/2025

There's a new episode up, "King Philip’s War 5: Enter the Narragansetts."

Schizz has just gotten very, very, real. Among other things, there are "trees of death"!

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Maps of New England during King Philip’s War [Attention Boston-area listeners: We will do a meet-up on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at 5:30 at a venue TBD. I'll also post information in a blog post on the website for the podcast, and on X and Facebook, links below. Send me…

01/06/2025

Attention Boston-area listeners - I'll have an evening to kill in your town on Wednesday, June 25, and would love to do a meet-up. I need some help figuring out a place. Breweries and the like work best. I'm staying in the Seaport, but can get most anywhere in town. Thoughts?

Send me a DM or at the email address for the podcast, thehistoryoftheamericans *at* gmail.com with your suggestions, if any.