Why did slavery exist in the United States, and how did it get that way? To better understand America leading up to the Civil War, it’s vital to trace its roots back to its origins and how its British history morphed into the Southern society, politics, and economy. As the US grew, every increase strained against the uneasy tension between the pragmatic and the moral perspectives on the South’s “peculiar institution.” How would the country deal with this tension and the sparks that began to light the path towards war?

Be sure to also listen to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History BLITZ episode “Human Resources.”
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dan-carlins-hardcore-history/id173001861?i=1000553133741

Recommended Booklist

Beckert, Sven. Empire of Cotton: A Global History. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2014.

Boorstin, Daniel J. The Americans: The National Experience. New York: Vintage Books, 1965.

Ellis, Joseph J. American Creation. New York: Vintage Books, 2007.

Johnson, Walter. River of Dark Dreams: Slavery and Empire in the Cotton Kingdom. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2013.

Kilmeade, Brian. The President and the Freedom Fighter: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and Their Battle to Save America’s Soul. New York: Sentinel, 2021.

Northup, Solomon. Twelve Years a Slave. 1854. New York: Penguin, 2013.

Wilkerson, Isabel. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. New York: Random House, 2020.

Wood, Gordon S. Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different. New York: Penguin, 2006.

Season 1 Episode 3 – American Slavery

Breaking Nation: A Civil War Podcast is a production of Waveland Creative.
Host: Scott Holmgren
Check out our website at http://www.breakingnation.com

What caused the American Civil War? Better yet, what caused the causes? In order to discover the answers, it’s essential to explore the context of the United States at the time… How had the country changed since its independence in 1776? What foundations had it been built upon? What growing pains affected not just the government but also the citizenry? And how did leaders attempt to deal with the one issue that just couldn’t be swept under the rug?

Recommended Booklist

Adams, James Truslow. The Rise of the Union. Vol. 1 of The March of Democracy: A History of the United States. 7 vols. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1932-1955.

Catton, Bruce. The Coming Fury. New York: Doubleday, 1961.

Ellis, Joseph J. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. New York: Vintage Books, 2000.

Hanson, Victor Davis. The Father of Us All. New York: Bloomsbury, 2010.

Heidler, David S. & Jeanne T. Henry Clay: The Essential American. New York: Random House, 2010.

Larson, Edward J. A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America’s First Presidential Campaign. New York: Free Press, 2007.

McPherson, James. Battle Cry of Freedom. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.

Rasmussen, Dennis C. Fears of a Setting Sun: The Disillusionment of America’s Founders. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2021.

Reynolds, David S. Waking Giant: America in the Age of Jackson. New York: HaperCollins, 2008.

Season 1 Episode 2 – The Father of All

Breaking Nation: A Civil War Podcast is a production of Waveland Creative.
Host: Scott Holmgren
Check out our website at http://www.breakingnation.com

“History never looks like history when you are living through it,” said John W. Gardner, US cabinet secretary. Too often we look at history as names, dates and information, but for those who had to live through it, they had no idea what was going to happen. So let’s consider the American Civil War – without spoilers.

As we begin Breaking Nation: A Civil War Podcast, let’s consider several questions:
How do we look at the American Civil War?
What inspired the creation of this podcast?
Why is learning from history so important?
What can be expected in episodes to come?

Season 1 Episode 1 – Introduction

Breaking Nation: A Civil War Podcast is a production of Waveland Creative.
Host: Scott Holmgren
Check out our website at http://www.breakingnation.com