The United States of Amnesia
Welcome to The United States of Amnesia, a podcast exploring the lessons we’ve forgotten, misunderstood, or never learned. As the saying goes, history repeats itself. Mark Twain allegedly refined this: “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.” But Ecclesiastes said it best: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Yet over time, history, politics, and religion have been distorted by bias, oversimplification, and myth. Misunderstanding the past means misreading the present and misstepping into the future. This podcast aims to cut through the fog, reconnecting past and present to help us think more clearly about the world we’re in, and the one we're heading toward. Join us as we delve into the great struggle of humanity: to reconcile who we were with who we are becoming.
Spotify 
Amazon Music 
Apple Podcasts 
YouTube 
The United States of Amnesia
Welcome to The United States of Amnesia, a podcast exploring the lessons we've forgotten, misunderstood, or never learned. We examine history, politics, and religion beyond the myths and oversimplifications, connecting past and present to better understand the world we live in, and the one we're shaping.
New episodes every other Wednesday. Explore our blog for sources and episode materials, leave a review, and stay up to date on what's coming next.
Recent
3
Sept. 15, 2026
403: Internal Improvements - Enter Lincoln
For obvious reasons, Abraham Lincoln's presidency is best remembered for his emancipation of America's slaves, determination to preserve the Union in the face of Southern secession, and leadership in the American Civil War. But an often-overlooked aspect of his administration was its promotion of the United States Government as an active, positive actor in such matters as infrastructure improvement and economic affairs. In this conclusion to the series, Marshall leads our discussion of how the f
Sept. 15, 2026
'Heritage, Not Hate' - The Ugly Truth of 'America First'
Heritage, not Hate In our series on “America First” we got to see how far nativists would go with their xenophobia in the 1920s and 1930s. Using fashionable but unscientific study of eugenics American nativists assessed Jews, Catholics, Asians, Afr…
Sept. 12, 2026
Upcoming Episodes!
Episode 403 "Enter Lincoln" (coming September 16!) -- For obvious reasons, Abraham Lincoln's presidency is best remembered for his emancipation of America's slaves, determination to preserve the Union in the face of Southern secession, and leadershi…
Sept. 2, 2026
402: Internal Improvements - By The Eternal!
President Andrew Jackson took office in 1829. beginning a 30-year period in which his Democratic Party blocked the efforts of the 'elitist" Whig Party to give the U.S. federal government a greater role in developing the country's infrastructure and stabilizing its financial system. Although the existence of slavery in the South did not divide the two political parties at the time, its possible expansion into the western territories did, leading to increasing sectional hostility between North and
2
Sept. 1, 2026
402: Internal Improvements - By The Eternal!
President Andrew Jackson took office in 1829. beginning a 30-year period in which his Democratic Party blocked the efforts of the 'elitist" Whig Party to give the U.S. federal government a greater role in developing the country's infrastructure and stabilizing its financial system. Although the existence of slavery in the South did not divide the two political parties at the time, its possible expansion into the western territories did, leading to increasing sectional hostility between North and
Aug. 20, 2026
Image Gallery for "Internal Improvements"
This gallery of photos, maps, and other images add to our "Internal Improvements" audio series about America's struggles in the first half of the 19th century to give the United States government the power to develop infrastructure and create a stab…
1
Aug. 18, 2026
401: Internal Improvements - The American System
In the 1820s, Henry Clay envisioned a bold new role for the federal government: building America’s infrastructure, strengthening its economy, and shaping the nation’s future. He called it the 'American System.' But was the Constitution willing to let Washington build? In this premier episode of our new series, Marshall traces the battle over “Internal Improvements” from Clay and John Quincy Adams to Andrew Jackson and the rise of populist democracy. What began as a fight over roads, canals, and
306
Aug. 4, 2026
306: A Christian Nation? - Facts and Fiction
The debate over whether America was founded as a Christian nation has endured for more than two centuries, but what does the historical record actually say? In the final installment of this series, Blake, Marshall, and Mike revisit the evidence, challenge some of the most persistent myths surrounding the American Founding, and examine what the Founders believed about Christianity, government, and religious freedom. Drawing together the evidence from across the series, they separate fact from
Join Our Mailing List!
Never miss a new episode again!
Listen On
