APUSH for All

In this episode of APUSH for ALL, the hosts analyze O Brother, Where Art Thou? through the lens of the Great Depression and AP U.S. History themes. They explore how the Coen Brothers blend Homeric myth with 1930s Southern culture—highlighting race, class, populism, religion, and the New Deal. The film’s symbolic characters and surreal events reflect real historical dynamics, from chain gangs to the Klan to the TVA. Its iconic sound...

In this episode of APUSH for ALL, the hosts analyze The Last of the Mohicans through a historical lens, unpacking the French and Indian War, Native diplomacy, and myths of frontier America. They explore how the film simplifies complex Indigenous alliances and perpetuates the “noble savage” trope. While it captures certain truths about colonial conflict, it also erases Native survival and resistance. The hosts emphasize using film a...

This special AP Test review episode of APUSH for ALL spans 1920 to the present, tracing America's cultural shifts, global rise, and political transformations. The 1920s brought roaring prosperity and culture wars, followed by the Great Depression and FDR’s New Deal. WWII turned the U.S. into a superpower, leading into Cold War confrontations abroad and civil rights struggles at home. The 1960s–70s saw social upheaval and growin...

This special AP Test review episode of APUSH for ALL explores the transformative period from 1865 to 1919, highlighting industrial capitalism during the Gilded Age, Progressive Era reforms, U.S. imperial expansion, and World War I. The hosts examine the rise of monopolists like Carnegie and Rockefeller, labor struggles, muckraking journalism, and reform efforts led by figures like Roosevelt, Wilson, and Jane Addams. The U.S. emerge...

This special AP Test review episode of APUSH for ALL explores the era from 1844 to 1877, focusing on expansion, Civil War, and Reconstruction. Manifest Destiny fueled U.S. territorial growth and reignited debates over slavery, with key moments including the Mexican-American War, Compromise of 1850, and Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Civil War, triggered by secession after Lincoln’s election, saw major battles like Antietam and Gettysburg...

This is the second special review podcast from APUSH for ALL, "Nation Building, Expansion & Sectionalism (1800–1848)". The hosts review the transformative period from 1800 to 1848, emphasizing four key themes: expanding democracy, the rise of industrial capitalism, reform movements, and growing sectionalism. They trace political shifts from Jefferson to Jackson, highlighting democratic expansion for white men but cont...

In this special review episode, the gang provides a concise review of U.S. history from 1491 to 1800, covering APUSH Periods 1–3. They begin by highlighting the complexity of pre-contact Native societies and the transformative effects of the Columbian Exchange. The episode then examines the varied colonial strategies of the Spanish, French, and British, emphasizing how these approaches influenced interactions with Native population...

This episode of APUSH for ALL explores key political, economic, and cultural developments from the 1990s to the early 2000s. It covers George H. W. Bush’s presidency, the Gulf War, Clinton’s centrist policies like NAFTA and welfare reform, and the rise of partisan politics with the 1994 GOP takeover and Clinton’s impeachment. The hosts trace the tech boom, the 2000 election controversy, and the transformative impact of 9/11, includ...

In this episode of APUSH for ALL, we explore the 1980s and the conservative resurgence led by Ronald Reagan. They unpack Reagan’s “Morning in America” optimism, his economic policies (Reaganomics), and the culture wars that defined the decade—from the rise of the Moral Majority to MTV, Madonna, and Public Enemy. The episode also delves into the government’s slow response to the AIDS crisis and the activism that followed. On the glo...

In “Dominoes, Draft Cards, and Dissent,” APUSH for ALL explores the Vietnam War’s tangled origins, brutal realities, and lasting consequences. The episode traces U.S. involvement from French colonialism to the Fall of Saigon, highlighting pivotal events like the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Tet Offensive, and Vietnamization. It dives into draft resistance, protest culture, and the growing “credibility gap” between government and citi...

This episode of APUSH for ALL explores the long arc of the Civil Rights Movement, tracing its roots from the failures of Reconstruction through Jim Crow, the Great Migration, and WWII. It highlights both legal milestones and grassroots activism, including the roles of Ella Baker, Ida B. Wells, Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X. The hosts emphasize the movement’s complexity—its evolving strategies, internal tensions, and enduring fight for ...

This episode explores the early Cold War, from the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences to the rise of containment policy. We discuss Churchill’s "Iron Curtain" speech, George Kennan’s Long Telegram, and the U.S. shift from isolationism to interventionism with the Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, and NATO. We analyze the Soviet atomic bomb and espionage, the Second Red Scare, and the John Birch Society’s paranoia. Finally, we con...

This episode of APUSH for ALL explores the election of 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, and its lasting impact on America. Facing the depths of the Great Depression, FDR’s landslide victory over Herbert Hoover marked a shift toward government intervention. His First 100 Days introduced sweeping reforms like the Emergency Banking Act, CCC, WPA, and Social Security. Historians debate whether the New Deal ended the Depression o...

Episode 6 of APUSH for ALL, "The Great Depression: The Crash, the Crisis, and America’s Struggle," explores the causes, impact, and response to the worst economic downturn in U.S. history. It begins with the 1929 stock market crash and explains how overproduction, consumer debt, and bank failures fueled the crisis. The episode examines President Hoover’s limited response, including the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and the con...

In today's episode, the gang explores the dynamic transformations of the 1920s. The hosts discuss economic prosperity, consumerism, and technological advancements like Ford’s assembly line and household appliances. They examine cultural shifts, including the rise of jazz, Hollywood’s The Jazz Singer, and the Harlem Renaissance. Political topics include laissez-faire policies, the Teapot Dome Scandal, and the Scopes Trial. The e...

This episode explores the profound impact of World War I on American society. Drawing from Hemingway’s short story, the gang discusses the struggles of returning veterans, the psychological toll of war, and the lack of support for traumatized soldiers. The episode also examines how women’s wartime roles fueled the push for suffrage, the racial injustices faced by Black veterans, and the repression of political dissent through the E...

In this episode ofAPUSH for ALL, we unpack the complex history of tariffs in America, exploring their economic and political impact from the nation’s founding to the present. The gang discusses the dual purpose of tariffs—raising government revenue and protecting domestic industries—highlighting early policies like Alexander Hamilton’s vision for economic independence and the protective tariffs that fueled sectional tensions.

Key mo...

In this episode of APUSH for ALL, we dive into the Progressive Era (1890–1920), a time of widespread social, political, and economic reform in response to the excesses of the Gilded Age. They explore key Progressive reforms, from Theodore Roosevelt’s trust-busting policies to the rise of investigative journalism, including Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and Ida Tarbell’s takedown of Standard Oil. The hosts also discuss major political...