The History of the Americans

We now hasten to the first European exploration of the lands now constituting the United States, and that means the first sanctioned expedition to Florida in 1513 by Juan Ponce de Leon, and the legend of the Fountain of Youth. Florida would turn out to be enormously challenging, so it will still be more than fifty years before the first successful permanent settlement at St. Augustine. As discussed in the episode, there is some debate over Ponce’s route, so the various maps available online differ in important respects. Here’s one from 1913, which is as professional and on target as any that I found. CWCID Selected references for this episode Samuel Turner, “Juan Ponce de Leon and the Discovery of Florida Reconsidered” John McGrath, “Sixteenth-Century Florida in the European Imagination” T. Frederick Davis, “Ponce de Leon’s First Voyage and Discovery of Florida”

Discover the profound consequences of the Columbian Exchange following Columbus's voyages. Explore how diseases devastated Indigenous populations while New World crops like maize and potatoes transformed diets in Europe. The fascinating connection of this exchange even extends to popular cocktails, revealing a blend of cultures. Dive into the dual nature of the Columbian Exchange, highlighting both the dark history of commodity cultivation and its lasting impacts on global food diversity and agricultural practices.

This is our last episode on Christopher Columbus. This time we discuss the voyage home, which required impressive seamanship in the context of delivering some of the most important news ever to travel by sea, and the spreading of that news once Nina and Pinta got back to Europe. Columbus’s return trip from the western hemisphere was almost unbelievably dangerous, and as much a part of the miracle of his venture as the trip across to the west. Please refer to the show notes for the previous episodes at www.thehistoryoftheamericans.com for useful maps and references. I paced this one a little faster than the previous episodes. I’m interested in what you think of it, or whether you prefer a somewhat slower cadence. Reference for this episode Samuel Eliot Morison, The Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus

This is our fourth episode on Christopher Columbus, this time looking at his first exploration of Cuba and Hispaniola, his “pivot” in the positioning of his mission with his investors, and the preparations for the very difficult voyage home. It was during this part of the journey that Columbus established his best arguments to secure funding for the all-important Second Voyage. And, also, there’s just a bunch of interesting stuff! For this episode, it might be useful to have at hand the detailed map of Columbus’s journey in the Caribbean, so here it is: CWCID Selected references for this episode Samuel Eliot Morison, The Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus Shannon Tushingham, Charles M. Snyder, Korey J. Brownstein, William J. Damitio, and David R. Gang, “Biomolecular archaeology reveals ancient origins of indigenous tobacco smoking in North American Plateau”.

This is our third episode on Christopher Columbus, which looks at his voyage west from the morning of his departure from Spain, his stop in the Canaries, the crossing of the Atlantic ahead of the fine easterly trade winds that blow at that latitude, ending with the First Contact on an island in the Bahamas. Along the way we learn that but for a flock of birds, the Spanish might not have colonized the western hemisphere. Recorded January 21, 2021, Austin, Texas. I’ve got a new microphone, and am getting a bit more adept at mixing, so here’s to hoping the production values improve, in no doubt fits and starts, as we work our way along through history. The map of the Atlantic islands will again be useful, so here it is: Here’s a high level map of the First Voyage which will be useful for the next couple of episodes. CWCID This is a more granular map that will become useful at the end of this episode and during the next episode. CWCID Selected references for this episode Samuel Eliot Morison, The Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus Iberian Roots of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, 1440–1640 Guanches (Wikipedia) Conquest of the Canary Islands (Wikipedia)

This episode is a rerecorded and slightly revised version of the second of five on Christopher Columbus, the “Admiral of the Ocean Sea.” It covers the ten years it took Columbus, ever the entrepreneur, to attract the lead investors and sponsors for his proposed expedition to the west, to negotiate the deal, and, having done that, to arrange for the three now famous ships, the crews, and supplies he would need for the voyage. The episode ends with the departure of the Columbian fleet from the Spanish port of Palos out the Rio Saltes on August 3, 1492. You can see Palos on the map below, just west of Seville in the south of Castille. It might also be useful to familiarize yourself with the Atlantic islands, for which you can use your map app on your phone or stare at the map below: CWCID Main feference for this episode Samuel Eliot Morison, The Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus

Delve into the influential role of Christopher Columbus in American history and the cultural ramifications of his legacy. Discover the grim realities of late 15th century Europe, marked by plague and conflict, that fueled his explorations. Explore the despair and hope of the time, and how Spain's navigational ambitions intersected with Columbus's quest. Learn about the motivations behind European transoceanic voyages and the significant miscalculations regarding geography that shaped Columbus's iconic journey.

This is the second episode of The History of the Americans podcast, and Part 2 of The Americans Before Columbus. If you have not listened to the first episode, click here. I also recommend that you listen to the short introductory episode, which introduces the podcast series. The podcast has now been accepted on both Apple podcasts and Spotify, among other places. If you enjoy it, please go to your favorite podcatcher and subscribe or follow! And, of course, comments, questions, objections, corrections, and pats on the back are very much appreciated, either by email at thehistoryoftheamericans@gmail.com or in the comments section of this post. References for this episode Charles C. Mann, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus David Henige, Numbers from Nowhere: The American Indian Contact Population Debate John S. Marr and John T. Cathay, “New Hypothesis for Cause of Epidemic among Native Americans, New England, 1616–1619”

On October 20, 2022, I re-recorded this episode, which was first published on January 3, 2021, with a few small tweaks and interjections. This is that version. This is the first substantive episode of The History of the Americans Podcast. For an introduction to this podcast series, please check out “Introductions and such,” which includes a short introductory podcast. This episode is a high-level look at how the European and European-American view of the indigenous peoples of North America has changed over the last five hundred years, and why it has changed. Twitter: @TheHistoryOfTh2 Facebook: The History of the Americans Podcast References used in this episode: Alfred W. Crosby, Jr, The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492 Charles C. Mann, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus The “crying Indian” Earth Day public service ad

On October 6, 2022, I re-recorded the original introduction to the podcast, which was first published on January 1, 2021, with a few small tweaks and interjections. This is that version. Welcome to The History of the Americans Podcast.  I am your host, Jack Henneman.   We are telling the history of the lands now encompassed by the United States, from the beginning, without presentism.  We believe there is dignity in our national story, along with tragedy, triumph, brilliance, hypocrisy, magnificence, depravity, corruption, venality, inspiration, oppression, genius, defeat, and glory.  It should be said up front that I am a retired corporate tool, not a professional historian.  I am, however, the son of a professor of history, grew up in a house lined with history books, and have done my share of reading over the years.  Unlike many academics of his era, my father was a big supporter of popular history. He believed that history should be fun and interesting and encouraged as widely as possible, even at the risk of errors that offend the professionals.  So let’s do this in that spirit, come what may. No doubt I will make mistakes or come to conclusions with which “the experts” take issue.  All feedback is, of course, welcome, including from professional historians, and I’ll do my best as we go along to acknowledge meaningful errors.  What else about me?  I grew up in Iowa City in a family of New Yorkers, and lived and worked in Chicago and Princeton, New Jersey before moving to Austin, Texas on account of true love. My wife is a psychotherapist, which my friends think is pretty useful, and we and our dogs can often be found in New Orleans when we are not in Austin. I’ve been to 49 states in my time so far – sorry, North Dakota, I’ll get to you eventually – and seen enough of the world that I know what a good thing we have here.  For more on my hopes for “The History of the Americans,” please listen to Episode 0, which explains why I think we Americans need to reinvigorate our national history with dignity. Twitter: @TheHistoryOfTh2 Facebook: The History of the Americans Podcast Selected references for this episode Carl Degler, “In Pursuit of an American History” Jill LePore, This America: The Case for the Nation