Throughline
NPR
Throughline is a time machine. Each episode, we travel beyond the headlines to answer the question, "How did we get here?" We use sound and stories to bring history to life and put you into the middle of it. From ancient civilizations to forgotten figures, we take you directly to the moments that shaped our world. Throughline is hosted by Peabody Award-winning journalists Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei.Subscribe to Throughline+. You'll be supporting the history-reframing, perspective-shifting, time-warping stories you can't get enough of - and you'll unlock access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/throughline
Episodes
Mentioned books
17 snips
Feb 26, 2026 • 50min
Why Super PACs have more power than ever in elections
Henrik Schatzinger, political science professor studying how outside money reshapes local races. Michael Kang, law professor who analyzes Supreme Court campaign finance rulings. They trace Citizens United and SpeechNow, show how super PACs and dark-money tactics exploded after 2010, and explain why unlimited outside spending is now especially potent in local and state contests.
41 snips
Feb 24, 2026 • 16min
How the Civil War changed how we vote
Richard Carwardine, Oxford historian of Lincoln and the Civil War, explains how the 1864 presidential contest reshaped American voting. Short scenes cover Lincoln's risky Emancipation Proclamation, battlefield politics, soldiers and Black troops pushing the vote, wartime absentee and proxy voting innovations, and fierce fraud and turnout battles that decided the result.
42 snips
Feb 19, 2026 • 50min
Who profits from migrant detention?
Brianna Nofil, assistant professor of history and author of The Migrant’s Jail, unpacks a century of migrant detention. She traces jail contracts and sheriffs’ fee systems, the shift between county jails and federal camps, the rise of private prisons, and how detention became tied to local economies and mass incarceration. Multiple historical flashpoints and political incentives shape the story.
19 snips
Feb 17, 2026 • 17min
The lasting legacy of the slave patrols
A historical look at how early slave patrols were created to control Black movement in the 1700s. Examination of who served on patrols, their brutal tactics, and legal backing for violent enforcement. Traces the transformation from patrols to Black Codes, convict labor, vigilante groups, and modern policing. Explores how these systems reinforced white community power and shaped policing nationwide.
48 snips
Feb 12, 2026 • 49min
How Bad Bunny took Puerto Rican independence mainstream
Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, historian of Puerto Rico who made DTMF’s history visualizers. Vanessa Díaz, Latino/a studies professor and co-author analyzing Bad Bunny’s cultural power. Carina Del Valle Schorske, journalist who profiled Bad Bunny and observed his performances. They trace reggaeton roots, Hurricane Maria’s aftermath, 2019 protests, DTMF’s independence imagery, and tensions between resistance and commercialization.
42 snips
Feb 10, 2026 • 21min
The right to free speech
A historical tour of how free speech has been defined and contested across U.S. history. Key court cases and shifting legal tests are explored. The tension between protecting activists and shielding extremist or corporate speech comes into focus. The discussion traces who was originally excluded from rights and how interpretations changed with social upheaval.
26 snips
Feb 5, 2026 • 49min
The Man Who Took On The Klan
Kidada Williams, historian of Reconstruction-era terror and survival. Bernard Powers, scholar of slavery and Black political life in South Carolina. Guy Gugliotta, author on Amos Akerman and Klan prosecutions. They trace Akerman’s surprising turn from Confederate to federal enforcer. They explore Klan terror in rural South Carolina, legal fights using the 14th Amendment, raids and trials, and the political fallout that weakened enforcement.
20 snips
Feb 3, 2026 • 14min
Becoming Supreme | America in Pursuit
A dramatic origin story of the Supreme Court, filled with political rebellions and family feuds. The transformation from a weak judiciary to a powerful national court. Midnight judicial appointments, John Marshall’s tactics, and the strategic rise of judicial review. Political battles around the 1800 election and how symbolism and legal strategy reshaped American power.
54 snips
Jan 29, 2026 • 43min
James Baldwin's Fire
Eddie S. Glaude Jr., a professor of African-American studies and author, reflects on James Baldwin's life and lasting relevance. He explores Baldwin's critique of America's foundational lies. He recounts moments that reshaped his reading of Baldwin, examines Baldwin's moral urgency around confrontation and vulnerability, and highlights Baldwin's insistence on love, responsibility, and the continual invention of hope.
20 snips
Jan 27, 2026 • 11min
Signed, Sealed & Delivered | America in Pursuit
Winifred Gallagher, journalist and author who explores how institutions shape society, discusses the postal service as the colonies' communications backbone. She traces Benjamin Franklin’s role in linking the colonies. She covers postal policies that subsidized newspapers, spurred transportation and book circulation, and created an informal national education network.
