The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah and Juan discuss the nature of American foreign policy before introducing Wilfred McClay. Americans have overcome many challenges throughout our history, including the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Great Depression, two World Wars, and the Cold War. Studying the great stories from our past inspires us to preserve the blessings of liberty in our day. Now you can study these stories with Hillsdale College. Hillsdale’s free online course, “The Great American Story: A Land of Hope,” explores the history of America as a land of hope founded on high principles. In presenting the great triumphs and achievements of our nation’s past, as well as the shortcomings and failures, it offers a broad and unbiased study of the kind essential to the cultivation of intelligent patriotism. After a respite from foreign affairs following the War of 1812, the United States emerged as a world power by the end of the nineteenth century. American involvement in Cuba and the Philippines raised important questions concerning the nature of the republic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah and Juan discuss the radical changes brought on by the American Civil War before introducing Wilfred McClay. Americans have overcome many challenges throughout our history, including the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Great Depression, two World Wars, and the Cold War. Studying the great stories from our past inspires us to preserve the blessings of liberty in our day. Now you can study these stories with Hillsdale College. Hillsdale’s free online course, “The Great American Story: A Land of Hope,” explores the history of America as a land of hope founded on high principles. In presenting the great triumphs and achievements of our nation’s past, as well as the shortcomings and failures, it offers a broad and unbiased study of the kind essential to the cultivation of intelligent patriotism. As the Civil War ended, America entered a period of reconstruction in an attempt to recover from the war’s devastation and find just terms for a settlement between the sections.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wilfred McClay, historian and author who teaches The Great American Story, offers lively commentary on 19th-century America. He traces how the Mexican War and territorial expansion reignited the slavery debate. He walks through Kansas-Nebraska, Dred Scott, Lincoln’s rise, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Appomattox in concise, story-driven episodes.

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah and Juan discuss the debate between republicanism and aristocracy before introducing Wilfred McClay. Americans have overcome many challenges throughout our history, including the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Great Depression, two World Wars, and the Cold War. Studying the great stories from our past inspires us to preserve the blessings of liberty in our day. Now you can study these stories with Hillsdale College. Hillsdale’s free online course, “The Great American Story: A Land of Hope,” explores the history of America as a land of hope founded on high principles. In presenting the great triumphs and achievements of our nation’s past, as well as the shortcomings and failures, it offers a broad and unbiased study of the kind essential to the cultivation of intelligent patriotism. The election of Andrew Jackson in 1828 marked the beginning of a more democratic age, which brought important changes to many areas of American life, including politics, religion, and the arts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wilfred McClay, historian and lecturer on the early republic, offers a vivid tour of the Constitutional era. He explores the Constitution’s flaws and compromises, the rise and legal codification of slavery, Federalist vs Anti-Federalist debates, Washington’s risky experiment in republican government, and the clashes between Hamiltonian commerce and Jeffersonian agrarianism.

Wilfred McClay, historian of American intellectual and cultural history, presents the Revolutionary era and the Constitution. He recounts the military struggles and strategic surprises that won independence. He traces the fragile early republic, failures under the Articles, Shays’s Rebellion, and the Constitutional convention’s balancing acts. He highlights the framers’ aims and the Constitution’s lasting mechanisms.

Wilfred McClay, historian of American intellectual and cultural history, gives a sweeping lecture on the origins of self-rule. He traces how Reformation ideas, English colonial experiments, the Great Awakening, and Enlightenment thought shaped colonial habits of governance. The lecture follows the path from early colonial practices to the Declaration’s claim of natural rights.

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah and Juan discuss the legacy of Christopher Columbus before introducing Wilfred McClay. Americans have overcome many challenges throughout our history, including the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Great Depression, two World Wars, and the Cold War. Studying the great stories from our past inspires us to preserve the blessings of liberty in our day. Now you can study these stories with Hillsdale College. Hillsdale’s free online course, “The Great American Story: A Land of Hope,” explores the history of America as a land of hope founded on high principles. In presenting the great triumphs and achievements of our nation’s past, as well as the shortcomings and failures, it offers a broad and unbiased study of the kind essential to the cultivation of intelligent patriotism. America has stood as a land of hope from the time of the explorers. Yet Christopher Columbus—eager to find a trade route to the East—could not see the great import of his discovery.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah and Juan introduce the course "The Great American Story: A Land of Hope". Americans have overcome many challenges throughout our history, including the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Great Depression, two World Wars, and the Cold War. Studying the great stories from our past inspires us to preserve the blessings of liberty in our day. Now you can study these stories with Hillsdale College. Hillsdale’s free online course, “The Great American Story: A Land of Hope,” explores the history of America as a land of hope founded on high principles. In presenting the great triumphs and achievements of our nation’s past, as well as the shortcomings and failures, it offers a broad and unbiased study of the kind essential to the cultivation of intelligent patriotism. Good history presents an accurate picture of what happened in the past with a sympathy for those who lived before us. Studying the birth, growth, and survival of America—one of the most significant events in human history—provides foundational knowledge that we can apply to the challenges of our day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ronald J. Pestritto, a constitutional scholar and lecturer, explores how progressive thinkers rejected founding principles. He traces critiques of the Declaration, the living Constitution idea, German intellectual influence, and figures like Wilson, Dewey, and Roosevelt. Listeners hear why progressivism reshaped views of rights and government through historical contingency and reformist thought.