How the Hell Did We Get Here?
Want to understand U.S. history better? This show will help anyone better comprehend the present condition of the United States' government, society, culture, economy and more by going back to the origins of the U.S., before it was even an independent country and exploring the fundamental aspects of U.S. history up to the present moment. The episodes chronologically examine different periods--Colonial, Revolutionary, Antebellum, Civil War/Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, Progressive Era, Roaring 20s, Depression & WWII, the Cold War/Civil Rights era and the later 20th and early 21st century--of U.S. history to show the country's 500-year-long evolution.
I will be your narrator, as someone who has been intensely interested in the study of history for most of my life and who has taught the subject in various formats for decades. I will rely on the scholarship of various historians but will make the content accessible to everyone, regardless of prior knowledge of the subject. Whether you know a lot about U.S. history or not very much at all, this show will provide you with some excellent context and information and help you to better understand how the hell we got here!
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 47 minutes
- Episodes
- 41
- Years Active
- 2024 - 2025
How the Hell did the Constitutional Convention Resolve Its Biggest Arguments?
In this episode, John does a deep dive into the Constitutional Convention. He goes into detail about how the debate over the Virginia Resolves shaped the direction of the convention, how it was that …
How the Hell was the Constitution a Revolution?
In this episode, John gets into the details of how the Constitutional Convention came together and what the agenda was for those most responsible for putting it together. John reviews through the wea…
How the Hell was the Constitution Created and Ratified (short version)?
In this episode, John gives a broad strokes rundown of both how the Constitution was created and the process by which it was ratified. John discusses the major controversies at the convention that ne…
How the Hell Did the Constitutional Convention Come Together?
In this episode, John explains how the Constitutional Convention was actually created and put into motion in 1787. John discusses the dire situation in which the young United States found itself, wit…
How the Hell did the U.S. Survive the First Few Years of Independence?
In this episode, John discusses the many challenges the United States faced as it emerged victorious from the Revolutionary War and sought to solidify its standing as an independent republic. John ta…
How the Hell did the U.S. Actually Win Its Independence?
In this episode, John goes through the events of the Revolutionary War from the signing of the alliance with France in 1778 to the conclusion of the War with the Treaty of Paris in 1783. John explain…
How the Hell did the United States Survive Fighting Great Britain?
In this episode, John covers the period from the Declaration of Independence to the completion of the Treaty of Alliance with France. John explains the many challenges that the United States had to f…
Why the Hell Did the Colonies Declare Independence?
In this episode, John explains what led to the Declaration of Independence in July of 1776. John starts by going through the colonial reaction to the Intolerable/Coercive Acts, including the Suffolk …
What the Hell Were the Intolerable Acts?
In this episode, John discusses the events that led to the Tea Act and how the colonists reacted to this new British policy. John explains the connection between the Tea Act and the Boston Tea Party …
Why the Hell Did the Colonists Hate the Stamp Act So Much?
In this episode, John discusses the first measures taken by the British government in the aftermath of the French and Indian War and how they created a rift between Britain and the colonies. John goe…
How the Hell Did the French and Indian War Spark a Revolution?
In this episode, John explains the numerous ways in which the French and Indian War (or Seven Years War) contributed to a growing divide between Great Britain and the 13 colonies of British North Ame…
Why the Hell Did the Colonies Begin to Drift from Britain?
In this episode, John explains the factors that began to drive a wedge between the 13 British North American Colonies that would eventually become the United States and Great Britain. John details th…
What the Hell Connected the Colonists to Britain?
In this episode, John explains the various ways in which the colonists in the 13 British North American colonies were connected to Britain during the period of Salutary Neglect. John goes over the fa…
What the hell does Bacon's Rebellion have to do with Slavery in the Colonies?
In this episode, host John Miller breaks down the origins and ramifications of Bacon's Rebellion in colonial Virginia in the late 17th century. John explains how Bacon's Rebellion impacted slavery in…
What the hell was the Dominion of New England?
In this episode, John discusses the importance of the English Civil War, Mercantilism and the Dominion of New England to the continuing story of what will be the United States. John explains what cau…
How the Hell is Ireland Relevant to England's Colonization of North America?
In this episode, John explains how the English colonized Ireland in the 1500s and 1600s and how the English transferred there experiences in Ireland to North America. John will cover the English deci…
Who in the Hell Are These 13 Colonies Anyway?
In this episode, John gives a breakdown of the origins and character of each of the original thirteen colonies that will compose the United States. John will cover who it was that created the colonie…
How the hell was North America colonized by so many different groups of Europeans?
In this episode, John goes through the various groups of people who colonized North America and explains how and why they did it. Specifically, John will discuss the Spanish presence in what is now t…
How the hell did Spain create a New World colonial empire?
In this episode of How the Hell Did We Get Here?, John explains both the "discovery" of the New World and the way it was colonized by various European peoples in the 16th century. Beginning with how …
Before Columbus, where the hell were we?
In this episode, John examines the regions of the world that will intertwine with one another to create what will be the United States, well before those regions were even aware of one another. What …