An Incomplete History

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This is a weekly podcast hosted by two early career PhDs - Hilary and Geoff. Join them as they discuss and debate contemporary and historical events and seek to provide context. The two cover history and historical memory as well as public history and the unique challenges facing history educators i…

Geoffrey West and Hilary Coulson


    • Jan 31, 2023 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 3m AVG DURATION
    • 81 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from An Incomplete History

    Episode 57 - The Supreme Court After 1898

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2023 59:46


    Brown v Board of Education, Roe v Wade, Loving v Virginia - Supreme Court decisions in the 20th century have affected the lives of Americans in a myriad of ways. There were repudiations of prior decisions and expansions of how Constitutional protections were understood. There were unanimous decisions and ones more fraught with dissension in the court. Join us for this episode as we touch on a few of the most important decisions.

    Episode 56 - The US Supreme Court from Taney to Plessy v Ferguson

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2022 63:20


    Welcome to part two of our three-part series on the history of the U.S. Supreme Court. In this episode we discuss the Taney court (1836-1864) through the Fuller court (1888-1910). We break down two of the most landmark decisions of these courts with a discussion of Dred Scott vs. Sandford (1857) and Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896). Join us for a discussion of judicial overreach, precursors to Civil War, and the codification of racial segregation in the Jim Crow era.

    Episode 55 - The US Supreme Court - Jay to Marshall

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2022 64:43


    The justices that sit on the US Supreme Court may be nine of the most powerful unelected officials in the world. Join us for the first of a multi-part deep dive into the story of the US Supreme. We'll cover that origins of the court as well as critical people and cases that fundamentally shaped the contemporary legal, political, economic, and social landscape of America. This week we discuss the origin of the court and the tenures of John Jay, the first Chief Justice, and John Marshall, arguably the most importandt Chief Justice in the history of the court.

    Episode 54 - Presentism

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2022 74:19


    Join us as we kick off An Incomplete History season 3 with a discussion of presentism. This week, we do a deep dive into the divisive debate happening within the field of history as the result of the American Historical Association’s president who wrote an opinion piece regarding our role as historians. The piece received extreme backlash leading to the AHA having to lock their Twitter account and many members canceling their memberships to the association. This week we talk about the concept of presentism, why the accusation was offensive to many historians, and what we could or should be doing to promote respectful debate and an open sharing of ideas in such a politically charged moment.

    Episode 53 - A Brief History of NATO

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2022 67:37


    The current conflict in Ukraine has raised a lot of questions about Post-World War II Europe, the creation of strategic alliances in the second-half of the twentieth century, and the collpase of the Soviet Union in the 1990s and the effect it had on those relationships. At the center of many of these discussions sits NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Join us for this episode as we discuss, in rather broad terms, the rise of NATO and its reimagining after 1989.

    Episode 53 - A Brief History of NATO

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2022 67:37


    The current conflict in Ukraine has raised a lot of questions about Post-World War II Europe, the creation of strategic alliances in the second-half of the twentieth century, and the collpase of the Soviet Union in the 1990s and the effect it had on those relationships. At the center of many of these discussions sits NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Join us for this episode as we discuss, in rather broad terms, the rise of NATO and its reimagining after 1989.

    Episode 52 - More about the News

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2022 64:13


    We continue our series on the history of the news and journalism in the United States with a look at the CNN Effect and the emergence of the 24-hour news cycle. How has it changed the way American's receive and respond to the news? Join us this week to find out.

    Episode 52 - More about the News

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2022 64:13


    We continue our series on the history of the news and journalism in the United States with a look at the CNN Effect and the emergence of the 24-hour news cycle. How has it changed the way American's receive and respond to the news? Join us this week to find out.

    Episode 51 - The History of Newspapers and the News

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2022 61:43


    Politicians and journalists alike often claim Americans are more divided now than at any point in the nation's past. Pundits and commentators point to the stark divisions in the news media we voraciously consume. MSNBC and Fox present strikingly different views on almost every subject. But is this really something new? Join us as we take a dive into the tawdry and titillating history news and newspapers in America. From colonial broadsides criticizing the British crown to abolitionists tracks to scandalous tales of foreign intrigue and even domestic violence, the news from America's past seems strangely familiar in the 21st century.

    Episode 51 - The History of Newspapers and the News

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2022 61:43


    Politicians and journalists alike often claim Americans are more divided now than at any point in the nation's past. Pundits and commentators point to the stark divisions in the news media we voraciously consume. MSNBC and Fox present strikingly different views on almost every subject. But is this really something new? Join us as we take a dive into the tawdry and titillating history news and newspapers in America. From colonial broadsides criticizing the British crown to abolitionists tracks to scandalous tales of foreign intrigue and even domestic violence, the news from America's past seems strangely familiar in the 21st century.

    Episode 50 - Medicine in the US Civil War

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2021 56:52


    In this episode Hilary and Geoff discuss common misconceptions about medicine during the Civil War. They also talk about key advances that take place in medical professionalization, surgergy, the treatement of diseases, and even the expanding role of women.

    Episode 50 - Medicine in the US Civil War

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2021


    In this episode Hilary and Geoff discuss common misconceptions about medicine during the Civil War. They also talk about key advances that take place in medical professionalization, surgergy, the treatement of diseases, and even the expanding role of women.

    Episode 49 - A History of Medicine - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2021 63:29


    So, this week we start an extended series about the history of medicine. We start in Ancient Egypt and move around the Mediterranean finally ending up in Colonial America. Along the way we discuss the idea of bodily humors, the principal of extractive therapy, as well as the naissance of scientific approaches to medicine. We also discuss the critical and often unwilling role marginalized people played in the creation of medical knowledge.

    Episode 49 - A History of Medicine - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2021 63:29


    So, this week we start an extended series about the history of medicine. We start in Ancient Egypt and move around the Mediterranean finally ending up in Colonial America. Along the way we discuss the idea of bodily humors, the principal of extractive therapy, as well as the naissance of scientific approaches to medicine. We also discuss the critical and often unwilling role marginalized people played in the creation of medical knowledge.

    Episode 48 - September 11, 2001 Twenty Years Later

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2021 96:55


    In this week's episode we look back on the events of September 11, 2001, and ask how we grapple with memory and recounting historical events. This is a unique episode because Geoff was there! he provides his own narrative of the day's events and readily admits his own recollections are incomplete.

    Episode 48 - September 11, 2001 Twenty Years Later

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2021 96:55


    In this week's episode we look back on the events of September 11, 2001, and ask how we grapple with memory and recounting historical events. This is a unique episode because Geoff was there! he provides his own narrative of the day's events and readily admits his own recollections are incomplete.

    Episode 47 - The Stonewall Rebellion

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2021 72:34


    On June 28, 1969, what would normally have been a rather routine police bust of an unlicensed bar on New York City's west side, sparked a series a riots and protests that birthed the modern Gay Pride movement. Who was there, who started the riot, who did the police target and many other details surrounding the night of the 28th as well as the subsequent nights of rioting has been a point of contention within the LGBT community ever since. Join us this week as we discuss the origins of Pride Month and the complicated beginnings of the LGBT rights movement.

    Episode 47 - The Stonewall Rebellion

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2021 72:34


    On June 28, 1969, what would normally have been a rather routine police bust of an unlicensed bar on New York City's west side, sparked a series a riots and protests that birthed the modern Gay Pride movement. Who was there, who started the riot, who did the police target and many other details surrounding the night of the 28th as well as the subsequent nights of rioting has been a point of contention within the LGBT community ever since. Join us this week as we discuss the origins of Pride Month and the complicated beginnings of the LGBT rights movement.

    Episode 46 - Great Awakenings

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2021 64:21


    This week we delve into a topic we've been promising to cover for some time, the Second Great Awakening. This was the religious movement in the United States that spawned the Mormons and Adventists as well as the evangelical factions of more mainline churches. It truly was a time when American Christianity came into its own. As always, though, we'll complicate things a bit and talk about the First Great Awakening and other religious movements before the founding of the United States.

    Episode 46 - Great Awakenings

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2021 64:21


    This week we delve into a topic we've been promising to cover for some time, the Second Great Awakening. This was the religious movement in the United States that spawned the Mormons and Adventists as well as the evangelical factions of more mainline churches. It truly was a time when American Christianity came into its own. As always, though, we'll complicate things a bit and talk about the First Great Awakening and other religious movements before the founding of the United States.

    Episode 45 - History of Mormonism - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2021 66:17


    This week we wrap up a very brief introductory history of Mormonism in America. We continue the story from the previous episode with the church's reaction to the murder of Joseph Smith. We trace the rise of Brigham Young and the infamous Utah War. We end with the twentieth century church and its transition from fringe group to conservative religion.

    Episode 45 - History of Mormonism - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2021 66:17


    This week we wrap up a very brief introductory history of Mormonism in America. We continue the story from the previous episode with the church's reaction to the murder of Joseph Smith. We trace the rise of Brigham Young and the infamous Utah War. We end with the twentieth century church and its transition from fringe group to conservative religion.

    Episode 44 - A History of Mormons in America - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2021 65:04


    Join us for the first in a two-part series about a uniquely American religion, the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints, or Mormonism. In this episode we discuss the origins of the religion and the competing threads of official church history, non-official folklore, personal accounts, and governmental records and interactions to construct a more complete picture of how this religion developed.

    Episode 44 - A History of Mormons in America - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2021 65:04


    Join us for the first in a two-part series about a uniquely American religion, the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints, or Mormonism. In this episode we discuss the origins of the religion and the competing threads of official church history, non-official folklore, personal accounts, and governmental records and interactions to construct a more complete picture of how this religion developed.

    Episode 43 - More Cults of the 20th Century

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2021 67:16


    We continue our exploration of the history of cults in America this week with a discussion of two infamous groups from the 1990s: The Branch Davidians and Heaven's Gate. Both cults ended in the deaths of their charismatic leaders, but the trajectories were quite different. If you're interested in the militia movement, UFOs, Nike sneakers, Star Trek, the Book of Revelations, the FBI, or how to get cheap real estate in Southern California you should join us this week!

    Episode 43 - More Cults of the 20th Century

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2021 67:16


    We continue our exploration of the history of cults in America this week with a discussion of two infamous groups from the 1990s: The Branch Davidians and Heaven's Gate. Both cults ended in the deaths of their charismatic leaders, but the trajectories were quite different. If you're interested in the militia movement, UFOs, Nike sneakers, Star Trek, the Book of Revelations, the FBI, or how to get cheap real estate in Southern California you should join us this week!

    Episode 42 - Cults in 20th Century America

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2021 63:49


    This week we continue the discussion we started last time about utopian experiments and cults by covering two of the most fascinating and disturbing figures of the twentieth century, Jim Jones and Charles Manson. What made these two men turn to violence and how did their lives and the people they convinced to do unspeakable things reveal deep fissures and anxieties in post-war America. Join us this week to find out.

    Episode 42 - Cults in 20th Century America

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2021 63:49


    This week we continue the discussion we started last time about utopian experiments and cults by covering two of the most fascinating and disturbing figures of the twentieth century, Jim Jones and Charles Manson. What made these two men turn to violence and how did their lives and the people they convinced to do unspeakable things reveal deep fissures and anxieties in post-war America. Join us this week to find out.

    Episode 41 - American Utopias

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2021 60:33


    So, this week we start a little series about cults in American history, but this first episode took a slight detour into a more general discussion of utopian communities in America, particularly in the nineteenth century. We discuss Oneida, Harmony, and New Harmony, among others. We also trace the way religion and the Second Great Awakening shaped utopian ideas including the concept of moral perfectionism.

    Episode 41 - American Utopias

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2021 60:33


    So, this week we start a little series about cults in American history, but this first episode took a slight detour into a more general discussion of utopian communities in America, particularly in the nineteenth century. We discuss Oneida, Harmony, and New Harmony, among others. We also trace the way religion and the Second Great Awakening shaped utopian ideas including the concept of moral perfectionism.

    Episode 40 - Baseball

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2021 68:07


    To celebrate spring and the return of America's pastime, we're delving into the history of baseball this week. From its origins as a children's game in England to a powerful tool of imperialism, baseball has it all.

    Episode 40 - Baseball

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2021 68:07


    To celebrate spring and the return of America's pastime, we're delving into the history of baseball this week. From its origins as a children's game in England to a powerful tool of imperialism, baseball has it all.

    Episode 39 - Taxes

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2021 70:35


    Death and Taxes. Is that all we can be sure of? In honor of traditional Tax Day (April 15), we present a history of taxes in the United States. Tariffs, excises, income taxes, anti-government movements, rebellions, paying for the military and infrastructure, they're all on the list of topics we cover in this week's episode.

    Episode 39 - Taxes

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2021 70:35


    Death and Taxes. Is that all we can be sure of? In honor of traditional Tax Day (April 15), we present a history of taxes in the United States. Tariffs, excises, income taxes, anti-government movements, rebellions, paying for the military and infrastructure, they're all on the list of topics we cover in this week's episode.

    Episode 38 - The Vietnam War

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2021 69:03


    Join us for a deep dive into the causes and effects of the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War from 1954 to 1975. Along the way we'll discuss the aftermath of WWII and French attempts at renewing their empire in Southeast Asia. We'll also talk about what Dwight Eisenhower defined as the Military Industrial Complex and how the machine of war may have prolonged US involvement in Vietnam. Finally we'll talk about some well-known but often misunderstood moments in the war like the My Lai Massacre.

    Episode 38 - The Vietnam War

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2021 69:03


    Join us for a deep dive into the causes and effects of the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War from 1954 to 1975. Along the way we'll discuss the aftermath of WWII and French attempts at renewing their empire in Southeast Asia. We'll also talk about what Dwight Eisenhower defined as the Military Industrial Complex and how the machine of war may have prolonged US involvement in Vietnam. Finally we'll talk about some well-known but often misunderstood moments in the war like the My Lai Massacre.

    Episode 37 - Women of the Revolution

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2021 61:00


    When people are asked to comment on the most famous figures of the American Revolution, the list is almost entirely men, with a few notable exceptions. Join us this week as we talk about the well-known women who participated and often literally fought during the American Revolution as well as some lesser-known women whose real stories are more fantastic than the myths surrounding Molly Pitcher and Betsy Ross. It's all on this week's episode!

    Episode 37 - Women of the Revolution

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2021 61:00


    When people are asked to comment on the most famous figures of the American Revolution, the list is almost entirely men, with a few notable exceptions. Join us this week as we talk about the well-known women who participated and often literally fought during the American Revolution as well as some lesser-known women whose real stories are more fantastic than the myths surrounding Molly Pitcher and Betsy Ross. It's all on this week's episode!

    Episode 36 - Margaret Sanger and Eugenics in America

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2021 65:56


    Margaret Sanger founded the organization that later became Planned Pioneer. She has been widely lauded as a staunch advocate of women's reproductive rights, but there's more to the story. Join us this week as we delve into Sanger's story as well as the simultaneous rise of eugenics. The United States in general and California pioneered the field of eugenics, and that is not necessarily a good thing! From forced sterilizations to medical experiments without the patient's consent, many of the ideas and methods emerging within the eugenics movement later found expression in the gruesome experiments and ideologies of Germany in the 1930s.

    Episode 36 - Margaret Sanger and Eugenics in America

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2021 65:56


    Margaret Sanger founded the organization that later became Planned Pioneer. She has been widely lauded as a staunch advocate of women's reproductive rights, but there's more to the story. Join us this week as we delve into Sanger's story as well as the simultaneous rise of eugenics. The United States in general and California pioneered the field of eugenics, and that is not necessarily a good thing! From forced sterilizations to medical experiments without the patient's consent, many of the ideas and methods emerging within the eugenics movement later found expression in the gruesome experiments and ideologies of Germany in the 1930s.

    Episode 35 - Second Wave Feminism

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2021 68:06


    What is Second Wave Feminism? How does it differ from the First Wave? Join us as we do a deep dive into the ins and outs of Second Wave Feminism and its connections with Mary Wollstonecraft, Lucretia Mott, Simone de Beauvoir, and Betty Friedan. How did the Roe v Wade and Griswold v Connecticut change everything? And was the Houston Conference in 1977 really the end of the movement? Finally, how should we conceptualize the Third and Fourth Waves? Join us this week to find out!

    Episode 35 - Second Wave Feminism

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2021 68:06


    What is Second Wave Feminism? How does it differ from the First Wave? Join us as we do a deep dive into the ins and outs of Second Wave Feminism and its connections with Mary Wollstonecraft, Lucretia Mott, Simone de Beauvoir, and Betty Friedan. How did the Roe v Wade and Griswold v Connecticut change everything? And was the Houston Conference in 1977 really the end of the movement? Finally, how should we conceptualize the Third and Fourth Waves? Join us this week to find out!

    Episode 34 - More Conspiracies

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2021 65:19


    This week we return to an often-requested topic - conspiracy theories. We discuss George Washington, QANON, COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, Henrietta Lacks, and Pearl Harbor. Why are Americans so obsessed with conspiracy theories? What happens when there is some truth to a particular theory? Join us this week to find out!

    Episode 34 - More Conspiracies

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2021 65:19


    This week we return to an often-requested topic - conspiracy theories. We discuss George Washington, QANON, COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, Henrietta Lacks, and Pearl Harbor. Why are Americans so obsessed with conspiracy theories? What happens when there is some truth to a particular theory? Join us this week to find out!

    Episode 33 - Jim Crow and the Rise of Black Culture

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2021 57:33


    After a week off we return to our special series in honor of Black History Month. This time we discuss the two primary ways Black men and women have been characterized by white Americans for well over one hundred years: objects of desire and entertainment and subjects of scorn and suspicion. In the face of this stereotyping Black culture has responded, often quite opening, by exposing the white gaze and the inherent hypocrisy of Jim Crow. Along the way we discuss Ida Wells, Ma Rainey, Louis Armstrong, Jimi Hendrix, Collin Kaepernick, and Donald Glover.

    Episode 33 - Jim Crow and the Rise of Black Culture

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2021 57:33


    After a week off we return to our special series in honor of Black History Month. This time we discuss the two primary ways Black men and women have been characterized by white Americans for well over one hundred years: objects of desire and entertainment and subjects of scorn and suspicion. In the face of this stereotyping Black culture has responded, often quite opening, by exposing the white gaze and the inherent hypocrisy of Jim Crow. Along the way we discuss Ida Wells, Ma Rainey, Louis Armstrong, Jimi Hendrix, Collin Kaepernick, and Donald Glover.

    Episode 32 - The Rise of Abolitionism - Black History from 1776 to 1860

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2021 71:25


    Join us for Part 2 of our series for Black History Month. We discuss the nation's founding documents and the ways slavery was and was not addressed in each. We also discuss early abolitionists like Sojourner Truth and her connections to the Second Great Awakening, a period of religious revivalism, and William Lloyd Garrison. We also discuss the oppositional approaches towards ending slavery adopted by Nat Turner and Frederick Douglass. Finally, we discuss the unlikely friendship of Douglass and John Brown, the man hanged for his attack on the Federal Arsenal at Harper's Ferry.

    Episode 31 - The First Africans in America - Black History to 1775

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2021 65:06


    Join us in the first of a four-part series delving into the complicated and often contentious history of African Americans. In this first part we cover the transition from indentured servitude to slavery. We also cover the emergence of the "Middle Passage" and the creation and eventual hardening of racial divisions in the British colonies, most notably Virginia. We introduce you to Estavanico the Moor, an early explorer in the Southwestern US, Antony Johnson a former slave turned slave owner who is posthumously deprived of the right to own property, and the thousands of Africans who perished in the figurative and literal death of forcibly being transported across the Atlantic in the 18th century.

    Episode 30 - The 1776 Commission Report

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2021 66:16


    On January 17, 2021 as one of the last official acts of the Trump administration, the 1776 Commission Report was released. This report made an argument as to how the US education system had failed to educate the nation's youth on the "proper" history of the country. Join us as we delve into the commission's report and challenge some of its findings as well as its underlying premises.

    Episode 29 - Political Violence in America

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2021 61:49


    Was January 6, 2021 an aberration or was it part of a long history of political violence in the United States? Join Hilary and Geoff as they discuss the role political violence played in the nation's founding, its presence in the Capitol Building prior ro January 6, and its potentially cyclical nature. Along the way we'll cover Tulsa 1920, the Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995, and the BLM movement.

    Episode 28 - Childhood in America

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2021 64:50


    Did you know celebrating a child's birthday, telling children stories about pirates and fairies, and entire industries focused on children (i.e. Disney) would have been unthinkable in the 18th and much of the 19th centuries? Childhood, as we understand it today, is a fairly recent invention. Join us as we discuss Puritans, the Devil, agricultural work, factories, labor unions, and motherhood in this episode!

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