Listening to America
Episodes
#1702 Thomas Jefferson on British Royalty
05 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Guest host David Horton interviews President Thomas Jefferson about his strong anti-royalist principles. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson...
#1701 Thomas Jefferson in France
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Frequent guest host David Horton interviews the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, about his five years in France between 1...
#1700 Clay's Take on Current Events
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Beau Breslin interviews Clay on current events. First, the successful launch on April 1st of Artemis II, America's first space mission to the moon in ...
#1699 The Iran War and the U.S. Constitution
13 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Clay and frequent guest Beau Breslin of Skidmore College try to place Donald Trump's war in Iran in the context of American history with a particular ...
#1697 The Future of America's National Monuments
06 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's conversation with Dr. Susan Ryan of the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, Colorado, about the history of the National Monuments and ...
#1697 The State of the Union as Political Theater
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Frequent guest host David Horton welcomes Thomas Jefferson to the podcast to discuss political theater and State of the Union addresses. Although Jeff...
#1696 Assessing America's National Parks & Public Lands at 250
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's conversation with Char Miller, an endowed professor of environmental history at Pomona College and author of more than a dozen highly regarded ...
#1695 New Ken Burns Documentary on Henry David Thoreau
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's conversation with Erik and Christopher Ewers, the directors of the upcoming three-part documentary on the life and achievements of Henry David ...
#1694 Is a Constitutional Convention Even Possible?
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's conversation with historian Beau Breslin about the nuts and bolts of a constitutional convention in America. Neither Clay nor Beau thinks such ...
#1693 Downsizing and Henry David Thoreau
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Guest host Russ Eagle interviews Clay about his ambitious downsizing project. For several decades, Clay has explored the world of Thoreau's great book...
#1692 The Crisis of the Public Lands
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Clay joins journalist Jonathan Thompson, publisher of The Land Desk on Substack and author of Sagebrush Empire: How a Remote Utah County Became the Ba...
#1691 Was it Shakespearean Tragedy or Greek Tragedy?
16 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Clay interviews the award-winning historian Joe Ellis about America's tragic legacy of slavery, and about the dispossession of American Indians from t...
#1690 Mount Rushmore: Its Back Story and the Continuing Controversy
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Clay welcomes author Matthew Davis to talk about his new book, Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore. How did it happen t...
#1689 Nat and Mikey Survived!
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Clay interviews the adventurous Brits Nat and Mikey, school teachers who got it into their heads to float the entire Missouri and Mississippi River co...
#1688 Ten Things About Foreign Policy in the Age of Jefferson
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's favorite guest, Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky, makes her first 2026 appearance to discuss foreign policy in the administrations of George Washington, ...
#1687 The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, 50 Years Later
19 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Clay joins author John U. Bacon of Ann Arbor, Michigan, whose book, The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, takes a new look...
#1686 Venezuela, Thomas Jefferson and American Ideals
12 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Clay and guest host David Horton of Radford University discuss the global implications of America's recent incursion into the sovereign nation of Vene...
#1685 The Presidents and Political Theater
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Clay welcomes one of his favorite guests, Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky, back to the program to talk about political theater in American presidential history...
#1684 America at 250: How Did We Get Here?
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay welcomes Colorado historian Walter Borneman to the program. Borneman has written more than a dozen books, from the events at Lexington and Concor...
#1683 Writing the American West in a Time of Disillusionment
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay welcomes eminent western historian Paul Hutton for a discussion of his new book, The Undiscovered Country: Triumph, Tragedy, and the Shaping of ...
#1682 How Do Rivers Work?
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay talks with Professor Ellen Wohl of Colorado State University about the magical ways of rivers. Professor Wohl is the author of a new book, Follow...
#1681 Joseph Ellis Returns with a New Book
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of Clay's favorite historians, Joe Ellis, has just published his 14th book, The Great Contradiction: The Tragic Side of the American Founding. Hi...
#1680 The Continuing River Adventures of Nat and Mikey
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The two intrepid British adventurers, Natalia and Mikey, who came to America to float the entire Missouri and Mississippi River corridor in a canoe, h...
#1679 Our Thanksgiving Show
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Guest host Nolan Johnson and Clay talk about the history of Thanksgiving, or what John Adams might call the uses and misuses of the Thanksgiving holid...
#1678 The No Kings Protests in Historical Context
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Frequent guest host David Horton and Clay discuss America's current political paralysis and the deep frustration and cynicism of the American people i...
#1677 Final Frontiers: Lewis and Clark and the American Space Program
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay talks with veteran NASA astronaut Tom Jones, who flew four Space Shuttle missions for a total of 53 days, 49 minutes in space. Clay outlined a li...
#1676 American Presidents and the Press
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay and his popular guest, Lindsay Chervinsky, discuss the history of American presidents and the fourth estate. Almost all presidents are frustrated...
#1675 What Is Habeas Corpus and Why Does It Matter?
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay and historian Beau Breslin discuss the doctrine of habeas corpus and its role in the current debate about how to handle undocumented immigrants i...
#1674 A Chat With Two Brits Who Are Floating the Missouri River From Montana to the Sea
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's conversation with Nat and Mikey, schoolteachers from Britain, who are floating down the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers from Three Forks, Monta...
#1673 In the Belly of the Beast
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay and his friend Russ Eagle discuss John Steinbeck's 1960 Travels with Charley tour of America from within Steinbeck's truck camper Rocinante. Than...
#1672 President Jefferson Discusses America at 250
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Guest host David Horton talks with President Thomas Jefferson about the United States as the nation approaches its 250th birthday. Horton asks Jeffers...
#1671 Mysteries at the End of the Trail With David Nicandri
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author David Nicandri joins Clay in the LTA Airstream in Olympia, Washington, for a conversation about lingering mysteries of the Lewis ...
#1670 Paddling the Full Lewis and Clark Trail
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay interviews Montana adventurer Norm Miller, who has undertaken truly heroic canoe and kayak journeys on great rivers of the West. When he was 35, ...
#1669 A Conversation About Political Violence in America
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the aftermath of the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah, Clay asked his good friend Beau Breslin of Skidmore College to join him in a conversati...
#1668 Bittersweet Homecoming
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay talks about his 2025 trek across America in his 23-foot Airstream following the Lewis and Clark trail. Clay discusses RV life and provides a sens...
#1667 Lunch With America's Leading Steinbeck Scholar
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay and his friend Russ Eagle interview Robert DeMott, one of the greatest living Steinbeck scholars, at his fishing cabin on the Madison River, sout...
#1666 Ten Books on the American Revolution
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Frequent guest, Lindsay Chervinsky, makes a late summer appearance to discuss Ten Books on the American Revolution. Ken Burns recently said the Americ...
#1665 Jefferson and Madison on Vacation
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's conversation with historian Louis Masur about his new book A Journey North: Jefferson, Madison, & the Forging of a Friendship. In 1791, Thoma...
#1664 The Rivers of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay and his good friend Russ Eagle discuss the rivers Lewis and Clark traveled from Pittsburgh to the Pacific Ocean, including the Ohio, the Mississi...
#1663 Presidential Finances
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay interviews Megan Gorman, the author of the excellent new book, All the President's Money: How the Men who Governed America Governed their Money. ...
#1662 Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's conversation with Claire Martin, who hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail in 2020, more than 2,400 miles through some of the most rugged landsc...
#1661 Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a New Constitution for the United States
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Frequent guest Beau Breslin of Skidmore College and one of his prize students, Prairie Gunnels, talk about a capstone project for Beau's Introduction ...
#1660 Ten Things: The Real Patrick Henry (Live)
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's conversation with popular guest Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky on Patrick Henry. Henry began his life as a shopkeeper but rose to become the governor o...
#1659 Theodore Roosevelt in Grand Canyon Country
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's conversation with Harvey Leake, the great-grandson of the pioneering southwestern archaeologists John and Louisa Wetherill. Harvey tells the s...
#1658 Jay Carson, Boulder Outdoor Survival School and National Service
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's interview with Jay Carson, the executive director of the Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS), located in remote Boulder, Utah. Jay Carson ha...
#1657 Race in America: A Retrospective
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's conversation with Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander, professor of history at Norfolk State University in Virginia, about the status of race relatio...
#1656 A Conversation with Novelist Anne Hillerman
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay interviews the southwestern crime novelist Anne Hillerman, now publishing her 10th novel about crime-solving in the land of the Navajo in Arizona...
#1655 Clay and Lindsay Live: Religious Freedom
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's live conversation with Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky on Religious Freedom. Clay and Lindsay met in person at The Historic Christ Church and Museum in ...
#1654 Wandering In Canyon Country — A Conversation with Craig Childs
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's conversation with writer Craig Childs of western Colorado. Childs is the author of more than a dozen books about America's backcountry. He's sp...
#1653 Clay and the new History Channel Series, Kevin Costner's The West
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Guest host Russ Eagle interviews Clay Jenkinson about the forthcoming eight-part History Channel series, Kevin Costner's The West. Clay was interview...
#1652 America's Public Lands: A Report Card
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay Jenkinson interviews Jonathan Thompson, the author of books about the American West, including Sagebrush Empire: How a Remote Utah County Became ...
#1651 Ten Things About the American Revolution
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay and frequent guest Lindsay Chervinsky discuss the American Revolution in a "live" podcast recording in Vail, Colorado. Was George Washington a gr...
#1650 A New Look at Edward Abbey
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's conversation with Amy Irvine, the author of the 2018 book Desert Cabal: A New Season in the Wilderness. Ms. Irvine published the book on the 50...
#1649 Sean Sherman and Native American Food
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay talks with noted chef, author, activist, and visionary Sean Sherman, an Oglala Lakota man who is changing the world of indigenous food. Sean is t...
#1648 Hitting the Road With Lewis and Clark
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Occasional guest host and LTA videographer Nolan Johnson joins Clay to talk about the epic Lewis and Clark Airstream journey of 2025, wherein Clay wil...
#1647 The Future of the Public Lands
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's interview with Walt Dabney, who worked for over 30 years in the National Park System, including serving as America's Chief Ranger for five and ...
#1646 The Legacy of Louis L'Amour and American Western Fiction
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay interviews Beau L'Amour, the son of Louis L'Amour, the celebrated author of multi-million best-selling Westerns. Beau L'Amour is the manager of h...
#1645 The Resurrection of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay is joined by one of his favorite guests and favorite people, historian Joe Ellis of Vermont. The discussion is about the Trump administration's a...
#1644 Thomas Jefferson and American Diplomacy and Trade
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Guest host David Horton interviews Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, about his life as a diplomat. Jefferson served for five...
#1643 A Cultural Tour of Cuba
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Russ Eagle is the guest host for a discussion of Clay's recent cultural tour of Cuba. Clay, Russ, and guests spent 10 days in Cuba, traveling in a sma...
#1642 The Myths That Hold America Back
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay is joined by Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky and Dr. Casey Burgat to discuss a new book, We Hold These "Truths": How to Spot the Myths That are Holding Am...
#1641 Author, Hampton Sides on Captain James Cook's Amazing Third Voyage
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay interviews Hampton Sides, the author of a dozen outstanding books, including studies of Kit Carson, Martin Luther King's assassin James Earl Ray,...
#1640 Traveling America in Search of Its History and Stories
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay sits down with Nolan Johnson, fellow North Dakotan and Listening to America's talented videographer and podcast editor. Nolan joined Clay with ca...
#1639 Jefferson and the Lewis and Clark Expedition
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Guest host Russ Eagle interviews Thomas Jefferson about the American West. When he became the third president in the spring of 1801, Jefferson hired M...
#1638 Joe Ellis on the 2024 Presidential Election
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's discussion with Pulitzer Prize winning historian Joseph Ellis, author of over a dozen outstanding, award-winning books on the Founding Fathers ...
#1637 Historical Integrity in a Hyper-Partisan Time
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky and Clay discuss the challenge of maintaining historical integrity during political turmoil and uncertainty. How does a profess...
#1636 Special Episode: Listener Mail On Clay's Great Steinbeck Adventure
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay and special guest Russ Eagle take up listener mail about Clay's recently completed Travels with Charley tour of America. Thousands of people foll...
#1635 Peaceful Transfer of Power
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay is joined by David Marchick, the author of the acclaimed book, The Peaceful Transfer of Power: An Oral History of America's Presidential Transi...
#1634 AI and Quantum Computing, Ready or Not
13 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay and frequent guest David Horton talk about the coming Artificial Intelligence revolution. Like it or not, we are already wading (if not rushing) ...
#1633 The History of Presidential Transitions
06 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clay and frequent guest Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky discuss how an incoming president prepares to govern the United States. In what ways does the outgoing ...
#1632 A Survival Guide for the Next Four Years
30 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Guest host David Horton and Clay discuss New Year's resolutions. Never more important than at present. People across the political spectrum are nervou...
#1631 The Annual Christmas Show
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Guest host David Horton of Radford University and Clay discuss the history of Christmas, especially its modern invention during the mid 19th century i...
#1630 The Vietnam War: An Interview with Historian Geoffrey Wawro
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay welcomes University of North Texas historian Geoffrey Wawro for a discussion of the War in Vietnam (1961–1975), which cost more than 58,000 Ame...
#1629 The Declaration of Independence and Conspiracy Theories
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of Clay's favorite guests, Beau Breslin, talks about the early National Period as rife with conspiracy theories. The Declaration of Independence, ...
#1628 Civil Rights Pilgrimage with Russ Eagle
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay's and his close friend, Russ Eagle, journey from New Orleans to Shreveport. Then, from Jackson, Mississippi, to Birmingham, Alabama to visit civi...
#1627 Clay and Steven Duchrow Talk Chautauqua
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay welcomes fellow Chautauquan Steve Duchrow of Illinois for a conversation about portraying historical characters. Clay does six or seven; Steve po...
#1626 America's Fascination with Conspiracy Theories
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay talks with guest host David Horton about America's obsession with conspiracy theories, from the notion that the moon landing in 1969 was faked on...
#1625 Do We Have an American Narrative?
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In an interview recorded on October 29, 2024, Clay interviews the eminent classicist, Edward Watts of the University of California, San Diego, on the ...
#1624 Thomas Jefferson on American Elections
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Guest host David Horton welcomes the Third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, to the program to talk about what the Founding Fathers ha...
#1623 Reflections on the Nation of Texas
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay discusses his foray into Texas on Phase Three of the great John Steinbeck Travels with Charley 2024 tour. How is Texas different from other state...
#1622 Clay's John Steinbeck America Tour Resumes
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Guest host Russ Eagle interviews Clay about the third phase of his 2024 Steinbeck "Travels with Charley" tour. Russ was in North Carolina, Clay, at an...
#1621 The Caitlin Clark Phenomenon
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay Jenkinson is joined by sports historian Kurt Kemper of Dakota State University and sports fan David Nicandri of Washington State. Our subject: th...
#1620 The Hollowing Out of Rural America
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay speaks with Richard Rhodes, eminent author of numerous books, including The Making of the Atomic Bomb. The subject: industrial agriculture and th...
#1619 A Conversation With Lindsay Chervinsky
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay interviews author and frequent guest Lindsay Chervinsky about her splendid new book on the John Adams administration: Making the Presidency: John...
#1618 Are We Still a Republic?
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay talks with eminent historian Joseph Ellis, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of over a dozen books. Today's question? Were we ever a republic, an...
#1617 Clay's Steinbeck Travels With Charley Tour: Phase Two
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Guest host Russ Eagle interviews Clay about Phase II of his 2024 Travels with Charley tour. What has Clay learned from retracing Steinbeck's famous 19...
#1616 The Family that Summited Everest
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay Jenkinson's interview with adventurer Alan Mallory about his family's ascent of Mount Everest. That's 29,032 feet, a third of it in the Death Zon...
#1615 Understanding Lindsay Chervinsky's New Book
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay interviews regular guest Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky about her new book, Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents that Forged the Republic...
#1614 Native Americans and the Assimilation Movement
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay Jenkinson converses with historian Larry Skogen about his new book, To Educate American Indians. Skogen's book examines US policy of assimilating...
#1613 Republican Like Me: A Conversation with Ken Stern
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay interviews former NPR CEO Ken Stern, author of a provocative 2018 book, Republican Like Me: How I Left the Liberal Bubble and Learned to Love the...
#1612 Lindsay Chervinsky's New Book
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay talks with Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky about her just-published book, Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents that Forged the Republic. L...
#1611 John Adams' Enemies
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Historian Lindsay Chervinsky talks with Clay about the enemies of the second president of the United States, John Adams. Somewhat tongue in cheek, Lin...
#1610 America at 250 With Beau Breslin
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Skidmore College political scientist Beau Breslin joins Clay to discuss how America might prepare for its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026. Topics inclu...
#1609 Joseph Ellis Returns
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Eminent historian Joseph Ellis returns to Listening to America to assess the country's current political climate. Ellis, now in retirement in the moun...
#1608 Ten Things about the First Amendment
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay welcomes regular guest Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky for a conversation about the First Amendment, ratified with nine others on December 15, 1792. The F...
#1607 The Underground Railroad
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander of Norfolk State University in Virginia joins Clay Jenkinson to discuss unresolved race issues in the United States. Dr....
#1606 Gun Violence in America: A Conversation with Richard Rhodes
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Rhodes, noted historian and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Making of the Atomic Bomb, returns to Listening to America for anoth...
#1605 America at 250: A Conversation with Richard Slotkin
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay interviews the eminent historian Richard Slotkin about America as it approaches its 250th birthday. Richard Slotkin is an emeritus professor of h...
#1604 Ten Things about Gouverneur Morris
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clay Jenkinson's conversation with regular guest Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky about the penman of the U.S. Constitution, Gouverneur Morris of New York. Morr...
#1603 Satire and the American Experience
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Guest host David Horton of Radford University and Clay Jenkinson discuss the origins and varieties of satire. With its roots in the ancient world and ...