Excellent podcast Mr. Jack Henneman! Informative and witty entertainment too.

Many hats off to Jack Henneman for conceiving and creating this eye opening survey of often overlooked history (histories) of North America at a time of a great migration of European people and the subsequent mingling of people from both continents. I often listen on long rides across this very continent only regretting that I can’t take notes while driving.

I was happy to be introduced to this podcast and now working my way through the many episodes. I am recommending it to all interested in American history.

Jack’s progress through American history is an appealingly methodical journey that entertains as much as it informs and inspires. I look forward to each episode to see where his muse will take us next. The sidebars, especially the legal takes, are just as interesting as the main narrative. His work is a gift to anyone interested in early America.

Jack presents history in a manner that is informative, captivating, and entertaining. By far the best podcast, on any subject, that I have found. You don’t need to be a history buff to enjoy, but it may turn you into one!

Jack’s podcast is informative, entertaining and slightly addictive. He has a way of pulling out interesting takeaways from literal volumes of history. And seems to have a curious nature that leads him searching for facts and the resulting objective potential theories - as opposed to other way around. I appreciate the work that goes into this labor of love. Thank you it’s given me hours of enjoyment.

Each episode is thorough and insightful. There is considerable effort towards presenting an unbiased and honest view of the covered events. Talent and a passion for the material are evident.

Many podcasts cover the same topics, events and eras as others. It can be very redundant. This one covers a time in history rarely discussed and it’s a fascinating insight to the history of the US prior to 1776. As a person very familiar with US history, I have learned many new parts of our story from this era. Highly recommend.

I found this podcast by Jack Henneman recently but can’t recall how. I know that I was looking for something to expand my perspective of British Colonial America and I think this fits the bill. I am through around 30 episodes and enjouing it. I like the witty style, the attempt to diminish presentism, and the references to other sources. I also like the amount of detail and the presentation of different perspectives and sources. I am working to catch up to the current episode.

I love reading or listening to history, warts and all. This is well researched content. I love the diversity of thoughts of the different non hostile tribes, their customs and etiquette's. The pilgrims needed to learn from the natives, the customs and etiquettes but they became true friends. There are people of good character, bad character, humanity never changes. The southern exchange was opposite. There were savage acts on both sides. The journey of all involved is quite a history. To the critics I say, you are no different than anybody else. Times evolve and you are a product of the day, so don’t judge.

I love this podcast. I can’t get enough!

I really enjoy this podcast. Most history podcasts do one of three things: (1) they jump around from topic to topic based on current events, (2) they become so light and fluffy that there is no there, there, OR (3) they become so bogged down in facts that there is no coherent narrative. This does none of these and thus becomes a perfect balance.

I am a latecomer, having only learned of this podcast a few months ago. I have listened to about five episodes a week since starting and can't get enough. It is compelling, as our story is. And the story-teller himself is compelling, because of his candor, his humor, wit and decency, and his commitment to transparency. The most refreshing thing to me about this podcasts's "take" on history is, there isn't one. It's history. It's a narrative of events in their own context, not ours, or served through some preferred narrative filter. Any of us who yearn to simply know more, to better understand, whether such understanding confirms our priors or not, will be well served and well pleased by THOTA. Thank you for the gift you've given us all, Jack. I really appreciate it.

Thank you for making “ancient” history interesting and informative.

Thoroughly enjoying it and learning from it!

Examples of what a pod can be. However, there is never history that isn’t impacted by presentism.

Love the sense of humor and the movie references!!!! Learned of your work from the Michele Tafoya podcast… I am also a retired hospital administrator….i can’t imagine what it would have been like to work with you!

Just started listening last week after hearing about it via David Burge on Twitter. Very engaging, well researched, entertaining and does a wonderful job of providing much context to the shaping of our country. Well done!

I’m trying to catch up, still in 2021 recordings, but find this podcast enormously informative. I enjoy John Henneman’s style and approach to history.

I’m a late comer to this podcast, but I’m really enjoying it. I’ve listened to about 75 episodes now - you can trust this review it’s not just off a few episodes - and I’ve really enjoyed it. Mr Henneman has done his research & it shows. I have learned so much listening. Do yourself a favor; sit, listen and learn. I promise it’s worth your (time) investment.

This podcast is a love letter to the craft of human history -- if it were an apple, it would be unwaxed, somewhat spotty, and delectable.

If you want to learn about American History objectively, but also want to feel like you’re in a private cigar lounge while doing so, then this podcast is for you.

Thank heaven for Jack’s captivating stories and a welcome break from today’s toxic politics. Definitely ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Awesome.. history not politics

Great series, wonderfully told - full of insights, stories, and interviews - getting a much better understanding of our history! Thank you for this evolving education!

I have only recently began a love for pre-revolutionary America history. This podcast does a great job explaining the time line from various view points

What I appreciate most about this show is the depth to which the author goes in order to inform the audience. Jack consistently looks up the best scholarship before his show and brings in salient quotes. If you’re looking to learn about interesting historical events in podcast form, which works great for your daily commute or doing chores around the house, then this is the place to be.

I’ve listened to every episode, and some of them multiple times. Jack does a tremendous job telling the story. He has also succeeded in making me a big Francis Drake fan. Enthusiastically recommended.

Just love this show. Have learned so much. Just so well written and edited. Look forward to each episode.

I look forward to each episode and Jack’s telling of history.

Great podcast. I’ve now listened to the first 30 or so episodes and will assuredly listen to the rest. I appreciate that the creator doesn’t politicize the past. He honestly presents all the characters in the American story as achievers and as failures. Our American history is a microcosm of the history of humanity but with many unique and colorful elements.

And want to say thank you so much for this awesome podcast! This is really well done and I really appreciate your focus on the facts. Please keep up the good work 😊

This podcast has filled in so many gaps and enhanced my understanding of American History. It’s so refreshing the way Henneman lays out the facts and lets the listener decide what is moral and what is unjust. So many historians have ruined the field of study by focusing on social injustices rather than just presenting the facts. I think we’re all capable of making our own conclusions about past events. This podcast is suitable for a person of any social or political background, because it allows the listener to decide for themselves how they feel about historical events.

Anyone of any political stripe can listen to this podcast and make their own judgements about our past and it’s meaning for the present. The same cannot be said of podcasts that make the judgement for you and choose the events and their portrayal to fit that judgement. Excellent podcast for any thoughtful person. Only wish there was a way to pay a small monthly fee to support his efforts. 5/5

By far one of the most important podcasts out there with the added benefit of being extremely entertaining. While everyone has a point of view, Jack does an excellent job of presenting the balanced perspective of American history (if you forgive him for being a Sir Francis Drake fanboy) that we now need. Done with great enthusiasm without going over the top, you can tell it is a work of love.

A friend recently told me about this podcast and now I’m hooked! I am a huge fan of Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History and have always looked for another awesome podcast to fill the gaps between Dan’s episodes. This History of the Americans is that in spades and now I have all these great episodes to binge! Thank you!

Love this podcast. As a native Rhode Islander I love seeing how in depth he’s gone with Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson. I’ll be a king time listener for sure!

I ran into this podcast via a twitter roll around a month ago. Since then, I have listened to the first 35+ episodes, and it is greatness. Evenhanded, realistic, not preachy...it simply reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly of those who shaped the history of the Americas (and Americans). As an Apache native, I appreciate the realistic, honest assessment of the Europeans who came to the hemisphere. As a descendent of British, Irish, and Spanish descent as well, I appreciate the tales of glory and respect (looking at you, Francis Drake) of Europeans ahead of their time. History, and life, are complicated. This podcast shows that thoroughly and well.

I am a life-long history geek and a history teacher of 38 years. I love this podcast. The attention to detail and the quality of storytelling makes this podcast #1. The only negative thing about the podcast is that I have to wait a week between new episodes. I look forward to each new edition.

This dude is a great storyteller! He sews stories from the history of The Americans with insightful thematic thread. Wyman, Duncan, Carlin, Twamley… add Jack Henneman to my list of favorite history podcasters.

Jack is informative and entertaining with a wry sense of humor and an eye for detail. He gets an enthusiastic recommendation from me.

Fabulous! As a history buff who loves Tudor/Stuart England and Early American History, I struck gold with this podcast! It’s well researched and super-entertaining! Not quite agenda-less because the goal is for the listener to evaluate the grayness of history for themself. I’ve never been much interested in European/Native American relations (my bad/don’t judge me), but after some Puritan history episodes, I listen to over 30 other episodes covering exactly that and loved them. I appreciate Jack using his big brain to show the big history picture and it’s implications for us now. History is a messy business, rarely black and white, and this podcast doesn’t shy away from any of it.

Jack has a wry sense of humor which he introduces in this delightful podcast that starts before Columbus’ voyage and goes into fascinating detail about how we all came to be here with great detail and little known facts. Highly recommended.

this podcast has taught me so much more than i knew to be true; the stories are so in-depth, i find it more exciting than learning history in my youth, which i found incredibly exciting. i appreciate the delivery, the purpose, the message, the author’s interactions with other podcasters/promoting them as sources. hands down, its the bee’s knees, ace podcast.

A great podcast full of history, with the right amount of humor. Truly one of the best podcasts I have listened too. Look forward to every new episode. The number of books I need to read to go even more in depth just grows and grows.

The ideal blend - intriguing anecdotes linked to the general themes of American history. Jack succeeds in making history “fun and interesting,” with his anti-presentism approach. His curiosity is contagious, and learning to appreciate Vast Early America along with him is addictive. I cannot wait for each new episode, and wish I could give The History of The Americans 11 stars.

For fans of American history, this podcast has yet to disappoint. Each ~half-hour nugget holds one’s interest rather deftly with a fascinating combination of insightful detail and analogies to present-day examples to give the listener a good sense of the moment (without succumbing to the dreaded ‘presentism’ - yet). I am most definitely learning stuff I would never have known. Jack Henneman’s wry asides (and his occasional episode-length “sidebars”) keep the listeners attention much as any good pub storyteller would, albeit without the block quotes (which are actually well selected and entertaining, enough to grab my copies of, navigate to, or consider purchasing, the source material). And after 24 episodes, Jack hasn’t even cracked the second half of the 16th century yet. This might take a while. SECOND ANNIVERSARY UPDATE: Two years and almost a hundred episodes in, and Jack has now arrived at the Dutch in New Netherland c 1645. Still proceeding at a comfortably leisurely pace, and I am definitely enjoying the occasional indulgences of his curiosity into arcana about people, times and places in our country that seem both alien and familiar. Keep up the great work.

Really love this podcast....history without political judgment; informative and interesting.

I’ve been binging these podcasts on my commute to and from work and have thoroughly enjoyed them. I found these via Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit, who linked to the Christopher Columbus podcast. I’ve learned so much new material; where was this when I was in high school and college?!

My husband keeps asking, “what are you chuckling at?” It’s usually this podcast! 😂 My son is just starting to learn some history in school and it’s reminding me just how much history I’ve forgotten, which is how I came to look for this podcast and it’s exactly what I was hoping to find! Thanks for your near obsessive efforts, this is very engaging and easy to understand. The dry humor is a bonus, it’s a breath of fresh air to have something informative and non-politicized to listen to.