Before We Were White

Aug 27 2024 21 ep. 61 mins 106

Before We Were White Podcast artwork

”Before We Were White” will be highly contentious revisionist history at its most unflinching. ”Before We Were White” will tell real stories of heartland America, drawing upon facts and evidence buried deep underneath the “official story”. Everything from outlaws, river pirates and prairie bandits, to Cherokee midwives and witch trials, fake eugenics, colonial-era Muslims, snake handlers, African-American cowboys, the Lost Colony of Roanoke, Jewish hillbillies, “sporting girls”, Mountain Gypsies and Creole Irish will get their turn under the magnifying lens. Whether your interest is in history, politics, ethnology, folklore, music, genealogy, or just a cracking good story, you will find something here to astonish and amaze, entertain and educate. Forget everything you thought you knew about North American history. Forget everything you thought you understood about the ethnic roots of heartland America.

History Society & Culture Science

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Episode 19: New, Improved, and Super-Sanctified, Part 2

Aug 27 2024 80 mins

America is easily the most religious country among the wealthy western democracies. Why? Episode 19 of Before We Were White - "New, Improved, and Super-Sanctified, Part 2" is out now. Part 2 explores the Medieval Catholic church, and how its quest for total political, economic, and spiritual power and authority led to the birth of Protestantism.

Episode 18: New, Improved, and Super-Sanctified, Part 1

Jun 30 2024 49 mins

America is easily the most religious country among the wealthy western democracies. In almost every other nation, greater wealth and educational levels correlate with a drop-off in levels of religiosity. The USA remains a conspicuous outlier in this regard. Why? Episode 18 of Before We Were White - "New, Improved, and Super-Sanctified, Part 1" is out now. An exploration of the curi

Episode 17: Pre-Deliverance, Part 3

Apr 27 2024 140 mins

How did a musical instrument which started off hundreds of years ago in Africa end-up becoming a symbol of "white" American country music? Was this a case of simple cultural appropriation, or is there another story waiting to be told? When it comes to American history, nothing is ever as black and white as people think...

Episode 16: Pre-Deliverance, Part 2

Mar 01 2024 60 mins

Part Two of "Pre-Deliverance" continues our exploration of some of the forgotten roots of American culture and ethnicity. In this episode, we get closer to understanding the origins of "Hillbilly Jews".

Episode 15: Pre-Deliverance, Part 1

Dec 17 2023 58 mins

Play a game of word association with the average American. Say "banjo". Chances are, a great many would reply with words like "hillbilly" or "redneck". Some might venture to mention bluegrass music. How did a musical instrument which started off hundreds of years ago in Africa end-up becoming a symbol of "white" American music culture? And what if some of the earliest people of non

Episode 14: Black Paddywhackery, Part 2

Sep 03 2023 105 mins

In Part 1 of "Black Paddywhackery", we learned about the origins of the Irish people, and asked why so many Americans self-identify as "Black Irish", believing themselves descended from survivors of the Spanish Armada which wrecked off the west coast of Ireland. Having shown the flaws in this folk history, in Part 2 of "Black Paddywhackery" we explore the true origins of those wh

Episode 13: Black Paddywhackery, Part 1

Aug 05 2023 75 mins

A curious number of Southern Appalachians like to refer to themselves or extended family members as being "Black Irish". There are Facebook discussion groups catering to Appalachian Americans (with tens of thousands of members), and almost weekly an "expert" pops up assuring other members that the "Black Irish" are a thing, and that thing is usually this: "Loads of Irish people hav

Episode 12: No Safe Harbor, Part 3

Jun 27 2023 42 mins

The eastern half of the continental USA is dotted with places inaccurately described as "tri-racial isolate communities". One of the largest such population groups can be found spread over Eastern Kentucky, the western parts of Virginia, East Tennessee, and West Virginia. Widely known as "Melungeons", few Americans have been the subject of such intense scrutiny and curiosity. Who a

Episode 11: No Safe Harbor, Part 2

May 26 2023 62 mins

The eastern half of the continental USA is dotted with places often described as "tri-racial isolate communities". One of the largest such population groups can be found spread over Eastern Kentucky, the western parts of Virginia, East Tennessee, and West Virginia. Widely known as "Melungeons", few Americans have been the subject of such intense scrutiny and curiosity. Who are thes

Episode 10: No Safe Harbor, Part 1

Apr 30 2023 56 mins

The eastern half of the continental USA is dotted with places often described as "tri-racial isolate communities". One of the largest such population groups can be found spread over Eastern Kentucky, the western parts of Virginia, East Tennessee, and West Virginia. Widely known as "Melungeons", few Americans have been the subject of such intense scrutiny and curiosity. Who are thes