North America Audiobooks | History

An Emancipation of the Mind: Radical Philosophy, the War Over Slavery, and the Refounding of America

How a band of antislavery leaders recovered the radical philosophical inspirations of the first American Revolution to defeat the slaveholders' oligarchy in the Civil War. In their struggle against the slaveholding oligarchy of their time, America's antislavery leaders found their way back to the rationalist, secularist, and essentially atheist inspiration for the first American Revolution. Frederick Douglass's unusual interest in radical German philosophers and Abraham Lincoln's buried allusions to the same thinkers are but a few of the clues that underlie this propulsive philosophical detective story. With fresh takes on forgotten thinkers like Theodore Parker, the excommunicated Unitarian minister who is the original source of some of Lincoln's most famous lines, Matthew Stewart tells the story of the battle between America's philosophical radicals and the conservative counterrevolution that swept the American republic in the first decades of its existence and persists in new forms up to the present day. In exposing the role of Christian nationalism and the collusion between northern economic elites and slaveholding oligarchs, An Emancipation of the Mind demands a significant revision in our understanding of the origins and meaning of the struggle over slavery in America-and offers a fresh perspective on struggles between democracy and elite power today.

Matthew Stewart (Author), Mike Chamberlain (Narrator)

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Brotherhood to Nationhood: George Manuel and the Making of the Modern Indian Movement

Charged with fresh material and new perspectives, this updated edition of the groundbreaking biography Brotherhood to Nationhood brings George Manuel and his fighting tradition into the present. George Manuel (1920–1989) was the strategist and visionary behind the modern Indigenous movement in Canada. A three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, he laid the groundwork for what would become the Assembly of First Nations and was the founding president of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples. Authors Peter McFarlane and Doreen Manuel follow him on a riveting journey from his childhood on a Shuswap reserve through three decades of fierce and dedicated activism. In these pages, an all-new foreword by celebrated Mi'kmaq lawyer and activist Pam Palmater is joined by an afterword from Manuel’s granddaughter, land defender Kanahus Manuel. This edition features new photos and previously untold stories of the pivotal roles that the women of the Manuel family played – and continue to play – in the battle for Indigenous rights.

Doreen Manuel, Peter Mcfarlane (Author), Lincoln Mcgowan (Narrator)

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Hollywood’s Favorite Screwball Actresses: The Lives and Legacies of the Women Who Popularized the Co

“If I couldn't laugh, I'd rather die.” – Claudette Colbert The 1930s were the height of the classical Hollywood era, known for lavish studio productions by heavyweights like MGM, RKO, Warner Brothers, Paramount, and 20th Century Fox, which were operating at the height of their powers. Every major studio possessed a long roster of contract players, and films were released at such a rapid pace that it made for an especially competitive environment within the industry. Even while America remained in the throes of the Great Depression, the film industry continued to flourish, and movies easily supplanted the theater as the main attraction for American entertainment. Indeed, it would be no exaggeration to claim that the film industry reached its zenith during the decade precisely because it offered an affordable (if very temporary) escape from the anxieties of the economic woes of the era. When the American Film Institute ranked its top 50 screen legends of the 20th century, many of the people named had careers spanning several decades, but one of them managed the feat despite living less than three decades. Ranked as the 22nd greatest actress of the 20th century, Jean Harlow was on the screen for less than 10 years, but in that time the “Blonde Bombshell” became the most popular actress of the 1930s, eclipsing superstars like Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer along the way. In fact, the platinum blonde accomplished that feat as a leading lady for just five years before her premature death of renal failure at the age of 26. Carole Lombard has been memorialized in many fitting ways as an actress, and one of her biggest contributions to Hollywood was the blond archetype that the film industry used successfully for decades in screwball comedies, paving the way for the success of women like Marilyn Monroe. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of that fact is that it was actually based on Carole’s gushing personality.

Charles River Editors (Author), Mary Rossman (Narrator)

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The Last American Frontier

A Dusty Tomes Audio BookIn Cooperation with Spoken Realms The Last American Frontier by Frederic Logan Paxson. The MacMillan Company, 1910. From the Author’s Preface: I have told here the story of the last frontier within the United States, trying at once to preserve the picturesque atmosphere that has given to the “Far West” a definite and well-understood meaning and to indicate those forces which have shaped the history of the country beyond the Mississippi. In doing it I have had to rely largely upon my own investigations among sources little used and relatively inaccessible. The exact citations of authority, with which I might have crowded my pages, would have been out of place in a book not primarily intended for the use of scholars. But I hope, before many years, to exploit in a larger and more elaborate form the mass of detailed information upon which this sketch is based. Chapter I. The Westward MovementChapter II. The Indian FrontierChapter III. Iowa and the New NorthwestChapter IV. The Santa Fe TrailChapter V. The Oregon TrailChapter VI. Overland with the MormonsChapter VII. California and the Forty-ninersChapter VIII. Kansas and the Indian FrontierChapter IX. “Pike’s Peak or Bust!'Chapter X. From Arizona to MontanaChapter XI. The Overland MailChapter XII. The Engineers’ FrontierChapter XIII. The Union Pacific RailroadChapter XIV. The Plains in the Civil WarChapter XV. The Cheyenne WarChapter XVI. The Sioux WarChapter XVII. The Peace Commission and the Open WayChapter XVIII. Black Kettle’s Last RaidChapter XIX. The First of the RailwaysChapter XX. The New Indian PolicyChapter XXI. The Last Stand: Chief Joseph and Sitting BullChapter XXII. Letting in the PopulationChapter XXIII. Bibliographical Note Dusty Tomes Audio Books are public domain books retrieved from history. If today’s technology had been available when first printed, they would be audio books already. I am grateful for the opportunity to record them now. Read online at archive.org Narrator’s Note: I read only as written. These old books were once solid sellers for bookmen of their time. I believe they can shed light on their times and ours. Loving obscure and remote literature, they are a distinct pleasure for me to read to you. These turn out to be distant and unknown only so long as they remain unread or unheard. Aloha.

Frederic Logan Paxson (Author), Joseph Tabler (Narrator)

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The Exploits of Ben Arnold: Wa-Si-Cu Tam-A-He-Ca

The Exploits Of Ben Arnold, Wa-Si-Cu Tam-A-He-Ca is an Authentic Narrative Of Sixty Years In The Old West As Indian Fighter, Gold Miner, Cowboy, Hunter And Army Scout. He gives many first hand accounts of the treaty signings with the Indians. He speaks of his meetings with Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Spotted tail and many others. The many times the government lied and cheated the Indians out of their land and what the government agreed to pay them. Also many vivid descriptions of daring feats and real life events that are told here for the first time. A must book for those interested in the history of the settlement of the wilderness along the Missouri River and West of it. There is also a harsh criticism of General Crook's failure in the the Little Bighorn Massacre.

Ben Arnold, Lewis F. Crawford (Author), Clay Lomakayu (Narrator)

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The Bohemian Club: The History of One of America’s Most Secretive and Controversial Private Clubs

Conspiracy theories, and particularly the belief that elements of the world are secretly controlled by individuals or groups, have been around for as long as people have lived in groups. Perhaps that’s inevitable - after all, those who are excluded from power are very likely to be inclined to see their position not as an outcome of their own choices or situation but because of the secret machinations of shadowy groups. One topic that has been a constant in Internet debates is the group known as the Bohemian Club. Founded in 1872 in San Francisco, this began as a club for journalists with an interest in the arts, but over the subsequent 150 years, it appears to have changed into a vehicle for the annual conclave of some of the most wealthy and powerful men on the planet. Each year, hundreds of men gather in a luxurious camp known as Bohemian Grove in a remote forest in California to do something. Just what it is they do is a secret, which has inevitably led to some intense speculation. Is it no more than a fun-filled frolic where the super-rich and powerful can go to escape their cares for a few days, or is it something more sinister, a cabal in which secret decisions are made that affect everybody else? Finding out about the Bohemian Club and the annual gatherings at Bohemian Grove isn’t easy. Most of those invited to join this exclusive club remain members until they die, meaning there are no disaffected former members willing to talk about what goes on there. Current members are unwilling to talk about the club or its activities. It’s this secrecy that has led to some bizarre speculation about just what it is that happens in Bohemian Grove every summer. Coming up with answers is no easy feat, as the group takes its secrecy seriously and members have the wealth and power to make sure the club’s business stays secret.

Charles River Editors (Author), Kc Wayman (Narrator)

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Red Cloud’s War: The History and Legacy of the Only 19th Century War Won by Native Americans against

In the summer of 1866, Colonel Henry B. Carrington set out from Fort Laramie to establish a series of forts along the Bozeman Trail with the goal of protecting migrants moving along the trail. The Bozeman Trail ran through the Powder River country, which included the traditional hunting grounds of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho peoples. Carrington had about 1,000 people in his column, of which about 700 were soldiers and 300 were civilians, likely soldiers’ families and migrants. The ongoing hostilities, which included the notorious Fetterman's Massacre, ultimately convinced American officials to head back to the negotiating table with the Native Americans, and as a result, Red Cloud has often been labeled the only Indian chief to win a war against the Americans. After that, however, Red Cloud continued to lead his people to reservations first near the Black Hills and later westward after the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Though he was respected as a war chief, it was his political functions as a spokesman of the Oglala that truly allowed Red Cloud to leave his mark over the last several decades of his life. Whereas Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse suffered premature deaths, Red Cloud outlived the other important leaders of the Sioux until dying in 1909 at 87 years old. Near the end of his life, he reportedly said, “They made us many promises, more than I can remember. But they kept but one -- they promised to take our land...and they took it.” Red Cloud’s War: The History and Legacy of the Only 19th Century War Won by Native Americans against the United States analyzes the seminal moments that brought about the war, the war’s most famous battles, and the aftermath.

Charles River Editors (Author), Jim Walsh (Narrator)

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Northeast Indiana Day Trips: A Tourism Guidebook and Travel Guide

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. Road Trips in Northeast Indiana Take a fun tour through the rich history of Indiana using Northeast Indiana Day Trips as your guidebook. This tourism guide will help visitors find all of the historical treasures in south central Indiana. Northeast Indiana Cities and Towns Northeast Indiana has some wonderful cities and towns ranging from charming small towns like Albion, Huntington and Shipshewana to larger cities like Fort Wayne, and Auburn. Each of these towns and cities has many things to do for your family as it explores the regions roads and highways. Northeast Indiana Wineries Northeast Indiana has several interesting wineries that produce some fascinating wines. Northeast Indiana State and Local Parks The region has several state parks and forests including Indiana's first state park, Chain o' Lakes and rugged Salmonie Lake State Park. Northeast Indiana Museums and Historic Sites Explorers in the area can stage a day trip to learn the region's rich history by visiting the museums and markers located in the various cities and towns of Northeast Indiana. Many host interesting family events that are fun and educational

Paul Wonning (Author), Digital Voice Mike G (Narrator)

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Service With the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers: Four Years with the Iron Brigade

Service With the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers: Four Years with the Iron Brigade' is a compelling memoir penned by Rufus R. Dawes, offering a vivid portrayal of his experiences as a soldier during the American Civil War. Dawes, a member of the renowned Iron Brigade, provides readers with an intimate glimpse into the trials and triumphs of army life, recounting his four-year journey with remarkable detail and candor. From the thunderous chaos of battlefields to the quiet moments of camaraderie in camp, Dawes captures the essence of soldiering during one of the nation's most tumultuous periods. His narrative not only chronicles the physical challenges of war but also delves into the emotional toll it exacted on those who fought. Through Dawes' eyes, readers gain a deeper understanding of the sacrifices made by ordinary men thrust into extraordinary circumstances, making 'Service With the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers' an invaluable testament to the resilience and spirit of the Civil War generation.

Rufus R. Dawes (Author), Robert Anthony (Narrator)

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An American Dreamer: Life in a Divided Country

An immersive account of a man navigating the startling changes underway in contemporary America, from the Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Award-winning author of The Good Soldiers and Thank You for Your Service "Finkel's account is poetic, profound, and irresistibly page-turning."-Geraldine Brooks, author of Horse Brent Cummings, an Iraq war veteran, has come home feeling he survived one war only to find himself in the midst of another one. The country he loves and defended for twenty-eight years seems to be unraveling in front of his eyes. Raised to believe in a vision of America that values fairness, honesty, and respect for others, Cummings is increasingly engulfed by the fear and anger sweeping through his beloved country as he tries to hold on to hope for America's future. David Finkel, known for his unique, in-depth reporting, spent fourteen years immersed in Brent Cummings's world to create this intimate, acutely observed, and beautifully written portrait of a man's life, thoughts, and feelings as America becomes ever more divided. Cummings was one of the unforgettable figures in Finkel's The Good Soldiers, a book about which The New York Times stated, "Finkel has made art out of a defining moment in history. You will be able to take this book down from the shelf years from now and say: This is what happened. This is what it felt like." In An American Dreamer, Finkel chronicles the everyday experiences of people, through moments of hope and despair, illuminating the struggles of many Americans today in a deeply fractured country at a time of crisis.

David Finkel (Author), Rob Shapiro, TBD (Narrator)

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The Deerfield Massacre: A Surprise Attack, a Forced March, and the Fight for Survival in Early Ameri

In the tradition of the New York Times bestseller Empire of the Summer Moon comes a spellbinding account of a forgotten chapter in American history: the deadly confrontation between Native Americans and colonists in Massachusetts in 1704 and the tragic saga that unfolded, written by acclaimed historian James Swanson. Once it was one of the most famous events in early American history. Today, it has been nearly forgotten. In an obscure, two-hundred-year-old museum in a little village in western Massachusetts, there lies what once was the most revered but now totally forgotten relic from the history of early New England—the massive, tomahawk-scarred door that came to symbolize the notorious Deerfield Massacre. This impregnable barricade—known to early Americans as "The Old Indian Door"—constructed from double-thick planks of Massachusetts oak and studded with hand-wrought iron nails to repel the flailing tomahawk blades of several attacking native tribes, is the sole surviving artifact from the most dramatic moment in colonial American history: Leap Year, February 29, 1704, a cold, snowy night when hundreds of native Americans and their French allies swept down upon an isolated frontier outpost and ruthlessly slaughtered its inhabitants. The sacking of Deerfield led to one of the greatest sagas of adventure, survival, sacrifice, family, honor, and faith ever told in North America. 112 survivors, including their fearless minister, the Reverand John Williams, were captured and led on a 300-mile forced march north, into enemy territory in Canada. Any captive who faltered or became too weak to continue the journey—including Williams's own wife and one of his children—fell under the knife or tomahawk. Survivors of the march willed themselves to live and endured captivity. Ransomed by the King of England's royal governor of Massachusetts, the captives later returned home to Deerfield, rebuilt their town and, for the rest of their lives, told the incredible tale. The memoir of Rev. Williams, The Redeemed Captive, became the first bestselling book in American history and published a few years after his liberation, it remains a literary classic. The old Indian door is a touchstone that conjures up one of the most dramatic and inspiring stories of colonial America—and now, finally, this legendary event is brought to vivid life by popular historian James Swanson.

James L. Swanson (Author), Richard Thomas, Stephen Graybill (Narrator)

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Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation

A timely groundbreaking book in the vein of Derrick Bell's Faces at the Bottom of the Well, one of the country's foremost voices on reparations, offers a radical and vital new framework going beyond the current debate over this controversial issue. For over a century, the idea of reparations for the descendants of enslaved Black Americans has divided the United States. However, while the iconic phrase '40 acres and a mule' encapsulates the general notion of reparations, history has proven that the damages of enslavement on the African American community far exceed what a plot of land or a check could repair. While reparations are being widely debated once again, current petitions to redress the lasting and collateral consequences of slavery have not moved past economic solutions, even though we know that monetary redress alone is not enough. Not only would many wounds be left unhealed, but relying solely on economics would continue a legacy of neglect for African Americans. In this thoughtful and sure-to-be controversial book, Marcus Anthony Hunter argues that a radical shift in our outlook is necessary; we need more comprehensive solutions such as those currently sought by today's educators, historians, activists, organizers, Afrofuturists, and socially conscious citizens. In Radical Reparations, this conversation shifter, social justice pioneer, change agent, and inventor of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, which redefined the global conversation on racism and social justice, offers a unifying and unconventional framework for achieving holistic and comprehensive healing of African American communities. Hunter reimagines reparations through a profound new lens as he defines seven types of compensation: political, intellectual, legal, economic, spatial, social, and spiritual, using analysis of historical documents, comparative international cases, and speculative parables. Profound and revolutionary, trenchant and timely, Radical Reparations provides a compellingly and provocatively reframing of reparations' past, present, and future, offering a unifying way forward for us all.

Marcus Anthony Hunter, Marcus Hunter (Author), Chanté Mccormick (Narrator)

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North America Audiobooks in History