Welcome to the History of the Americans podcast, episode 155. This is an interview and was recorded on June 27, 2024. I was in Orleans, and my guest, Amanda Bellows, was in a secure undisclosed location somewhere in the northeast.

If you are new to the podcast, we are telling the history of the lands now encompassed by the United States from the beginning without intentional presentism.

Also, if you were a new listener, sidebar is our term for an episode

off the timeline, which I do occasionally when I come across something interesting, such as in this

case, or in recognition of a holiday, that sort of thing. Amanda Bellows is a U.S. historian

who teaches at the New School, the University in New York City.

She's the author of American Slavery and Russian Serfdom in the Post-Emancipation imagination,

and a new book in the subject of this interview, The Explorers, a new history of America and ten expeditions.

Amanda received her Ph.D. in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Explorers is a series of biographical essays of people most of you have heard of,

Saka Jovia, John Muir, Amelia Earhart,

and people most of you probably haven't heard of. I hadn't. James Beckworth, Matthew Henson,

William Shepard, several others. Sown together with a common theme of exploration.

The book had come recommended to me by a couple of fans of the podcast,

and it must be said, Amanda's father, who's an acquaintance of mine.

I learned a lot from the explorers, and of course have a link in the show notes,

if you want to buy it after hearing our conversation. With that,

I bring you Amanda Bellows. Amanda Bellows, thank you very much for coming on the History of the

American's podcast to talk about your book, The Explorers, a New History of America in 10 expeditions.

So tell us a little bit about the book.

What's the elevator pitch for the book?

And then we can start talking about particulars for the audience.

...