You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast.

400 years ago, a trio of tiny kingdoms were perched on some damp islands off the coast of Europe.

Within three short centuries, these islands would become the center of an empire which ruled a quarter of the globe and on which the sun never set.

I'm Samuel Hume, a historian of the British Empire, and my podcast, Pax Britannica,

follows the people and events that built that empire into a global superpower.

Learn the history of the British Empire by listening to Pax Britannica everywhere you find your podcasts.

Or go to pod.link slash Pax.

The Civil War and Reconstruction was a pivotal era in American history.

When a war was fought to save the Union and to free the slaves.

And when the work to rebuild the nation after that war was over turned into a struggle to guarantee liberty and justice for all Americans.

I'm Tracy.

And I'm Rich.

And we want to invite you to join us as we take an in-depth look at this pivotal era in

American history.

Look for the Civil War and Reconstruction wherever you find your podcasts.

Let go! your podcasts. Hello, and welcome to the Explorers podcast. Today is the fifth episode in our series

on American Mountain Man, Jim Bridger. I hope you've enjoyed things thus far.

Last time, we left off just prior to the start of the Utah War. Bridger had lost his trading

post Fort Bridger to the Mormons, and as tensions between Brigham Young and United States

officials rose, Bridger was happy to lend his services to the American military.

The tension between the Mormons and the U.S. government wasn't just about land and control of the

territory of Utah. It was also about polygamy. At a time when slavery was being bitterly debated

...