2.7: The Irish Potato Famine
Before the Irish arrive in New Orleans, we explain why they left: religious discrimination, poverty and an apocalyptic potato famine. In seven years, 1.5 million Irish die from starvation and disease....
23 Aug 1h 17min
2.5: The 1832 Cholera Pandemic
Cholera strikes New Orleans. Ten percent of the city is killed. Reverend Theodore Clapp performs a minister’s duty amidst the horror. We learn about bizarre treatments. Germ theory is not yet a thing....
3 Apr 51min
2.4: The End of Congo Square
New Orleans becomes hostile to Congo Square. The African dances are banned. The space falls into disrepair, then becomes a whites-only park. Against all odds, it fights for its original identity.LEARN...
19 Jan 33min
2.3: How Congo Square Survived
We explore why Congo Square existed for so long, how it retained an African character, and how its memory survived beyond New Orleans. We also talk about Louisiana Creole and some surprising aspects o...
4 Jan 22min
2.2: Congo Square
The enslaved of New Orleans make music and dance together at the city's edge. This is the story of Congo Square: the people who gathered there every Sunday—and the African culture they kept alive.List...
21 Nov 202533min
2.1: Congo Plains
Congo Square is often described as the “birthplace of jazz.” But its history goes far deeper—as a place where, every Sunday, the enslaved of New Orleans would practice traditional African music and da...
30 Sep 202525min
1.31: Why the Battle of New Orleans Mattered
In our final battle episode, we dispel a few historical myths, muse on alternate history scenarios, and explore not just what the American victory prevented but created. (And also discuss the TREATY O...
7 Juli 202534min
