Conversations: Triumph, Tragedy & the Shaping of the American West, w/ Paul A. Hutton

What really shaped the American West? In this gripping episode, we sit down with award-winning historian and author Paul Andrew Hutton to explore his powerful new book, The Undiscovered Country: Triumph, Tragedy, and the Shaping of the American West. A sweeping, deeply human retelling of western expansion, Hutton challenges the myths we’ve inherited and dives into the brutal realities behind Manifest Destiny. From the clash of empires to the broken promises of reconstruction and the resilience of Native resistance, Hutton's latest work weaves together biography, politics, and frontier drama into a spellbinding new narrative.

Join us as we discuss:

• Why the idea of the West is still so central to America’s identity

• The lesser-known stories of Native resistance, survival, and agency

• How figures like Kit Carson, John Fremont, and Ulysses S. Grant shaped—and were shaped by—the frontier

• The moral contradictions of “progress” and the cost of American expansion

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