The Postal Service

FromThroughline

Start listening View podcast show

The Postal Service

FromThroughline

ratings:

Length:

28 minutes

Released:

Sep 10, 2020

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

The US Postal Service has played a role throughout American history - from the Declaration of Independence to today's mail-in voting. It was conceived of by the founders as the way to create a united, informed and effective American democracy. But today, the postal service's future is in danger. How the postal service created the United States and the case for this pivotal institution.

Released:

Sep 10, 2020

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

The past is never past. Every headline has a history. Join us every week as we go back in time to understand the present. These are stories you can feel and sounds you can see from the moments that shaped our world.

Skip carousel

American Shadows: In this episode, we'll explore how conspiracy theories helped to create the U.S. and how they became the currency of political opportunists. by Throughline
41 min listen
El Libertador: We look back at the rise and fall of Venezuela through the lives of two revolutionaries turned authoritarian leaders: Simón Bolívar and Hugo Chávez. by Throughline
55 min listen
Milliken v. Bradley: How a plan to end segregation by busing in Detroit went to the Supreme Court and had lasting implications for the rest of the country. by Throughline
35 min listen
Apocalypse Now: Evangelicals have played an important role in modern day American politics, but what exactly does it means to be an evangelical today and how it has changed over time? by Throughline
54 min listen
The X On The Map: How the murder of an unarmed black civil rights activist in 1965 lead to the march to Montgomery that ended in "Bloody Sunday." by Throughline
39 min listen
War Of The Worlds: Two sects of Islam, 1400 years of history, and three stories to help us better understand the Sunni-Shia divide. by Throughline
34 min listen
The Border: In this week's episode, the history of militarization at the U.S.-Mexico border. by Throughline
14 min listen
Introducing Throughline: NPR's new history podcast hosted by Ramtin Arablouei and Rund Abdelfatah. New episodes every Thursday starting February 7th. by Throughline
2 min listen
The Forgotten War: What's fueled the hostility between the U.S. and North Korea? We look back at the tangled history. by Throughline
34 min listen
Resistance Is Futile: From the tractor to talking robots, society has feared innovations. But usefulness usually overcomes resistance. Is today any different from the past? by Throughline
35 min listen
The Moth: In this episode, we dive into the life of Vladimir Putin and try to understand how he became Russia's new "tsar." by Throughline
33 min listen
Scorched Earth: Colonial powers used concentration camps at the turn of the 19th century to crush rebellions. How a war between Britain and Boers gave rise to some of the first camps. by Throughline
30 min listen
Four Days in August: This week we look back at four days in August 1953, when the CIA orchestrated a coup of Iran's elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. by Throughline
36 min listen
The Phoebus Cartel: This week, in a special collaboration with Planet Money, we bring you the history of planned obsolescence – the idea that products are designed to break. by Throughline
33 min listen
Opioids In America: Three stories of opioids that have plagued Americans for more than 150 years. by Throughline
42 min listen
High Crimes And Misdemeanors: This week we return to 1868 and the first presidential impeachment in U.S. history — President Andrew Johnson. by Throughline
16 min listen
American Anthem: This week, we share three stories from NPR Music's American Anthem series that highlight the origins of songs that have become ingrained in American culture. by Throughline
26 min listen
Strange Fruit: How singing "Strange Fruit" turned Billie Holiday into one of the first victims of the War on Drugs. by Throughline
30 min listen
The Siege of Mecca: This week, how one man led an uprising that would have repercussions around the world and inspire the future of Islamic extremism. by Throughline
43 min listen
Mitch McConnell: Mitch McConnell is one of the least popular politicians in the country, so how did he win eight consecutive elections? This week, we share an Embedded ep. that traces his history. by Throughline
32 min listen
Nancy Pelosi: Nancy Pelosi is widely seen as the most powerful woman in U.S. politics. Follow her rise from a Baltimore political family to becoming Speaker of the House twice. by Throughline
23 min listen
A Dream Of Modern China: China is a world superpower today. But just over a century ago, the country was in complete turmoil. How one man led a movement to reshape China as we know — Sun Yat-sen. by Throughline
45 min listen
On the Shoulders of Giants: We explore three stories of protest in sports that are often overlooked but essential to understanding the current debate: Jack Johnson, Wilma Rudolph, and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. by Throughline
38 min listen
Mass Incarceration: From the creation of the first penitentiaries in the 1800s, to the "tough-on-crime" prosecutors of the 1990s, how America created a culture of mass incarceration. by Throughline
48 min listen
There Will Be Bananas: How one Brooklyn-born entrepreneur ruthlessly created the modern banana industry and the infamous banana republics. by Throughline
55 min listen
A Borrowed Time: This week, how Hong Kong became one of the most important, and most contested, cities in the world. by Throughline
42 min listen
The Litter Myth: How one organization changed the American public's relationship with waste and who is ultimately responsible for it. by Throughline
36 min listen
Savarkar's India: Right-wing Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi has won reelection as Prime Minister of India. We look back at Vinayak Savarkar, one of the architects of Hindu nationalism. by Throughline
34 min listen
ZOMBIES: This week, how one of our favorite monsters is a window into Haiti's history and the horrors of slavery. by Throughline
43 min listen
The Dark Side Of The Moon: This week, the story of how the U.S. space program was made possible by former Nazis. by Throughline
39 min listen

More Episodes from Throughline

Skip carousel

The 4th Amendment: Search and Seizure by Throughline
49 min listen
The Ghost in Your Phone (Throwback) by Throughline
52 min listen
Ralph Nader, Consumer Crusader by Throughline
47 min listen
The 14th Amendment by Throughline
50 min listen
The Land of the Fee (Throwback) by Throughline
45 min listen
A History of Hezbollah by Throughline
50 min listen
The Great Textbook War by Throughline
48 min listen
Radiolab: Worst. Year. Ever by Throughline
39 min listen
A Symphony of Resistance (Throwback) by Throughline
56 min listen
The Rise of the Right Wing in Israel by Throughline
53 min listen
The Right to An Attorney by Throughline
51 min listen
Dance Yourself Free (Throwback) by Throughline
50 min listen
Love, Throughline by Throughline
53 min listen
The Scent of History by Throughline
51 min listen
James Baldwin's Shadow (Throwback) by Throughline
44 min listen
Bonus: The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop by Throughline
50 min listen
The Man Who Cured Aging by Throughline
50 min listen
The Right to Bear Arms by Throughline
52 min listen
When Things Fall Apart (Throwback) by Throughline
50 min listen
The Nostalgia Bone (2021) by Throughline
57 min listen
Editing Reality (2023) by Throughline
52 min listen
Apology: The Way Back (2023) by Throughline
52 min listen
Dare to Dissent by Throughline
50 min listen
The Lord Of Misrule by Throughline
49 min listen
A.D.A. Now! (2020) by Throughline
58 min listen
How U.S. Unions Took Flight by Throughline
47 min listen
A History of Hamas by Throughline
52 min listen
Grenada: Nobody's Backyard (2021) by Throughline
58 min listen
The Supreme Court's Shadow Docket by Throughline
50 min listen

Related podcast episodes

Skip carousel

NPR's Throughline: The Postal Service by NPR's Book of the Day
29 min listen
Selects: What were the Freedom Schools? by Stuff You Should Know
46 min listen
The 19th Amendment by On The Issues With Michele Goodwin
59 min listen
Kathy Roberts Forde and Sid Bedingfield, "Journalism and Jim Crow: White Supremacy and the Black Struggle for a New America" (U Illinois Press, 2021): An interview with Kathy Roberts Forde by New Books in Journalism
57 min listen
An Independent Influencer in a Two-Party System with Evan McMullin: On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon speaks with US Senate candidate Evan McMullin from Utah, who is running as an independent without special interest group donations. by Here's Where It Gets Interesting
45 min listen
Rep. Mace Talks Support for New House Speaker, Aid to Israel, and House Priorities by The Fox News Rundown
35 min listen
John Matsusaka on National Referendums by Democracy Paradox
58 min listen
What were the Freedom Schools?: Freedom Schools were set up in Mississippi in the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, with the aim of giving young black school children agency and a future. They remain one of the more inspiring and progressive programs in American History, yet so few know about them. We're hoping to change that. by Stuff You Should Know
46 min listen
Ethel Morgan Smith, "Path to Grace: Reimagining the Civil Rights Movement" (UP of Mississippi, 2023): An interview with Ethel Morgan Smith by New Books in History
32 min listen
Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, "Banned: Immigration Enforcement in the Time of Trump" (NYU Press, 2019): Immigration is one of the most complex issues of our time in the United States... by New Books in Law
43 min listen
How a Republican Supreme Court Is Reshaping America by Commonwealth Club of California Podcast
67 min listen
Martha S. Jones, "Birthright Citizens: A History of Race and Rights in Antebellum America" (Cambridge UP, 2018): Jones weaves together the legal and constitutional dimensions of citizenship... by New Books in Law
55 min listen
Matthew C. Godfrey, ed., "The Joseph Smith Papers: Documents, Volume 7" (Church Historians Press, 2018): Joseph Smith, the nineteenth-century American prophet who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, can, at times, be considered an elusive historical figure... by New Books in Religion
82 min listen
Dr. Robert P. Jones: The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future: “Is America a divinely ordained promised land for European Christians, or is America a pluralistic democracy where all stand on equal footing before the law?” Dr. Robert P. Jones, president and founder of PRRI, grapples with this central question in ... by Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other
65 min listen
Secretaries of State: Secretary Jocelyn Benson: Jocelyn Benson is the Secretary of State of Michigan and the author of State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process. We discuss what's at stake this year, why it's vital to pay attention to this November's elections and the... by Future Hindsight
34 min listen
Kermit Roosevelt III, "The Nation That Never Was: Reconstructing America's Story" (U Chicago Press, 2022): An interview with Kermit Roosevelt III by New Books in Political Science
62 min listen
Kermit Roosevelt III, "The Nation That Never Was: Reconstructing America's Story" (U Chicago Press, 2022): An interview with Kermit Roosevelt III by New Books in Political Science
62 min listen
Episode 163: Biased Towards Democracy: America’s democracy is in uncharted waters. From attacks on the media to challenges against free and fair elections and the longest government shutdown in US history, the future of American democracy looks increasingly unclear. Recorded at the SSN Natio by Scholars Strategy Network's No Jargon
22 min listen
Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, "Banned: Immigration Enforcement in the Time of Trump" (NYU Press, 2019): Immigration is one of the most complex issues of our time in the United States... by New Books in Public Policy
43 min listen
Olivier Zunz, “Philanthropy in America: A History” (Princeton UP, 2014): Olivier Zunz is the author of Philanthropy in America: A History (Princeton University Press 2014). The paperback addition of the book has recently been published with a new preface from the author. Zunz is Commonwealth Professor of History at the Univ... by New Books in Law
33 min listen
She the People with Aimee Allison by Words Matter
29 min listen
Election 2020, What Could Go Wrong?: <p>America has had disputed election results in the past. 2016 comes to mind. So does 2000. So does 1876. But, in all these cases and with all the instances of trying to fiddle with democracy that have marked our history, there has never been a case where the President of the United States and his entire executive branch seemed so committed to rigging the election in their favor or, short of that, to throwing the election results into doubt. Whether it is seeking foreign intervention (again) or threatening to postpone the vote, creating false doubts around mail in ballots or working with the postal service to ensure as many ballots arrive too late to be counted as possible, via disinformation or voter suppression, our democratic processes are likely to be under siege this November. The questions we must grapple with are what might that look like and what is to be done about it. We are joined by a group that ha by Deep State Radio
46 min listen
Who is Tom Cotton?: Sean Morrow digs into the forces that brought Senator Tom Cotton to power. by Who Is?
52 min listen
The Civic Bargain: A Conversation with Josiah Ober on Ancients and Moderns by New Books in Political Science
63 min listen
The Civic Bargain: A Conversation with Josiah Ober on Ancients and Moderns by New Books in Law
63 min listen
Powerful Civics Education: It's Everyone's Responsibility: As the Club commemorates the first anniversary of its civics education efforts, tune into an important conversation that urges all of us to be part of addressing America's civics crisis. by Commonwealth Club of California Podcast
64 min listen
Kermit Roosevelt III, "The Nation That Never Was: Reconstructing America's Story" (U Chicago Press, 2022): An interview with Kermit Roosevelt III by New Books in Law
62 min listen
Lewis Raven Wallace, “The View from Somewhere: Undoing the Myth of Journalistic Objectivity” (U Chicago Press, 2019): Wallace traces the history of how objectivity became the gold standard in journalism, and looks at examples of people who have bucked the trend along the way... by New Books in Journalism
45 min listen
Season 4 Coming Soon!: The image of mothers — particularly white suburban mothers — has always carried a lot of weight in American politics. But why? This season, we’re exploring the political potency of motherhood. We'll investigate how right-wing groups like Moms for Liberty are making headlines by calling for classroom restrictions on discussions of race, gender, and sexuality. Their agenda is harmful, but their methods have proven effective. And we’re investigating how progressive moms can harness the power of motherhood for justice — and the risks that come with it. by White Picket Fence
2 min listen
Sara Chatfield, "In Her Own Name: The Politics of Women’s Rights Before Suffrage" (Columbia UP, 2023): An interview with Sara Chatfield by New Books in Law
56 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

The Postal Service

The Postal Service

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Throughline

Related podcast episodes