Can we understand modern America without confronting the history of slavery? How did slavery shape the nation's economic, political, and social institutions? And what can studying this history teach us about power, inequality, and the stories we tell about the past?

Joshua D. Rothman is Professor of History at the University of Alabama and one of the nation's leading historians of slavery and the nineteenth-century American South. His research explores the intersections of slavery, capitalism, territorial expansion, and political conflict, revealing how systems of power and labor shaped the development of the United States. Through award-winning books and historical scholarship, he has helped deepen public understanding of the human realities behind some of the defining institutions of American history.

In this episode, we explore why the history of slavery is essential to understanding the foundations of modern America. Joshua explains how slavery was not simply a regional institution but a central force in the nation's economic growth, political development, and territorial expansion. We discuss how historians piece together the past through archival research, why historical narratives evolve over time, and how examining overlooked voices can transform our understanding of familiar events.

Our conversation also considers why history matters beyond the classroom. Joshua argues that studying the past is not about assigning blame or celebrating triumphs, but about developing the ability to understand complexity, question inherited narratives, and recognize how historical institutions continue to shape the present. This episode invites listeners to think more deeply about the relationship between history, democracy, and education, and why confronting difficult histories is essential to building a more informed and thoughtful society.