Wherever Sioux singer D.Z. Ironwing performed in New York, the same woman was waiting afterward to say she loved his voice. Seven years later, his phone rang in a freezing South Dakota trailer. It was her—the first of countless calls that began an unlikely bond with one of America’s richest families.

*

Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Lucas Reilly
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Story Editor is Virginia Prescott
Editing and Sound Design by Jesse Nighswonger
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

Today's episode was produced in partnership with School of Humans. For School of Humans, Producers are Emilia Brock, Edeliz Perez, and Lucas Reilly. Executive Producer is Virginia Prescott.

Check out Very Special Episodes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday!

Wherever Sioux singer D.Z. Ironwing performed in New York, the same woman was waiting afterward to say she loved his voice. Seven years later, his phone rang in a freezing South Dakota trailer. It was her&mdash;the first of countless calls that began an unlikely bond with one of America&rsquo;s richest families.
*
Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English Written by Lucas Reilly Senior Producer is Josh Fisher Story Editor is Virginia Prescott Editing and Sound Design by Jesse Nighswonger Original Music by Elise McCoy Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Executive Producer is Jason English
Today's episode was produced in partnership with <a href="https://www.schoolofhumans.com/podcast-work">School of Humans</a>. For School of Humans, Producers are Emilia Brock, Edeliz Perez, and Lucas Reilly. Executive Producer is Virginia Prescott.
Check out Very Special Episodes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday!

My Sister the Rockefeller [from Very Special Episodes]

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a075649a-30bc-46f2-8efe-b4f0003117a0/transcript

We all have that relative that tells us there was actually no green bean casserole at the first Thanksgiving. Yeah, we know, Grandma! But how much do we really know about that first feast between the Pilgrims and the Indians? 

Well, a lot. But the story most of us learned in school is completely wrong. Author David J. Silverman, (This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving) joins us to carve up the myths about Turkey Day and serve a nice helping of truth. 

In this episode, Bob and David explore the origins of Thanksgiving, from the Wampanoag people’s strategic decision to ally with the English, to Abraham Lincoln’s role in turning that footnoted feast into a national holiday. 

Tell your family to turn down the yacht rock and play this episode of American History Hotline as you avoid talking about politics and stir the gravy. 

GUEST: David J. Silverman, author of This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving. He has a new book coming out in February of 2026 titled, The Chosen and the Damned: Native Americans and the Making of Race in the United States

 

We all have that relative that tells us there was actually no green bean casserole at the first Thanksgiving. Yeah, we know, Grandma! But how much do we really know about that first feast between the Pilgrims and the Indians?&nbsp;
Well, a lot. But the story most of us learned in school is completely wrong. Author&nbsp;David J. Silverman, (This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving) joins us to carve up the myths about Turkey Day and serve a nice helping of truth.&nbsp;
In this episode, Bob and David explore the origins of Thanksgiving, from the Wampanoag people&rsquo;s strategic decision to ally with the English, to Abraham Lincoln&rsquo;s role in turning that footnoted feast into a national holiday.&nbsp;
Tell your family to turn down the yacht rock and play this episode of American History Hotline as you avoid talking about politics and stir the gravy.&nbsp;
GUEST: David J. Silverman, author of <a href="https://garamondagency.com/work/no-reason-to-give-thanks/">T</a><a href="https://garamondagency.com/work/no-reason-to-give-thanks/">his Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving</a>. He has a new book coming out in February of 2026 titled, <a href="https://garamondagency.com/work/4740/">The Chosen and the Damned: Native Americans and the Making of Race in the United States</a>
&nbsp;

Is Thanksgiving a Feast of Lies?! Separating Myth from Truth

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/44efa130-673d-4b86-b140-b3910114d160/transcript

New show alert! Coming this summer! On American History Hotline, Bob Crawford searches for the best historians and experts to answer listener questions about American history — from the Revolutionary War to rock & roll feuds. Got a question? Send it to AmericanHistoryHotline@gmail.com.

New show alert! Coming this summer! On American History Hotline, Bob Crawford searches for the best historians and experts to answer listener questions about American history &mdash; from the Revolutionary War to rock &amp; roll feuds. Got a question? Send it to AmericanHistoryHotline@gmail.com.

Introducing: American History Hotline with Bob Crawford

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/becf9d58-5c8b-49ad-9fd3-b2c9015f4d7b/transcript

John Quincy Adams finally defeats the Gag rule, but his feud with Andrew Jackson lasts until the bitter end.  And Congressman Abraham Lincoln witnesses from the House floor the dramatic final hours of Adams' life.

Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeartPodcasts and School of Humans. 

John Quincy Adams finally defeats the Gag rule, but his feud with Andrew Jackson lasts until the bitter end.  And Congressman Abraham Lincoln witnesses from the House floor the dramatic final hours of Adams' life.
Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeartPodcasts and School of Humans.

Founding Son: Episode 6 - The Last of Earth

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/66f0bc1d-5013-42e3-a9a8-aff70138cfcc/transcript

When the fates of the enslaved captives of the Amistad are put into the hands of the Supreme Court, John Quincy Adams feels it's his duty to represent them. Adams’ son and wife would have preferred he stayed away from the case altogether. 

Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. 

When the fates of the enslaved captives of the Amistad are put into the hands of the Supreme Court, John Quincy Adams feels it's his duty to represent them. Adams’ son and wife would have preferred he stayed away from the case altogether. 
Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans.

Founding Son: Episode 5 - Amistad

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/651a83d4-798b-445f-a927-aff00136692b/transcript

John Quincy Adams unleashes on the House floor over two pivotal issues of the 1830s: The annexation of Texas, and prohibiting the discussion of slavery in the U.S. House, known as the Gag rule.

Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. 

John Quincy Adams unleashes on the House floor over two pivotal issues of the 1830s: The annexation of Texas, and prohibiting the discussion of slavery in the U.S. House, known as the Gag rule.
Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans.

Founding Son: Episode 4 - Don't Mess With Texas

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/e5ee071c-f5b1-4089-a869-aff000de00f2/transcript

Warning: This episode contains a brief description of violence. 

Andrew Jackson ascends to the presidency after defeating John Quincy Adams in an 1828 rematch. But Jackson is tested by another rival: his own vice president.  Meanwhile, Adams arrives in Congress and finds himself in the middle of the slavery debate.

Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. 

Warning: This episode contains a brief description of violence. 
Andrew Jackson ascends to the presidency after defeating John Quincy Adams in an 1828 rematch. But Jackson is tested by another rival: his own vice president.  Meanwhile, Adams arrives in Congress and finds himself in the middle of the slavery debate.
Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans.

Founding Son: Episode 3 - Our Federal Union: It Must Be Preserved

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/17e7128e-b3ee-4c1c-a902-afe900db5879/transcript

After a difficult term in office, President John Quincy Adams loses re-election to Andrew Jackson in 1828, one of the most malicious presidential campaigns in American history. But a post-presidential run for Congress gives Adams another chance at political greatness. 

Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans.

After a difficult term in office, President John Quincy Adams loses re-election to Andrew Jackson in 1828, one of the most malicious presidential campaigns in American history. But a post-presidential run for Congress gives Adams another chance at political greatness. 
Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans.

Founding Son: Episode 2 - Andrew Jackson Strikes Back

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4d08b7a4-89e8-470a-9f72-afe200e38fc8/transcript

A contentious 1824 presidential election and accusations of a “corrupt bargain” by rival Andrew Jackson raise the stakes for John Quincy Adams as he prepares to take the office his father held just two decades earlier.

Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. 

A contentious 1824 presidential election and accusations of a “corrupt bargain” by rival Andrew Jackson raise the stakes for John Quincy Adams as he prepares to take the office his father held just two decades earlier.
Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans.

Founding Son: Episode 1 - The Corrupt Bargain

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c423bc1e-2d25-42da-b8bb-afe200de73c1/transcript

Founding Son: John Quincy's America

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/41a29f9f-0984-4c9e-87b5-afd20111a1ee/transcript

Bob Crawford of The Avett Brothers explores the post-presidential legacy of America’s sixth president: John Quincy Adams. Though often only seen as a failed one-term president and the son of a Founding Father, Adams spent his final decades in Congress fighting the slavocracy and forming a bridge between the founding of America and the era of Lincoln. Founding Son features Patrick Warburton as the voice of John Quincy Adams, Nick Offerman as the voice of Andrew Jackson, and Grey DeLisle as the voice of Louisa Adams.

Bob Crawford of The Avett Brothers explores the post-presidential legacy of America’s sixth president: John Quincy Adams. Though often only seen as a failed one-term president and the son of a Founding Father, Adams spent his final decades in Congress fighting the slavocracy and forming a bridge between the founding of America and the era of Lincoln. Founding Son features Patrick Warburton as the voice of John Quincy Adams, Nick Offerman as the voice of Andrew Jackson, and Grey DeLisle as the voice of Louisa Adams.

Founding Son: John Quincy's America

Social links:

Follow the podcast:

10 clip(s)