On this episode of Our American Stories, John McCormack spent decades telling Americans he was the son of Irish immigrants who overcame poverty to become Speaker of the House. The truth was more complicated. To make his way to the top, McCormack reinvented his own family story before rising to become the first Catholic Speaker in American history.

Professor and Jack Miller Center fellow, Jeff Bloodworth, shares the story of why McCormack reshaped his past, how he helped bridge the nation's Protestant-Catholic divide, and how his leadership helped make possible one of the most consequential immigration laws in American history.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)