{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/66fb968b13b87f41275ee4bd/66fb9ae471888fe6b102aba2?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"A Cultural History of The United States - Ep. 1","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/66fb968b13b87f41275ee4bd/1736916608241-3bd846dd-1a19-4dda-9d6b-19b120e6cb09.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p><strong>LECTURE 1: WHAT IS AN AMERICAN?</strong></p><p>In my introductory lecture I explore the uniquely powerful role America plays in the contemporary world and the history that underlies its global dominance. 250 years ago, the United states had a tiny population, was loosely organized and beset by internal conflicts. A rapid and massive demographic and geographic expansion brought this relative backwater onto the world stage and then to global dominance. The cultural transformations that proceeded with this transformation created a society that is, for good or ill, extremely influential and uniquely American.</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.patreon.com/wescecil\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Sign-up for&nbsp;Wes’s PATREON</a>&nbsp;to get your questions answered by Wes!</p><p><br></p><p>Plus, gain access to course materials, reading lists, bonus lectures, and Wes’s weekly diaries from France. Only $2 / month.&nbsp;</p>","author_name":"Wes Cecil"}