The Real Story of Pocahontas: Betrayed by Her People, Adopted by the English

The Knights of the Golden Circle: A Secret Filibustering Order Almost Built an Empire of Slavery

This is the tale of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a pro-slavery, semi-secret, and paramilitary society in the 1850s and early 1860s that aimed to conquer a vast territorial sphere comprising much of the Caribbean world, centered on Havana, and used filibustering in an attempt to realize that immense dream of a tropical empire built on slavery. In it, Will and Clossington explore the history, foundation, and structure of the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe. We discuss its roots in earlier filibustering expeditions in Florida, Texas, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Cuba, including the famous campaigns of Narciso López and William Walker. Further, we discuss the life and career of George Bickley, the lifelong huckster and founder of the KGC, who built the organization through lodges called "castles", secretive rituals, and surprisingly serious political connections in the highest levels of the American government. We then discuss how his foibles caused disaster when the Knights of the Golden Circle tried to invade Mexico. Finally, we discuss the history of the Knights of the Golden Circle in the American Civil War period, during which KGC members supported secession, challenged Republican policy as Northern Copperheads, and helped form the local Confederate units that served as the foundation for much of the early Confederate Army. Recommended further reading: Knights of the Golden Circle: Secret Empire, Southern Secession, Civil War by David Keehn. You can support this show at no cost to yourself by using my Amazon associates link to get it here: https://amzn.to/4dQfLo3 Chapters: 0:00 Who Were the Knights of the Golden Circle? 3:45 The Organization and Goals of the Knights of the Golden Circle 11:40 Filibustering in American History, from Taking the Floridas to William Walker 19:01 George Bickley and Narciso López: The Cuban and Mexican Schemes 29:35 George Bickley: The Man Who Built the Knights of the Golden Circle 35:33 The Grand Strategy of Bickley's KGC 43:36 Why the Filibusters Failed 46:17 President Bucanan, Jefferson Davis, and Why American Elites Took It Seriously 49:54 The Role of the Knights of the Golden Circle in the Civil War 58:26 The KGC Falls Apart 1:01:40 The Legacy Of the KGC, and Further Reading

Building Christian Heroes with Chase Davis

In this episode, Will and J. Chase Davis discuss his new book, Offensive Christianity, through the lens of where the modern church went wrong, and how to reclaim the Christian spirit of days past. They discuss the egalitarian drift of the church and where it began, how the Enlightenment and rise of democracy played into that drift, and what we can do about it. They comment on steady state Christian society versus a fervent Christian society that burns itself out, the Puritans, monarchy, and the evangelical movement before discussing finding a church that fits with your heritage and culture, what Nietzsche got wrong, and what sort of men we can look up to. Overall, they go back and forth over what it will take to return to the days when the church and Christian society create Christian heroes rather than the sort of gelded church we generally have today. Get Chase's book here: Offensive Christianity [https://amzn.to/4eckmBt] Follow Chase on X here: https://x.com/jchasedavis [https://x.com/jchasedavis]

The Real Story of Pocahontas: Betrayed by Her People, Adopted by the English

This is the true story of Pocahontas, not the Disney one. This is the tale of a beloved little princess in the Powhatan Confederacy named Matoaka known for her curiosity, hence the nickname "Pocahontas" that became invariably associated with the tale of Virginia's earliest days. She was used in a game of high-stakes frontier diplomacy with John Smith that turned into a legend of lovestruck sacrifice, she was sold to Samuel Argall by her own people for a copper kettle during the Anglo-Powhatan War, and then she was Westernized and christened Lady Rebecca by the English. Abandoned and betrayed by her father and her people when the Powhatan betrayed her yet again to keep a few rusty swords, she then married John Rolfe and became the feted belle of the ball in England, where she met the king and queen, reunited with John Smith, and caught the illness that laid her low. But, it turns out, not just her memory, but her original name lives on in the name of one of America's most famous battlefields… 0:00 Pocahontas Saves John Smith 3:20 Why Is Pocahontas Important? 3:54: How Maoaka Got the Nickname, "Pocahontas" 5:27 Growing Up in the Powhatan Confederacy 7:18 Did Pocahontas Really Save John Smith 10:22 The First Anglo-Powhatan War 12:36 Pocahontas Is Captured by Samuel Argall 15:03 Pocahonas Is Westernized at Henrico 17:01 Pocahontas Meets John Rolfe, and They Fall In Love 21:15 The Powhatan People Refuse to Fight or Negotiate for Pocahontas 23:28 Pocahontas Marries Rolfe 23:33 Pocahontas Marries John Rolfe 26:11 Lady Rebecca and John Rolfe Travel to London 28:14 Pocahontas and John Smith Meet Again 29:00 Pocahontas Takes London Society by Storm 30:20 Pocahontas Grows Sick in Polluted London 31:10 Pocahontas dies Sources Referenced in this Episode: I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you would like to support the show at no added cost to yourself, you can do so by using the links below to order and read the sources I used to create this episode. Thanks! Smith, Captain John: The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles., https://amzn.to/49H3hxR [https://amzn.to/49H3hxR] Willison, George F.: Behold Virginia: The Fifth Crown, https://amzn.to/4do9YG4 [https://amzn.to/4do9YG4] Dabney, Virginius: Virginia: The New Dominion, https://amzn.to/4dtAE8l [https://amzn.to/4dtAE8l] Andrews, Matthew Page: Virginia: The Old Dominion, Vol. I, https://amzn.to/4uZBW2h [https://amzn.to/4uZBW2h] Bruce, Philip Alexander: The Virginia Plutarch, Vol I, https://amzn.to/437cAU0 [https://amzn.to/437cAU0] Morton, Richard L.: Colonial Virginia, https://amzn.to/4ua3bqY [https://amzn.to/4ua3bqY] Andrews, Matthew Page: The Soul of a Nation: The Founding Of Virginia and the Projection of New England, https://amzn.to/4d9Ut60 [https://amzn.to/4d9Ut60]

The Cradle of the Revolution: How Virginia's Greatest Gentlemen Began the American Revolution in 1766

Listen ad-free here: https://www.theamericantribune.news/p/the-cradle-of-the-revolution-how [https://www.theamericantribune.news/p/the-cradle-of-the-revolution-how] In this show, Will argues that Virginia, rather than Massachusetts, was the cradle of the American Revolution. To do so, he begins with the French and Indian War, describing the cost of it to both Virginia and Britain, and how it led to the Stamp Act, one of the key causes of the American Revolution. He then explains why the Stamp Act's silver currency requirement was particularly harmful to the agrarian, tobacco-dependent Virginia economy. Continuing, he argues that when Richard Henry Lee led Virginia into its 1766 passing of the Westmoreland Resolves—also called the Leedsburg Resolutions—that was the moment the Revolution began, and that the standard of organized political reaction to British tyranny set by it was the path to revolution that other states followed. Further, he explains why the Westmoreland Resolves were such a critical step forward that served as the beginning of the Revolution, what made the men behind them special, and how they show the unique culture of leadership and duty that existed in the Virginia of the Golden Age. He concludes by noting Richard Henry Lee's later involvement in the Declaration of Independence, and how Virginia led America in pushing for it. Sources Referenced in this Episode: I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you would like to support the show at no added cost to yourself, you can do so by using the links below to order and read the sources I used to create this episode. Thanks! * Smith, Captain John: The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles., https://amzn.to/49H3hxR [https://amzn.to/49H3hxR] * Willison, George F.: Behold Virginia: The Fifth Crown, https://amzn.to/4do9YG4 [https://amzn.to/4do9YG4] * Dabney, Virginius: Virginia: The New Dominion, https://amzn.to/4dtAE8l [https://amzn.to/4dtAE8l] * Andrews, Matthew Page: Virginia: The Old Dominion, Vol. I, https://amzn.to/4uZBW2h [https://amzn.to/4uZBW2h] * Bruce, Philip Alexander: The Virginia Plutarch, Vol I, https://amzn.to/437cAU0 [https://amzn.to/437cAU0] * Morton, Richard L.: Colonial Virginia, https://amzn.to/4ua3bqY [https://amzn.to/4ua3bqY] * Andrews, Matthew Page: The Soul of a Nation: The Founding Of Virginia and the Projection of New England, https://amzn.to/4d9Ut6 [https://amzn.to/4d9Ut60] Image credit: Public Domain unless otherwise stated * Major George Washington, Junius Brutus Stearns, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons * Fort Necessity Diorama, Pi3.124, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons * Fort Necessity, Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Life of John Smith: Virginia's First Hero

In this episode, Will tells the tale of the life of John Smith, the mercenary-turned-explorer who was the first great Virginia hero. This is the tale of how Smith won his knighthood by defeating three Ottoman Turks in single combat, how he ended up as a leader in the original settlement of Virginia, and how his lasting legacy was the map he made out of his own explorations. Will also discusses why Pocahontas saved John Smith, how Smith saved Jamestown, and his legacy in mapping New England, along with why he died in relative obscurity. Listen ad-free and access the transcript here: ⁠https://www.theamericantribune.news/p/the-life-of-john-smith-virginias⁠ [https://www.theamericantribune.news/p/the-life-of-john-smith-virginias] Sources Referenced in this Episode: I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you would like to support the show at no added cost to yourself, you can do so by using the links below to order and read the sources I used to create this episode. Thanks! * Smith, Captain John: The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles., https://amzn.to/49H3hxR [https://amzn.to/49H3hxR] * Willison, George F.: Behold Virginia: The Fifth Crown, https://amzn.to/4do9YG4 [https://amzn.to/4do9YG4] * Dabney, Virginius: Virginia: The New Dominion, https://amzn.to/4dtAE8l [https://amzn.to/4dtAE8l] * Andrews, Matthew Page: Virginia: The Old Dominion, Vol. I, https://amzn.to/4uZBW2h [https://amzn.to/4uZBW2h] * Bruce, Philip Alexander: The Virginia Plutarch, Vol I, https://amzn.to/437cAU0 [https://amzn.to/437cAU0] * Morton, Richard L.: Colonial Virginia, https://amzn.to/4ua3bqY [https://amzn.to/4ua3bqY] * Andrews, Matthew Page: The Soul of a Nation: The Founding Of Virginia and the Projection of New England, https://amzn.to/4d9Ut60 [https://amzn.to/4d9Ut60] Timestamps 0:00 John Smith Saves Virginia: He Who Does Not Work, Neither Shall He Eat at Jamestown 4:36 The Humble Origins of John Smith 5:55 John Smith Becomes a European Mercenary 7:33 How John Smith Became a Legend 10:02 John Smith Becomes a Slave of the Ottoman Turks 14:04 How John Smith Joined the Virginia Company, and the Virginia Expedition 15:40 Smith and Bartholomew Gosnold 18:05 John Smith Feuds With Everyone 20:09 Smith Is Saved 21:33 Jamestown Is Founded, and Disaster Begins 22:40 Smith is Saved by Pocahontas 25:29 John Smith Maps Virginia 29:41 John Smith and Indian Diplomacy 34:07 John Smith Saves Jamestown 36:11 Smith's Style of Negotiating with the Indians 38:11 Smith's Enemies Return, and He Must Leave 43:40 Smith Maps New England 45:11 The Pilgrims Don't Like John Smith 46:14 The End of John Smith's Life Image credit: Public Domain unless otherwise stated John Smith Coat of Arms: Glasshouse using elements by Heralder, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Richard Croft / St.Helena's church