Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the nineteenth century, a woman’s future could collapse overnight. If a husband died, disappeared, or fell into debt, she often had no legal claim to the house she lived in. The Homestead Law changed that. As historian Jean Stuntz tells it, the law created a small but powerful shield that prevented families from losing the one thing they could not live without. It was far from perfect, yet for countless women who had no voice in court and no rights under most state laws, this protection meant stability—and it offered a kind of dignity that had rarely been within reach. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, much of what’s known about legendary NFL quarterback Brett Favre has been kept between the goalposts. So, Greg Hengler sat down with Brett in his Hattiesburg, Mississippi, home for part five of our five-part series. In this conversation, the long-time Green Bay Packers star and Super Bowl champion reflects on the moments, challenges, and memories that shaped his life on and off the field. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, long before Nashville was known for neon lights and record labels, a small candy company introduced something new to the South. The Goo Goo Cluster blended chocolate with a handful of familiar ingredients, but the people behind it poured family history and hometown pride into every batch. As the years passed, the candy found its way into lunch pails, store counters, and eventually became an integral part of the city’s identity. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Our American Stories listener Roger Latham grew up believing Santa was just a story—until one Christmas when someone unexpected changed everything. Roger shares the memory that helped him understand why kindness sometimes shows up in the plainest clothes and why he never forgot the man he came to call the real Santa. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, long before superheroes saturated movie screens and Halloween aisles, they lived quietly on pulp pages shaped by the anxieties and ambitions of 20th-century America. Industrial cities were growing, families were struggling, and people craved symbols of justice that felt larger than life but still recognizably human. World War II historian and author of Super-History, Jeffrey K. Johnson, helps us understand why the superhero is, at heart, a distinctly American invention. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, every Sunday, Our American Stories host Lee Habeeb speaks with Mitchel "Big Mitch" Rutledge, who has spent more than forty years serving a life sentence in Alabama. Each call traces the shape of faith, regret, and forgiveness inside a place built for punishment. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, the 1621 Thanksgiving has become one of the most recognizable stories in American culture, but many details we repeat today weren’t part of the original event. What actually happened was shaped by necessity, diplomacy, and the realities both groups faced. The latter holiday developed slowly as Americans looked for shared traditions. Robert Tracy McKenzie, a professor of history at Wheaton College, helps separate fact from myth and explains how the story evolved. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, before it became the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving was just one of many autumn celebrations scattered across the country. In the mid-1800s, Sarah Josepha Hale, already known for writing “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” saw an opportunity to unite the nation around a shared tradition. For decades, she wrote to governors, editors, and finally President Abraham Lincoln, urging him to declare a national day of thanks. In the midst of the Civil War, Lincoln answered her call. His 1863 proclamation created the Thanksgiving holiday Americans know today, blending food, family, and gratitude into one of the most cherished traditions in the United States. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Thomas Jefferson is America’s “everyman” because he has been embraced at one time or another by nearly everyone. Historian and acclaimed author of American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, Joseph E. Ellis, shared the story of Jefferson’s journey through American history at the U.S. Library of Congress. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, each December, a small volunteer-run “store” opens for families who could use extra help during the holidays. Parents walk through the space like any other shop, choosing toys that fit their kids without paying a cent. Jonathan Mattox, co-chairman of The Christmas Store in Oxford, Mississippi, reflects on how this forty-plus-year tradition grew into one of the community’s most reliable holiday efforts. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.