Accent on America
Accent on America is an English-language interview podcast hosted by Polish-American journalist Marcin Firlej. It grew out of his Polish series Ameryka dla Zaawansowanych after listeners asked to hear the original conversations without dubbing or translation. Each episode examines American politics, history, culture, institutions, power, race, religion, law, and myth through talks with scholars, writers, journalists, and analysts. The show is for listeners who want to understand America beyond the headlines.
Episodes
Whose Heroes? America’s Military and the Politics of Remembrance with Ty Seidule
Who commands America’s military and whose history does it carry into the future?A general’s promotion. An order to go to war. A name above the gates of an Army base. In this conversation, each becomes a window into a larger struggle over power, service, and national identity.On Accent on America, Marcin Firlej welcomes back retired Brigadier General and historian Ty Seidule to examine the relation
Who Gets Remembered? America’s Holidays and National Identity with Matthew Dennis
The fireworks begin. Flags line the streets. Families gather around the table. But beneath the familiar rituals, whose version of America is being celebrated?In this episode of Accent on America, Marcin Firlej joins historian Matthew Dennis to explore the struggles over memory, belonging, and identity woven into Americanholidays. Dennis traces the Fourth of July from its early celebrations to its
Christian Nationalism and the Fight for America’s Future with Sarah Posner
For decades, a network of churches, organizers, lawyers, and political leaders has worked to advance a particular vision of America: a nation founded for Christians and called to return to that identity. How did that vision become such a powerful force in U.S. politics?Journalist Sarah Posner, author of Unholy, joins Accent on America to explain what Christian nationalism means, how it differs fro
The Lost Cause: How America Rewrote the Civil War with Ty Seidule
The Confederacy surrendered in 1865. But almost immediately, another struggle began, a campaign to redefine what the Civil War had been about and transform the men who fought against the United States into honorable American heroes.Historian and retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Ty Seidule grew up inside that History. Raised in Virginia, he revered Robert E. Lee, attended the university where Le
Latino Identity and American Power with Cristina Beltrán
For decades, politicians have spoken about Latinos as a single community, and increasingly as a decisive voting bloc. But what unites a Mexican American in California, a Cuban American in Florida, and a Puerto Rican in New York City? Why have growing numbers of Latino voters supported Donald Trump despite his rhetoric and policies on immigration?Professor Cristina Beltrán joins Marcin Firlej to ex
From OxyContin to Fentanyl: How America Lost Control with David Herzberg
For decades, Americans were told that the greatest drug threats came from somewhere else, from foreign traffickers, criminal cartels, and an unprotected border.But the country’s deadliest drug crisis did not begin on the streets. It began in doctors’ offices and pharmacies, where prescription opioids were aggressively marketed and widely distributed.Then authorities restricted the supply without c
How America Invented Itself with François Furstenberg
The American Revolution created an independent country. But it did not automatically create Americans.After thirteen colonies broke away from Britain, the people living within them still had to be persuaded that they belonged to something larger, a shared nation with a common history, common heroes, and a common political destiny.Some of the people who helped make that happen were not presidents o
Black Cowboys, Lawmen, and the Forgotten American West, with Art T. Burton
For generations, Hollywood gave Americans a familiar picture of the Wild West: white cowboys, white lawmen, and white outlaws battling across a lawless frontier. But the real West looked very different.Black cowboys drove cattle across the plains. Black deputy U.S. marshals carried federal authority through Indian Territory.And Black outlaws robbed banks, trains, and stagecoaches alongside some of
Why America Never Ended Poverty
America has spent generations telling a simple story about poverty: work hard, play by the rules, and you can build a better life. But what happens when working full-time still leaves you poor? Historian Annalise Orleck joins Accent on America to trace the true history of American poverty. One in which low wages, public assistance, race, gender, labor policy, and corporate power have been intertwi
Is America Already a Competitive Authoritarian System? | prof. Larry Diamond
Is the United States still a democracy, or has it already crossed into competitive authoritarianism? Larry Diamond, one of the world's leading scholars of democracy and authoritarianism, gives his answer.Can one of the world's oldest constitutional democracies slide toward authoritarianism without a military coup or the suspension of elections? For decades Diamond has studied why democraci
Before the Revolution: The Native History of America
What if the story you have been told about America's founding is missing its most important chapter?For generations, Americans have learned that the Revolution was fought over liberty, taxes, and representation. But what if the struggle for Indigenous land was just as central, and what if leaving Native people out of the story changes everything we think we know about the United States?In this
America Was Born Twice. Was It 1776 or 1868? | Kermit Roosevelt III
Kermit Roosevelt III argues America was founded in 1868, not 1776. In 1857, the Supreme Court ruled that Black people could never be citizens of the United States. Eleven years later, the 14th Amendment made everyone born in the country a citizen, whether the states liked it or not.Roosevelt is a constitutional law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, author of The Nation That Never Was: R
Trailer: Understanding United States beyond headlines | Accent on America
Born out of the Polish show Ameryka dla Zaawansowanych, Accent on America is an English interview podcast that expands the conversation about the United States beyond translation, dubbing, or shortcuts. This trailer explains why the project exists: to explore American politics, US history, American culture, deep dive America, political analysis, and the United States without dubbing, translation,
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