Besides language, religion and social customs, one of the most important things that North America inherited from Britain in its early years was its legal system, including the death penalty.

But how did capital punishment evolve after the American Revolution? How has the nation gone back and forth over its morality? Why was it ruled unconstitutional in 1972, and how did it then continue on?

Don is joined by returning guest Cliff Sloan to discuss the history of the death penalty in America. Cliff is a professor at Georgetown Law, and has previously served in all three branches of the Federal Government.

Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aliza Dams. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

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We've all seen the famous painting of General George Washington leading his men across the icy waters of the Delaware River. But what happened next? Today, we're exploring the Battle of Trenton, where Washington struck a devastating blow against the British and their Hessian allies, and discovering how this daring victory helped turn the tide of the American Revolutionary War.

Our guest today is Major Jonathan Bratten, Command historian with the Maine National Guard. He’s the award-winning author of ‘To the Last Man: A National Guard Regiment in the Great War, 1917-1919.’

Produced by Tomos Delargy. Edited by Aliza Dams. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What made the Aztecs one of the most sophisticated empires of their age? How widespread was human sacrifice? And what brought about their fall from power?

Our guest today is Dr. Camilla Townsend, author of Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs, to talk us through the rise of the Aztec Empire and the 16th century Spanish conquest.

Produced by Tomos Delargy. Edited by Tim Arstall. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.