Show overview
American Carnage launched in 2023 and has put out 8 episodes, alongside 1 trailer or bonus episode in the time since. That works out to roughly 6 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a monthly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 39 min and 1h — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language History show.
The catalogue appears to be on hiatus or wound down — the most recent episode landed 2 years ago, with no new episodes in over a year. The busiest year was 2024, with 6 episodes published. Published by Jeff Stein and Rowley Amato.
From the publisher
A podcast about the history of political violence in the United States, launching with a five-part series on the radical abolitionist John Brown. "My new favorite history podcast, a wonderful mixture of dramatic narrative and searching analysis." — Jeet Heer, national political correspondent for The Nation Episode 5 coming soon.
Latest Episodes
John Brown's Christmas Raid
What was going through Brown's head at Harpers Ferry? The story of his remarkably successful raid into Missouri gives us clues. The second of a two-part bonus series about Brown's final days in Kansas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bleeding Kansas' Deadliest Day
In May 1858, a proslavery gang massacred 11 unarmed Free Staters in eastern Kansas. The incident sparked outrage, and led John Brown to embark one of his most daring exploits. The first of a two-part bonus series about John Brown's final months in Kansas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 Ep 5Ep 5: A great white light
What was it, exactly, about John Brown's raid at Harpers Ferry that contributed to the abolition of slavery? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 Ep 4Ep 4: No ghost of a distinction
John Brown envisioned a mass slave uprising. So where were they? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 Ep 3Ep 3: The stifled wails of widows
As John Brown and his men swing their steel broadswords on a moon-lit night, we look at the fierce debate among historians over whether even the most righteous forms of political violence can be justified. [Subscribers can get EARLY ACCESS to Episode Four, "No Ghost of a Distinction" by throwing $3 our way at American Carnage on Patreon.] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 Ep 4TRAILER | Episode 4: No ghost of a distinction
trailerJohn Brown envisioned a mass slave insurrection. So where were they?[Subscribers can get EARLY ACCESS to this full episode by throwing $3 our way at American Carnage on Patreon.] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 Ep 2Ep 2: Standing on a volcano
[Audio quality tends to be better on head phones; apologies for any imperfections]In a fight to the death on the cold, harsh Kansas prairie, John Brown finds himself at odds with his fellow antislavery settlers.Quick correction: We refer in this episode to the Ruffian leader as "Benjamin Frank Stringfellow." It is in fact Benjamin Franklin Stringfellow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 Ep 1Ep 1: Pierced with the iron
What would you have been willing to do to free the slaves if you woke up tomorrow in early 19th Century America? Host and co-writer Jeff Stein is the White House economics reporter for The Washington Post.Co-writer Rowley Amato is an editor in New York City. Sophia Kurzius is our producer.Theme music by Ned Porter. “John Brown’s Body” performed by Stephen Griffith.Artwork by Elena Lacey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices