Americanist – 250 years later, do American citizens still believe in the American dream?

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How has 250 years of history shaped modern America? As historic Fourth of July celebrations take place across the country this weekend, how does today’s America compare to the vision of the 18th century Founding Fathers? What does it mean to be a US citizen today and has it changed over time? Where does all this leave the American dream? In this episode, Justin and Anthony talk to historian Heather Cox Graham; He writes daily for Substack on American politics and society and started 250 to 250 – a video project to mark the historic milestone. Today, we’re bombarded with information at breakneck speed, but could a careful consideration of the past 250 years tell us more about America in 2026? Host: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 Presenter • Anthony Zurcher, North American Correspondent Guest: • Heather Cox Richardson, Historian, Author, Newstalk Columnist, Founder of 250 and 250 Proclamation 250th Anniversary Project Contact Us • Join our online community. Message or voice note on WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480 • Email Americast@bbc.co.uk • Or use #Americast This episode was produced by Purvi Patney, George Dabi, Tom Gillett and Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The serial producer is Purvi Patni. The news editor is Sam Bonham. If you would like to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to BBC Sounds by tapping the subscribe button on the app. Now you can listen to Americast on your smart speaker. If you want to listen, say “Ask the BBC to play Voice of America”. Works on most modern speakers. US Election Unsolved: Subscribe to Anthony’s BBC Newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155 Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes several other podcasts, including Newscast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you’re reading this, you probably do), then we think you’ll enjoy our other pods, too. Check out the link below. News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd

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