Before We Were White

Brian Halpin - Before We Were White
  • 4.8 (22)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY

”Before We Were White” will be highly contentious revisionist history at its most unflinching. ”Before We Were White” will tell real stories of heartland America, drawing upon facts and evidence buried deep underneath the “official story”. Everything from outlaws, river pirates and prairie bandits, to Cherokee midwives and witch trials, fake eugenics, colonial-era Muslims, snake handlers, African-American cowboys, the Lost Colony of Roanoke, Jewish hillbillies, “sporting girls”, Mountain Gypsies and Creole Irish will get their turn under the magnifying lens. Whether your interest is in history, politics, ethnology, folklore, music, genealogy, or just a cracking good story, you will find something here to astonish and amaze, entertain and educate. Forget everything you thought you knew about North American history. Forget everything you thought you understood about the ethnic roots of heartland America.

  1. FEB 2

    Episode 20: Lights and Makeup

    What connects The Mayflower with an iconic screen adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein?  And what connects the 1931 James Whale film Frankenstein with the 1956 Hollywood musical The King and I? Why do so many Americans show South Asian ancestry in DNA tests?  And where exactly does John Wayne fit into all of this? Sometimes the real horror is the story behind the actors and storytellers... Before We Were White takes a mid-point break from our four part series on the history of Christianity in America - "New, Improved, and Super-Sanctified".  Join us as we explore some of the darkness at the heart of Tinsel Town's Golden Era.

    1h 38m

  2. 08/27/2024

    Episode 19: New, Improved, and Super-Sanctified, Part 2

    America is easily the most religious country among the wealthy western democracies. Why? Episode 19 of Before We Were White - "New, Improved, and Super-Sanctified, Part 2" is out now. Part 2 explores the Medieval Catholic church, and how its quest for total political, economic, and spiritual power and authority led to the birth of Protestantism.

    1h 20m

  3. 06/30/2024

    Episode 18: New, Improved, and Super-Sanctified, Part 1

    America is easily the most religious country among the wealthy western democracies. In almost every other nation, greater wealth and educational levels correlate with a drop-off in levels of religiosity. The USA remains a conspicuous outlier in this regard. Why? Episode 18 of Before We Were White - "New, Improved, and Super-Sanctified, Part 1" is out now. An exploration of the curious synergy between God and Mammon in American history, from Canaan to Corporation, from Pilgrims to Pentacostalism, from Jamestown to Jonestown. Part 1 goes right back to the source, tracing the line between Bronze Age storm gods and the Medieval Catholic church.

    50 min

  4. 04/28/2024

    Episode 17: Pre-Deliverance, Part 3

    How did a musical instrument which started off hundreds of years ago in Africa end-up becoming a symbol of "white" American country music? Was this a case of simple cultural appropriation, or is there another story waiting to be told? When it comes to American history, nothing is ever as black and white as people think...

    2h 21m

  5. 03/01/2024

    Episode 16: Pre-Deliverance, Part 2

    Part Two of "Pre-Deliverance" continues our exploration of some of the forgotten roots of American culture and ethnicity. In this episode, we get closer to understanding the origins of "Hillbilly Jews".

    1 hr

  6. 12/18/2023

    Episode 15: Pre-Deliverance, Part 1

    Play a game of word association with the average American. Say "banjo". Chances are, a great many would reply with words like "hillbilly" or "redneck". Some might venture to mention bluegrass music. How did a musical instrument which started off hundreds of years ago in Africa end-up becoming a symbol of "white" American music culture? And what if some of the earliest people of non-African ancestry to take-up the banjo were actually...Appalachian Jews? Join us for another winding trek through the hidden history of heartland America.

    58 min

  7. 09/03/2023

    Episode 14: Black Paddywhackery, Part 2

    In Part 1 of "Black Paddywhackery", we learned about the origins of the Irish people, and asked why so many Americans self-identify as "Black Irish", believing themselves descended from survivors of the Spanish Armada which wrecked off the west coast of Ireland.   Having shown the flaws in this folk history, in Part 2 of "Black Paddywhackery" we explore the true origins of those who call themselves "Black Irish".

    1h 46m

  8. 08/05/2023

    Episode 13: Black Paddywhackery, Part 1

    A curious number of Southern Appalachians like to refer to themselves or extended family members as being "Black Irish". There are Facebook discussion groups catering to Appalachian Americans (with tens of thousands of members), and almost weekly an "expert" pops up assuring other members that the "Black Irish" are a thing, and that thing is usually this: "Loads of Irish people have black eyes, dark hair and skin.  They come from Spanish sailors stranded on Irish coasts during the naval retreat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.  These sailors intermarried with local Irish girls."  This oft-repeated folk history - and the assertion that large sections of the native Irish population are dark in complexion due to this - is utter claptrap.

    1h 15m
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Trailer

4.8
out of 5
22 Ratings

About

”Before We Were White” will be highly contentious revisionist history at its most unflinching. ”Before We Were White” will tell real stories of heartland America, drawing upon facts and evidence buried deep underneath the “official story”. Everything from outlaws, river pirates and prairie bandits, to Cherokee midwives and witch trials, fake eugenics, colonial-era Muslims, snake handlers, African-American cowboys, the Lost Colony of Roanoke, Jewish hillbillies, “sporting girls”, Mountain Gypsies and Creole Irish will get their turn under the magnifying lens. Whether your interest is in history, politics, ethnology, folklore, music, genealogy, or just a cracking good story, you will find something here to astonish and amaze, entertain and educate. Forget everything you thought you knew about North American history. Forget everything you thought you understood about the ethnic roots of heartland America.

Information

  • Creator
    Brian Halpin - Before We Were White
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Brian Halpin - Before We Were White 2020-2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Before We Were White

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