David McKean & M. Todd Bennett — The Flag Was Still There: A History of the American Experiment in Five Anniversaries - with A'Lelia Bundles episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 12, 2026 · 1H 6M

David McKean & M. Todd Bennett — The Flag Was Still There: A History of the American Experiment in Five Anniversaries - with A'Lelia Bundles

from Politics and Prose Presents · host Politics and Prose

America is the rare country that was founded on an idea, and it was a truly radical idea for its time: the belief that the people of a country could govern themselves.The Flag Was Still There offers a unique new narrative of the American Experiment. By focusing on five remarkable years marked by both progress and backlash—1776, 1826, 1876, 1926, and 1976—and with an eye to America’s 250th birthday, David McKean and M. Todd Bennett explore how the United States has sustained its founding idea. The centennial saw a country still struggling to confront the Civil War’s legacy, culminating in the birth of the Jim Crow era. In 1926, virulent nativism was at a peak, and a reascendant Ku Klux Klan marched on Washington. The bicentennial was marked by economic turmoil, post-Watergate political malaise, and the still-fresh wounds of the Vietnam War. America has yet to fully realize its founding principles. But as The Flag Was Still There reminds us, Americans have always striven to defend, renew, and extend the nation’s promise even in the face of staunch resistance—a determination that continues to this day.David McKean is the former US ambassador to Luxembourg and was director of policy planning in the Department of State. The author or coauthor of six previous books, he divides his time between Washington, DC, New Hampshire, and North Carolina. M. Todd Bennett is a professor of history at East Carolina University. He was formerly a historian at the US Department of State. The author of two previous books, he lives in Washington, DC.McKean and Bennett are in conversation with A'Lelia Bundles, the author of Joy Goddess: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem RenaissanceandOn Her Own Ground,a New York TimesNotable Book about her entrepreneurial great-great-grandmother, Madam C. J. Walker.Aformer ABC News executiveandproducer, she serves onseveral nonprofit boardsthat reflect her interests in history, journalism and preservation.PURCHASE:https://politics-prose.com/book/9781541704169?ic_referral=TkPi5A1ZX2cke77V5-tbokT6XyBYZvnecwjYLd0MFI8wMwzTOl1PGffOidoB9V1Qw3PlWcdEDT6-77_dYSCmAAObN9lWjIoalaOoKacDY3Cbz5fF8hFoIjjbcZhKf7lzpoS62J8

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 12, 2026

Embed this episode

Ready to play

David McKean & M. Todd Bennett — The Flag Was Still There: A History of the American Experiment in Five Anniversaries - with A'Lelia Bundles

0:00 1:06:15

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Politics and Prose Presents?

This episode is 1 hour and 6 minutes long.

When was this Politics and Prose Presents episode published?

This episode was published on July 12, 2026.

Can I download this Politics and Prose Presents episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!