After 250 years, do US citizens still believe in the American Dream?

How have 250 years of history shaped modern America? As historic July 4th celebrations take place across the country this weekend we ask how does modern America compare to the vision of the Founding Fathers in the 18th Century? What does it means to be an American citizen today and has that changed over time? Where does this all leave the American dream?

In this episode, Justin and Anthony talk to the historian Heather Cox Graham who writes a daily Substack on American politics and society and has started a video project - 250 to 250 - to mark the historic landmark. Today, we are bombarded by information at a frenetic pace but can a careful consideration of the past 250 years tell us more about the United States in 2026?

HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter• Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent

GUEST:• Heather Cox Richardson, historian, author, Substack columnist, founder of 250 to 250 project marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

GET IN TOUCH: • Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB • Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480• Email [email protected]• Or use #Americast

This episode was made by Purvee Pattni, George Dabby, Tom Gillett and Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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Americast is the authoritative US news and politics podcast from the BBC. Each week we provide audiences with the best analysis from across the BBC, with on-the-ground observations and big picture insights about the stories which are defining America right now. The podcast is hosted by trusted BBC journalists including the BBC’s North America editor, Sarah Smith, BBC Radio 4 presenter, Justin Webb, the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent, Marianna Spring, and BBC North America correspondent, Anthony Zurcher. As well as political analysis, we also specialise in social media. Each week Marianna Spring brings listeners the latest updates from the BBC’s Undercover Voters, our award-winning investigation into the content that is recommended to US voters on social media. The team is also joined by special guests each week, like CNN anchor, Christiane Amanpour, Emmy Award-winning TV host, Rachel Maddow, and Succession actress, J Smith-Cameron. Podcasts are published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As well as being a podcast, we are also available every Friday on the World Service. Oh, and by the way, you can now listen to Americast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say ‘”Ask BBC Sounds to play Americast”. It works on most smart speakers. Every Monday we answer your questions on Americanswers, with some help from special guests, including Miles Taylor, who was chief of staff at the Department for Homeland Security during the Trump presidency before becoming a whistleblower. Got a question or a comment? Get in touch with us on email at [email protected] or WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

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