Slavery in the United States

Subject in History

Slavery in the United States has come up in 5 episodes across 3 podcasts in TMT, including The Rest Is History, Next Question with Katie Couric, Lex Fridman Podcast. 3 people have made recorded remarks about it.

What people said

Tom HollandEnglish actor cast as Telemachus

Holland believes that if Jefferson were alive today he would side with his critics in judging that he did wrong.
“if he were alive now, he would accept the force of the arguments made by his critics”
The Rest Is History: 686. Jefferson: The Betrayal of Liberty (Part 4) (Jul 8, 2026) · Listen from 1:16:57
Holland contends that Jefferson, having articulated American principles most boldly, betrayed them most grievously.
“he is also the United States president who came to betray them the most grievously”
The Rest Is History: 686. Jefferson: The Betrayal of Liberty (Part 4) (Jul 8, 2026) · Listen from 1:13:37
Holland rejects the view that Jefferson's idea of liberty was limited to white men, calling him a committed abolitionist at the cutting edge of his time.
“Jefferson is much more committed to an ideal of liberty such as I think we would understand it today”
The Rest Is History: 686. Jefferson: The Betrayal of Liberty (Part 4) (Jul 8, 2026) · Listen from 1:06:29
Holland describes Franklin's late anti-slavery petition and satire as an act of repentance for having owned slaves.
“it is an act of repentance. Franklin had owned slaves, he came to repent of it”
The Rest Is History: 684. Franklin: Revenge of the American Genius (Part 2) (Jul 1, 2026) · Listen from 1:09:14

All 7 quotes from Tom Holland →

Dominic SandbrookBritish historian, author and co-host of The Rest Is History

Sandbrook says Jefferson has been at the center of a culture war over America's founding sin for at least three decades.
“he's been the center, hasn't he, of what can only be described as a culture war that has raged for at least 30 years”
The Rest Is History: 686. Jefferson: The Betrayal of Liberty (Part 4) (Jul 8, 2026) · Listen from 31:22
Sandbrook gives his personal view that Key's lyric was probably aimed at escaping slaves who aided the British.
“And personally, I think his text probably is aimed at slaves who are trying to escape and are helping the British”
The Rest Is History: 677. USA: The Star-Spangled Banner (Part 1) (Jun 7, 2026) · Listen from 1:04:13
Sandbrook contends that both the wartime context and Key's own views give reason to think the verse referred to African-American slaves.
“There are reasons to think that Key was talking about African-American slaves. And one is to do with the context, and the other is to do with Key himself”
The Rest Is History: 677. USA: The Star-Spangled Banner (Part 1) (Jun 7, 2026) · Listen from 37:51

What Dominic Sandbrook has said about Slavery in the United States →

Gary GallagherAmerican historian of the Civil War, professor emeritus at the University of Virginia

Gallagher rejects the argument that the war was needless because slavery was dying, saying it was thriving in 1860.
“people argued that the war was needless, civil war was needless because slavery was on its way out. That's absolutely wrong”
Lex Fridman Podcast: #499 – Gary Gallagher: American Civil War, Slavery, Lincoln, Grant & Lee (Jul 28, 2026) · Listen from 20:37

What Gary Gallagher has said about Slavery in the United States →

Coverage over time

Jun 2026Oct 2026

Episodes discussing it, by month of release.

Podcasts

The Rest Is History · 3 episodes
Next Question with Katie Couric · 1 episode
Lex Fridman Podcast · 1 episode

Episodes

Malcolm Gladwell on America’s Gun Crisis
Next Question with Katie Couric · Oct 7, 2026 · 1 h 4 min
Katie Couric talks with Malcolm Gladwell about his book The American Way of Killing, covering under-policing, prisons, the Second Amendment, assault weapons bans and gun suicide.
#499 – Gary Gallagher: American Civil War, Slavery, Lincoln, Grant & Lee
Lex Fridman Podcast · Jul 28, 2026 · 3 h 53 min
Lex Fridman and historian Gary Gallagher discuss the American Civil War: slavery as its cause, Lincoln, Grant, Lee, key battles, the Lost Cause, and today's divisions.
686. Jefferson: The Betrayal of Liberty (Part 4)
The Rest Is History · Jul 8, 2026 · 1 h 22 min
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook conclude their Founding Fathers series with Thomas Jefferson's political career, his relationship with Sally Hemings, and his betrayal of liberty through slavery.
684. Franklin: Revenge of the American Genius (Part 2)
The Rest Is History · Jul 1, 2026 · 1 h 13 min
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook trace Benjamin Franklin's life from Puritan Boston boyhood and Enlightenment fame to revolutionary diplomat, Constitution signatory and late abolitionist.
677. USA: The Star-Spangled Banner (Part 1)
The Rest Is History · Jun 7, 2026 · 1 h 11 min
Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland trace the Star-Spangled Banner from the 1814 bombardment of Fort McHenry to its adoption as anthem and the controversy over slavery.