In short
A BBC preview episode for a week-long series marking the US’s 250th anniversary, asking whether the world is better with the United States in it and exploring American influence on global events and ordinary lives.
Guests
Roman Mars (host of 99% Invisible) and the BBC team behind “A History of the United States in 100 Objects”; a Civil War–era perspective voice; a CIA/shadow-world correspondent; and a foreign correspondent discussing China’s rise and Xi Jinping’s stance.
Key claims
US “soft power” exports an American story; America began as an idea; the American dream is “alive but not well”; CIA covert actions have long-lasting effects; US involvement helped a rival superpower rise.
Notable examples
Civil War survival digging; a coup’s effects 70 years later; Xi Jinping presenting China as an alternative.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOReflecting on America's 250 Years
0:30 to 0:45
Exploration of the significance of America's upcoming 250th anniversary.
“Because Schwab knows that when it comes to your finances, choice matters.”
Reflecting on America's 250 Years
0:48 to 3:36
Exploration of the significance of America's upcoming 250th anniversary.
“The United States is about to mark 250 years since its founding.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
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1:00The United States is about to mark 250 years since its founding. And like many big birthdays, it's a moment of celebration over here in Washington and across the country. But it's also a moment of angst and introspection, a moment to reflect on America as an idea, as a country, as a people. Since we are a show about where the world and America meet, we have been looking into some gripping stories about how over the years the United States has shaped the world. We're stepping back from the news to dedicate a whole week of episodes to the surprising tales of American influence on the world stage and in ordinary people's lives across the globe.
1:40Here's a little preview of this week of wall-to-wall bangers with some very special guests. Huh. Is the world a better place for having the United States in it? Interesting question. Rome and Mars from the hit podcast 99 % Invisible and the BBC's new series A History of the United States in 100 Objects. We just figured out something in the United States through just an accident and series of accidents and incidents in history. We have this ability to export our story and a lot of people have bought it. This soft power was an incredible invention. I did not see America as a place. I saw it as an idea.
2:22We'll be telling one incredible story of an American dream. I grew up in the Civil War. I took a shovel and I dig out of dirt like you're digging a graveyard because that was the best way to survive the nightly bullets, the nightly shelling. And asking whether that dream is still attainable. I couldn't contain my joy because I thought I have survived. I made it. I'm an American. But I feel like the American dream is alive but not well. We'll visit the shadow world of the CIA. Covert action is supposed to stay secret. We are still feeling the effects of this coup 70 years after the fact. And discover how the United States helped the rise of a rival superpower.
3:08Xi Jinping is not shying away. He's not trying to make us feel better. He's obviously saying we are the alternative to the United States. And we'll be putting your stories about what America means to you to some of the BBC's top foreign correspondents. America is still massively powerful, but history says that empires and superpowers don't last forever. From the BBC, it's the United States at 2.50. Find it on The Global Story next week.
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From the publisher
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, The Global Story is launching a landmark series exploring the surprising and often hidden ways the United States has shaped the modern world.
