American Seances brings the greatest, deadest historical figures back for one more conversaion
Through podcasts, blog posts, and illustrations, American Seances uses the past to understand the present--equal parts scholarship, storytelling, and satire.
Radicals! (thread 19), Episode 6: Gunboats on the Monongahela: The Bloody Battle of Homestead
Here’s the short version: in summer 1892, Carnegie was in Scotland, Frick built a fortified mill dubbed "Fort Frick," and a standoff between steelworkers and armed Pinkerton agents exploded into deadly violence on the Monongahela River. The clash left lives lost, the militia in town, and the union severely weakened.
Then an anarchist, Alexander Berkman, tried to assassinate Frick, which shocked the nation and shifted sympathy away from the workers. The strike collapsed, Carnegie’s reputation suffered, and the whole episode forced everyone to ask who was truly the radical: the workers demanding a voice, the managers defending property, or the bomber who thought murder would spark revolution.
29 Oct 2026
Radicals! (thread 19), Episode 5: When the Trains Stopped: The Great Railroad Strike of 1877
Come with me back to the summer of 1877—when a 10% pay cut stopped the nation, trains became battlegrounds, and ordinary people found themselves up against the full force of the state. We'll walk through the chaos, the smoke in Pittsburgh, and the messy questions about who the government protects.
It’s a raw, human story about work, justice, and power—short, surprising, and timely. Tune in if you want a close, friendly look at the moment that reshaped American labor and politics.
29 Oct 2026
Radicals! (thread 19): Episode 4: Hanged for Ideas: The Execution of Albert Parsons
Come back with us to 1887 and meet Albert Parsons — a former Confederate turned anarchist who was hanged after the Haymarket bombing despite no solid proof he threw the bomb. It’s a gripping mix of politics, prejudice, and the fight for an eight‑hour workday.
We’ll unpack how Parsons became a scapegoat for radical ideas, how Haymarket reshaped labor history, and why punishing beliefs instead of crimes still feels dangerously relevant today. It’s messy, emotional, and oddly timely — let’s dig in together.
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