On this episode of Our American Stories for generations of Boston Red Sox fans heartbreak became part of the experience After winning the World Series in the team sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees and went years without another championship enduring crushing losses in and again in Boston Red Sox writer Sean McAdam tells how the so-called Curse of the Bambino took hold and how the Red Sox finally broke it Led by Theo Epstein's unconventional roster a clubhouse full of self-described idiots and one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history Boston rallied from a - deficit [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories in Governor Peter Stuyvesant ordered residents of New Netherland to help enforce his campaign against religious dissenters especially Quakers Thirty residents of Flushing refused In a petition now known as the Flushing Remonstrance they declared that they would not persecute peaceful people simply because they worshiped differently Larry Reed President Emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education tells the story of this remarkable early defense of religious liberty and the punishment its signers faced for defying Stuyvesant Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donateSee [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories Deborah Sampson wanted to serve her country but women were barred from joining the Continental Army So in the Massachusetts woman put on men's clothing enlisted under the name Robert Shurtliff and began a remarkable military career while trying to keep her true identity hidden Marilyn Gilbert Komechak author of Deborah Sampson The Girl Who Went to War shares the story of how Sampson went from an indentured servant who taught herself to read and write to a soldier in George Washington's army Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate Support the [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories why do police departments in different parts of the country operate so differently Former LAPD Sergeant Bob Alaniz argues that the answer goes back to two competing traditions reactive policing rooted in Sir Robert Peel's th-century model and the more proactive style that came to define law enforcement in Los Angeles and much of the American West Alaniz explains the difference through an encounter from his own LAPD career involving Richard Ramirez later known as the Night Stalker For Alaniz the episode raises a larger question at the heart of policing should officers [... more]