On this episode of Our American Stories, most Americans remember Brian Keith as Uncle Bill on the television series Family Affair. Calm, steady, and dependable, he played the bachelor suddenly responsible for raising his niece and nephew.

That calm presence came from a life far from Hollywood soundstages. During World War II, Keith served as a U.S. Marine aerial gunner in the Pacific, flying combat missions where young crews faced enemy fire and long hours over open water. In this installment of our Hollywood Goes to War series, historian Roger McGrath shares the story of Brian Keith’s wartime service and the years that came before his career in film and television.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Annie Oakley could do things with a rifle that most people would not even attempt. She shot right-handed, left-handed, from horseback, and even over her shoulder using a mirror. At a time when women were expected to remain in the background, she stepped into the spotlight with a rifle in her hands.

Her path to fame began in poverty. As a young girl in Ohio, Oakley hunted to put food on the table for her family. That skill eventually brought her to Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, where she became one of its biggest stars. Gun historian Ashley Hlebinsky shares the story of Annie Oakley’s life, her partnership with fellow sharpshooter Frank Butler, and how a quiet woman from Ohio became one of the most famous performers of the American West.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, after the sudden death of his father, Irvin Favre, Brett Favre faced a decision about whether he could play the next night in a crucial Monday Night Football game. What followed became one of the most remarkable performances in NFL history.

In this installment of our five-part series, Brett reflects on the night he took the field with a heavy heart, played one of the greatest games of his career, and came to believe that God had answered the prayer he whispered before kickoff.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, The Confederacy entered the Civil War with a serious problem. It didn’t have the industrial strength to build the navy it needed. To keep the war effort alive, Southern leaders turned to something they still had plenty of: cash crops and international trade.

That’s where blockade runners came in. Fast ships slipped through the Union blockade carrying cotton out and weapons and supplies back in. Some of those vessels became legends of Civil War naval history. Others disappeared almost as quickly as they appeared. John Freeman of the South Carolina Military Museum shares the story of a mystery 'blockade runner' and how it met its demise.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, The United States Constitution is the oldest written constitution still in force, yet one question about the document continues to shape debates about American history: Did the Constitution support slavery, or did it leave room for the institution to be challenged and eventually abolished?

For our ongoing Story of Us—Story of America series, Bill McClay, author of Land of Hope, examines how the framers dealt with slavery during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and what the text of the Constitution actually says about our original sin.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Joe Garman wanted to minister to people on his own terms, and certainly not in a prison setting. As he tells it, God had other plans. He would end up forming ARM, one of the largest prison ministries in the world.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, the first American Christmas came just months after the Declaration of Independence. But by December, the mood across the colonies was anything but triumphant. Washington’s forces had been pushed back again and again. The army was cold, outnumbered, and on the brink of collapse. What happened on Christmas night turned the tide. With no guarantee of success, Washington led a quiet crossing of the Delaware and launched a surprise assault on Trenton. The victory didn’t end the war, but it gave people something they hadn’t had in weeks: hope. Historian Brian Benjamin shares a poem that tells the story behind one of the most important days in the fight for independence.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, immigration to the United States has always been driven by the same simple hope. Families leave the places they know best and step into an uncertain future because they believe the next generation might have greater opportunity.

Our American Stories listener Jon L. Jacobson shares the story of his great-grandfather, Cornelius, an immigrant whose arrival in America more than a century ago changed the course of his family’s history. Jon reflects on the sacrifices, struggles, and determination that defined the immigrant experience and helped shape the country many families now call home.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Jen Neiman was dealing with persistent health troubles that would not go away. She was depressed, upset, and felt as if any progress she had made had been met with more bad news. Then a mysterious gift appeared on her doorstep. Jen shares the story of what she learned about friendship in her darkest hours. We would like to thank our regular contributor, Leslie Leyland Fields, for introducing her student Jen to the show.

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