Our guest this week is author, historian, and magazine editor Lanny Jones. He is the author of "William Clark and the Shaping of the West. His latest work is Celebrity Nation. Shortly after the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore and map the newly acquired territory and to seek a water route to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis and Clark's two-year Tour of Discovery ended in September 1806 as the explorers returned to St. Louis with maps, sketches and journals detailing the region's plants, animal life, geography, and indigenous people. In 1814, many Americans were able to learn for the first time about the western lands upon the publishing of the book titled History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains of Lewis and Clark. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colleen Sheehan, Arizona State University Professor, discusses the early life and times of the Federalist's three authors. She explains how their lives challenged their writing and thinking. Plus their lasting legacy today. In September 1787, the newly drafted Constitution of the United States was sent to the states for ratification. Responding to initial public criticism of the document, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay - under the collective pseudonym "Publius" - wrote a series of 85 essays to promote the ratification of the Constitution. The essays were first published in several New York newspapers and were later combined into a book titled The Federalist. Today, the original essays are commonly referred to as The Federalist Papers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard Bell, a University of Maryland history professor discusses Thomas Paine's life, and what led him to publish Common Sense. Common Sense written by Thomas Paine is a 47-page pamphlet advocating for independence from Great Britain, it was published in 1776. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A companion podcast to the 10-episode C-SPAN television series, Books that Shaped America, produced in partnership with the Library of Congress.   The Library of Congress created the Books That Shaped America list to explore key works of literature from American history that have had a major impact on society. The 10 iconic books featured in the series have provoked thought, won awards, led to significant policy changes, and are still talked about today. In this companion podcast, you can learn more about the authors of the books featured. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices