Podcast
General Curiosity
Hosted by The Curious Alex Jones · EN
I, Alex Jones (not that one), am generally curious about... well, everything. As a former teacher, I'm still learning, and I want you to follow me on my learning journey and foster your own curiosity.
17episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
E22 - America Takes Root: Jamestown and Colliding Cultures
3w ago01:02:39Tap to summarize**TRIGGER WARNING: discussion of torture/execution around minute marker 58:00-59:30.Today we dive straight into 1607 Jamestown… again– this time focusing less on fort drama and more on those first, messy, fascinating encounters between the English and the Powhatan. Through a mix of curiosity, confusion, and occasional audacity, the English explore nearby villages, attempt diplomacy (sometimes sincerely, sometimes… not), and slowly start to grasp the complex political landscape they’ve stumbled into. Along the way, cultural misunderstandings, language barriers, and wildly different worldviews lead to both moments of cooperation and the seeds of future conflict. Despite early gestures of friendship, things begin to unravel—food shortages, violence, and increasingly aggressive English tactics push relationships to the brink and lead to the capture of John Smith. Oh no… poor baby…The main sources for this episode are:Savage Kingdom: The True Story of Jamestown, 1607, and the Settlement of America, written by Benjamin Woolley, and published in 2007 by HarperPress UKJamestown, The Truth Revealed, written by William Kelso, and published in 2017 by the University of Virginia PressPocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma, written by Camilla Townsend, and published in 2004 by Hill and WangTo get updates and other content, follow @thecuriousalexjones on Instagram and Threads.
Transcribe →E21 - America Takes Root: Jamestown and the Hot Mess of 1607
Apr 1701:00:07Tap to summarizeIn 1607, Jamestown’s settlers arrived in Virginia after a turbulent voyage, only to face immediate challenges from leadership conflicts, fragile relations with local Algonquian groups, and a harsh environment. Infighting among leaders like Edward Maria Wingfield and John Smith, combined with drought, disease, and dwindling supplies, pushed the colony into crisis. By winter, starvation, suspicion, and instability had brought the settlement to the brink of collapse. The main sources for this episode are:Savage Kingdom: The True Story of Jamestown, 1607, and the Settlement of America, written by Benjamin Woolley, and published in 2007 by HarperPress UKJamestown, The Truth Revealed, written by William Kelso, and published in 2017 by the University of Virginia PressPocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma, written by Camilla Townsend, and published in 2004 by Hill and WangTo get updates and other content, follow @thecuriousalexjones on Instagram and Threads.
Transcribe →E20 - America Takes Root: Jamestown and the Giant Journey West
Apr 1000:47:32Tap to summarizeToday (a day late, I know!) we officially set off on our deep dive into the founding of Jamestown by focusing on the high-stakes, top secret planning and chaotic voyage of 1606–1607. Driven by a desperate need for profit and backed by the newly formed Virginia Company, England’s colonization effort was a risky business venture shaped by secrecy and competition with Spain. We start introducing some key figures- and their controversial backgrounds- as we try to immerse ourselves in the experiences of these brave adventurers. The journey itself was plagued by delays, dwindling supplies, interpersonal drama, and navigational difficulties, before the group miraculously limped into the Chesapeake Bay. The main sources for this episode are:Savage Kingdom: The True Story of Jamestown, 1607, and the Settlement of America, written by Benjamin Woolley, and published in 2007 by HarperPress UKJamestown, The Truth Revealed, written by William Kelso, and published in 2017 by the University of Virginia PressPocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma, written by Camilla Townsend, and published in 2004 by Hill and WangTo get updates and other content, follow @thecuriousalexjones on Instagram and Threads.
Transcribe →E19 - America Takes Root: Jamestown and the Chaos of Colonization
Apr 200:42:51Tap to summarizeIn this kickoff episode to a deep-dive series following the Jamestown Colony, we introduce the messy, dramatic, and often brutal first two decades of Jamestown—from desperate survival and nonstop infighting to uneasy relationships with the Powhatan Confederacy, the Starving Time, and the major turning point(s) of 1619. Along the way, we start to see how this scrappy, barely-holding-it-together colony became the point of no return that helped set the America—and its eventual revolution—into motion.The main sources for this episode are:Savage Kingdom: The True Story of Jamestown, 1607, and the Settlement of America, written by Benjamin Woolley, and published in 2007 by HarperPress UKJamestown, The Truth Revealed, written by William Kelso, and published in 2017 by the University of Virginia PressPocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma, written by Camilla Townsend, and published in 2004 by Hill and WangTo get updates and other content, follow @thecuriousalexjones on Instagram and Threads.
Transcribe →E18 - The Making of Jamestown: Pocahontas and the Ultimate Price of Peace
Mar 1201:06:00Tap to summarizeIn the final episode of the Pocahontas series, we untangle the myth from the much more complicated—and tragic—reality of Pocahontas’s life. Drawing from both English records and Mattaponi oral history, the episode follows her captivity by the English, her conversion and marriage to John Rolfe, and the political role she was forced to play as a symbol of colonial “success.” After traveling to London as propaganda for the Virginia Company, Pocahontas realized the true scale of English power before falling ill and dying in England at just nineteen. Her story reveals not a fairytale romance, but a young woman navigating captivity, diplomacy, and survival in the earliest—and most consequential—years of English colonization.The two main sources for this episode are:Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma, by Camilla Townsend, published in 2004 by Hill and Wang.The True Story of Pocahontas: The Other Side of History, by Dr. Linwood "Little Bear" Custalow and Angela L. Daniel "Silver Star", published in 2007 by Fulcrum PublishingTo get updates and other content, follow @thecuriousalexjones on Instagram and Threads.
Transcribe →E17 - The Making of Jamestown: Matoaka Before the Myth
Mar 500:39:33Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we look beyond the legend to meet the real Matoaka—later known as Pocahontas—through Powhatan perspectives and sacred Mattaponi oral history. Raised in the Powhatan capital and deeply loved by her father, Wahunsenecawh, Matoaka became a child ambassador to the struggling English settlers at Jamestown, bringing food and messages of peace while learning their language. But as English expansion, violence, and exploitation grew, the fragile relationship between the Powhatan and the colonists collapsed. After coming of age, marrying the warrior Kocoom, and attempting to live quietly away from the English, Pocahontas became the target of a colonial power play—culminating in her kidnapping in 1613, a turning point that would reshape her life and the future of Jamestown.The two main sources for this episode are:Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma, by Camilla Townsend, published in 2004 by Hill and Wang.The True Story of Pocahontas: The Other Side of History, by Dr. Linwood "Little Bear" Custalow and Angela L. Daniel "Silver Star", published in 2007 by Fulcrum PublishingTo get updates and other content, follow @thecuriousalexjones on Instagram and Threads.
Transcribe →E16 - The Making of Jamestown: The Powhatan & the Pocahontas Myth
Feb 2600:33:40Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we introduce the story of Jamestown by shifting the focus away from the English colonists and onto the Powhatan people—especially the girl history flattened into myth: Pocahontas, born Matoaka. Drawing from both academic research and sacred Mattaponi oral history, we explore the political sophistication, cultural traditions, and leadership of Wahunsenacawh (known by the English as “Chief Powhatan”) and the world Matoaka inhabited long before inflated legend John Smith ever arrived. Challenging Disney-fied narratives and textbook omissions, this episode reframes early colonial history through Indigenous perspectives and sets the stage for a deeper, more honest reckoning with the legacy of colonization and the kickstart of what became the United States of America.The two main sources for this episode are:Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma, by Camilla Townsend, published in 2004 by Hill and Wang.The True Story of Pocahontas: The Other Side of History, by Dr. Linwood "Little Bear" Custalow and Angela L. Daniel "Silver Star", published in 2007 by Fulcrum PublishingTo get updates and other content, follow @thecuriousalexjones on Instagram and Threads.
Transcribe →E15 - "Lost" or Left Behind? Making Sense of the Remains of Roanoke
Feb 1900:51:28Tap to summarizeIn this finale of the Roanoke series, we trace what happened after the colonists were left behind—following John White’s failed return, Raleigh’s convenient indifference, Jamestown’s lackluster searches, and centuries of rumor, propaganda, romantic revisionism, white supremacist myth-making, and headline-grabbing hoaxes like the Dare Stones. We dig into what archaeology actually tells us, unpack how a carved word—“Croatoan”—became a national mystery, and examine how the story has been twisted to serve everything from gothic drama to racist origin myths. Rather than a simple disappearance, Roanoke emerges as a complicated foundation story about survival, assimilation, diversity, and the uncomfortable truths at the heart of American identity—setting the stage for Jamestown, Plymouth, and the Revolution to follow. The two major sources for this series of episodes are:The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke, by Andrew Lawler, published in 2018 by Anchor BooksThe Lost Colony and Hatteras Island, by Scott Dawson, published in 2020 by The History PressTo get updates and other content, follow @thecuriousalexjones on Instagram and Threads.
Transcribe →
E14 - Introduction: Constitution Corner Mini-Series
Feb 500:41:16Tap to summarizeIn need of a buffer to finish the final episode of the "Lost or Left Behind?" series, today's episode is an introduction to a mini-series coming soon. It's a deep dive into the U.S. Constitution born out of equal parts curiosity and concern. Starting with the often-forgotten Articles of Confederation, Alex breaks down how America’s first attempt at self-government prioritized state power so heavily that the federal government was left toothless: no president, no courts, no federal taxes, no standing army, and unanimous agreement required for basically everything. By unpacking what didn’t work—and why—the episode sets the stage for understanding the Constitution not as sacred mystery text, but as a practical fix to a failed draft. Think of it as a study guide for democracy in stressful times, with history, context, and a reminder that learning (and governing) is built on figuring out what went wrong and daring to fix it. Resource:US National Archives: Articles of Confederation: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/articles-of-confederationTo get updates and other content, follow @thecuriousalexjones on Instagram and Threads.
Transcribe →E13 - "Lost" or Left Behind? More Neglect Than Mystery
Jan 2900:33:53Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we revisit the so-called “Lost Colony” of Roanoke and why it was never truly lost. From John White’s disastrous attempts to return with supplies, to political indifference, imperial distractions, and missed chances at Croatoan, we unpack what likely happened to the settlers—and why the mystery has endured. Along the way, we explore Indigenous perspectives, question long-standing colonial myths, and introduce how Roanoke’s legacy rippled forward into American history, leaving us with more insight than certainty… and plenty to stay curious about. The two major sources for this series of episodes are:The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke, by Andrew Lawler, published in 2018 by Anchor BooksThe Lost Colony and Hatteras Island, by Scott Dawson, published in 2020 by The History PressTo get updates and other content, follow @thecuriousalexjones on Instagram and Threads.
Transcribe →