Painting, left: The Mississippian culture was a mound building Native American urban culture that flourished in Southern and Eastern North America before the arrival of Europeans. The Five Tribes – Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek and Seminole - were indigenous peoples of the Americas who lived in the Southeastern United States. Most were descendants of what is now called the Mississippian culture, an agrarian culture that grew crops of corn and beans, with hereditary religious and political elites. The Mississippian Culture flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from 800 to 1500. Before European Contact these tribes were generally matriarchial societies. Agriculture was the primary economic pursuit. The bulk of the tribes lived in towns (some covering hundreds of acres and populated with thousands of people). These communities regulated their space with planned streets, subdivided into residential and public areas. Their system of government was hereditary. Chiefdoms were of varying size and complexity, with high levels of military organization.
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
 
Hour One
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 1, Block A: The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom, by Marcus Rediker (1 of 4)
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 1, Block B: The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom, by Marcus Rediker (2 of 4)
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 1, Block C: The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom, by Marcus Rediker (3 of 4)
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 1, Block D: The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom, by Marcus Rediker (4 of 4)
 
Hour Two
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 2, Block A: A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico, by Amy S. Greenberg  (1 of 4)
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 2, Block B: A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico, by Amy S. Greenberg  (2 of 4)
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 2, Block C: A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico, by Amy S. Greenberg  (3 of 4)
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 2, Block D: A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico, by Amy S. Greenberg  (4 of 4)
 
Hour Three
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 3, Block A: The Blood of Heroes: The 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo--and the Sacrifice That Forged a Nation, by James Donovan (1 of 4)
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 3, Block B: The Blood of Heroes: The 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo--and the Sacrifice That Forged a Nation, by James Donovan (2 of 4)
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 3, Block C: The Blood of Heroes: The 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo--and the Sacrifice That Forged a Nation, by James Donovan (3 of 4)
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 3, Block D: The Blood of Heroes: The 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo--and the Sacrifice That Forged a Nation, by James Donovan (4 of 4)
 
Hour Four
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 4, Block A: An American Betrayal: Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears, by Daniel Blake Smith (1 of 4)
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 4, Block B: An American Betrayal: Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears, by Daniel Blake Smith (2 of 4)
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 4, Block C: An American Betrayal: Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears, by Daniel Blake Smith (3 of 4)
Sunday 31 May 2015/ Hour 4, Block D: An American Betrayal: Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears, by Daniel Blake Smith (4 of 4)