Power and Extremism
The Other Machine Henry Built
Henry Ford is often remembered as the man who put America on wheels. An industrial titan, a visionary, a symbol of progress. But beneath the shine of the Model-T lies a darker legacy. This episode unearths the other machine Ford built: one driven by control, fear, and silence.
From his antisemitic publications that inspired Nazi ideology, to his private army that brutalized labor organizers, to the utopian rubber empire he tried to construct in the Amazon rainforest-- this is the side of Henry Ford history prefers to forget.
The Black Legion
You've heard of the KKK. But you probably haven't heard of this other group. The one that wore black robes instead of white. That hid in mayors' offices, police stations, and factory floors. That didn't march, but hunted.
They called themselves the Black Legion. And for a time, they were one of the most dangerous domestic terror groups in the country. In this episode, we uncover their strange origins, their brutal tactics, and the chilling truth behind the murders they carried out-- including the suspicious death of a Black activist in Lansing... whose son would later be known as Malcolm X.
Michigan's House of David
At the height of its influence, the House of David was a utopian religious colony in Michigan-- a place that promised purity, community, and the second coming of Christ. But behind its walls, something far darker was unfolding. This episode unearths the rise and fall of Benjamin Purnell, a charismatic preacher who claimed to be the seventh and final messenger of God. As his following grew into the thousands, so did the accusations: fraud, abuse, and the exploitation of teenage girls.
This is the House of David.