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Why the wall was built

As the United States expanded into a global superpower, it simultaneously strengthened its national borders and began to limit who could come in and out of the country. In this week's episode, the story of how one of the very first walls meant to divide people was built on the US Southern border.

By Kyana Moghadam, Ramtin Arablouei, Rund Abdelfatah, Julie Caine, Casey Miner, Lawrence Wu, Cristina Kim, Anya Steinberg, Devin KatayamaUS Southern borderApril 21, 2026
why-the-wall-was-built

As the United States expanded into a global superpower, it simultaneously strengthened its national borders and began to limit who could come in and out of the country. In this week's episode, the story of how one of the very first walls meant to divide people was built on the US Southern border. To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.

Read the full story on NPR