The Stars and Stripes. Fireworks. Apple pie. Podcasts?

O.K., so we don’t necessarily think of the programs that distract from our tedious commutes, that accompany us as we run errands and prepare meals, as a staple of American life. But maybe we should. After all, podcasts are a homegrown medium, one of the newest ways for Americans to share stories that define us.

Below, we’ve gathered episodes that feel thematically appropriate for the Fourth of July. Some of them cover iconically American subjects, like ballgames, fried food, guns and cars. Others are historical or political, or just tell us a little bit about where we’ve been and where we may be going. Hopefully, you’ll find something on this list you can enjoy while trapped in traffic over the holiday, whether you’re feeling stirringly patriotic or just a little bit bored.

If you accept the premise that “This American Life” succeeds in offering meaningful snapshots of, well, our American life, then you’ll understand why it was difficult to stick to one Fourth of July episode. We settled on two.

The first, “Guns,” contains several vignettes, most of which try to bridge the gap between the feelings of love or fear that guns arouse in so many people. The historian Sarah Vowell’s story of bonding with her father over building a gun is not to be missed.