The Cavalcade of America was an anthology drama radio program which aired weekly from 1935 to 1953. The radio show was sponsored by the DuPont Company, a chemical company, which began as a manufacturer of gunpowder in 1802. The DuPont Company created the Cavalcade of America as a promotional tool. The program dramatized historical events focusing on individual stories of heroism, and occasionally presented a musical performance. The stories were presented as uplifting and emphasized human achievements, progress and technological innovations.

Roy Durstine created the show and Donald Voorhees was the musical director. There were numerous writers and directors used for different episodes. Among the writers were Arthur Miller, Virginia Radcliff, George Faulkner, and Robert Tallman. Directors included Robert Stevenson, Harry Horner, Peter Godfrey, and Laslo Benedek.

The show had eighteen series producing 781 episodes. Although not actual advertising for DuPont products, the company motto was read at the beginning of each episode, “Maker of better things for better living through chemistry”. The narrators included countless famous performers such as Bette Davis, Lionel Barrymore, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, James Stewart, Helen Hayes, Orsen Welles, and Lana Turner.

Cavalcade of America was adapted into a television program, which aired from 1952 to 1957 on NBC and then later on ABC. The radio show and the television program only overlapped for one year before the radio show was discontinued.