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BackStory with the American History Guys

Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
http://www.backstoryradio.org

BackStory is a monthly program that brings historical perspective to the events happening around us today. On each episode, renowned U.S. historians Ed Ayers, Peter Onuf, and Brian Balogh tear a topic from the headlines and plumb its historical depths. Over the course of the hour, they are joined by fellow historians, people in the news, and callers interested in exploring the roots of today’s news. With its passionate, intelligent, and irreverent approach, BackStory is essential listening for a broad range of audiences. All episodes are available free-of-charge on PRX. For more information, contact Producer Tony Field [434.924.8922, tfield@virginia.edu] or Steve Martin [703.715.0827, steve@sfmconsulting.com]

Pieces

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In the Beginning: Evolution and Creation in American History

From BackStory with the American History Guys

More than 85 years after the Scopes “Monkey Trial,” debates over the proper place of Darwin in American schools are alive and well. In this episod...

Bought by KREV-LP, KUOW, WSHU, WCAI / WNAN, WRPI and more

Added: Oct 25, 2011
Length: 00:54:00
Purchases: 6

Borrowed Times: A History of the National Debt

From BackStory with the American History Guys

Caption: Uncle Sam's choice of Liberty Bonds or shackles inscribed 'Prussia.' NY Evening Post, 1917, Credit: Library of Congress

On this episode, the History Guys explore why debt has continued to be so controversial in a nation that was founded on borrowing. Have there been ...

Bought by KREV-LP, WNJR, KUOW, WBEZ, 90.5 WSNC and more

Added: Jun 22, 2011
Length: 00:54:00
Purchases: 17

Civil War 150th: Questions Remain

Series: The Civil War, 150 Years Later
From BackStory with the American History Guys

Caption: City Point, VA (1865), Credit: Library of Congress

In this third part of BackStory's "Civil War 150th" series, the History Guys host a special listener Q&A. Over the course of the hour, they answer ...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, Wisconsin Public Radio, WYSO, KFOK-LP, KUOW and more

Added: Apr 01, 2011
Length: 00:54:00
Purchases: 9

Civil War 150th: Why They Fought

Series: The Civil War, 150 Years Later
From BackStory with the American History Guys

Caption: Two Soldiers from the 23rd New York Infantry, ca. 1861-1865, Credit: Library of Congress

In the second episode of BackStory's "Civil War 150th" series, the History Guys look at what motivated Northerners and Southerners to take up arms...

Bought by Wisconsin Public Radio, WYSO, KFOK-LP, 90.5 WSNC, KUOW and more

Added: Mar 25, 2011
Length: 00:54:00
Purchases: 11

Civil War 150th: The Road to War

Series: The Civil War, 150 Years Later
From BackStory with the American History Guys

Caption: "The Hercules of Union Slaying the Great Dragon of Secession," 1861 , Credit: Library of Congress

To mark the sesquicentennial of the Civil War's beginnings, the History Guys take an in-depth look at the pivotal six months between Abraham Lincol...

Bought by Wisconsin Public Radio, KFOK-LP, WYSO, 90.5 WSNC, WTIP and more

Added: Mar 09, 2011
Length: 00:54:00
Purchases: 12

Beyond Numbers: A History of the U.S. Census

From BackStory with the American History Guys

The History Guys dig into the little-considered story of the U.S. Census – the invisible backbone of our democracy. As it turns out, the idea of do...

Bought by WSKG, WCPN, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, WRPI, KUOW and more

Added: Dec 21, 2010
Length: 00:54:00
Purchases: 7

American Spirit: A History of the Supernatural

From BackStory with the American History Guys

Caption: "Houdini and the ghost of Abraham Lincoln," ca. 1920, Credit: Library of Congress

On this Halloween special, BackStory explores Americans' relationship with ghosts, spirits, and witches throughout our nation's history. Why were c...

Bought by WSHU, WCPN, Spokane Public Radio, 90.5 WSNC, WRPI and more

Added: Oct 08, 2010
Length: 00:54:00
Purchases: 15

Justice on Horseback

From BackStory with the American History Guys

Caption: A writ of execution issued by Chief Justice John Jay, while riding circuit in NH., Credit: US District Court - NH

Before "The People's Court," there was the circuit riding system. Supreme Court Justices traveled all over the country delivering--as one Senator p...

Bought by Yellowstone Public Radio and Public Radio Remix

Added: Jun 24, 2010
Length: 00:04:34
Purchases: 2

Scales of Justice: A History of Supreme Court Nominations

From BackStory with the American History Guys

Caption: Taft Court, Taken by Harris & Ewing (between 1921-30), Credit: Library of Congress

Another summer, another Supreme Court vacancy! Join the History Guys as they explore the highlights – and lowlights – of Supreme Court nominations ...

Bought by Prairie Public, WTIP, Yellowstone Public Radio, 90.5 WSNC, WCAI / WNAN and more

Added: Jun 22, 2010
Length: 00:54:00
Purchases: 9

Grave Matters: A History of Death and Mourning

From BackStory with the American History Guys

A look at the ways Americans have remembered their dead, from the Revolutionary War up through the present.

Bought by KISU, Iowa Public Radio, WMRA, KALW, Prairie Public and more

Added: May 03, 2010
Length: 00:53:53
Purchases: 19

The Good Mother: A History of American Motherhood

From BackStory with the American History Guys

Caption: Currier and Ives, "Look at Papa", Credit: Library of Congress

"Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys…" They may not have known it, but when Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson crooned that line in 197...

Bought by KREV-LP, WEKU, 90.5 WSNC, WTIP, Yellowstone Public Radio and more

Added: Apr 29, 2010
Length: 00:54:00
Purchases: 16

BackStory - Paying Up: A History of Taxation

From BackStory with the American History Guys

Caption: "O, the fatal Stamp Act" (one colonial newspaper's reaction to the Stamp Act of 1765.)

Just in time for Tax Day, BackStory delves into the long and turbulent history of taxation in America.

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, Spokane Public Radio, KUFM - Montana Public Radio, KXOT Public Radio, WRPI and more

Added: Apr 06, 2010
Length: 00:54:00
Purchases: 6

Climate Control: A History of Heating and Cooling

From BackStory with the American History Guys

Caption: He Asks Folks to Step Into the Stove, Credit: Samantha at the World's Fair by Marietta Holley

What was life like before the age of thermostats and fossil fuels? When did Americans come to expect a "comfortable" indoor climate?

Bought by WNJR, KSJD, WCPN, Spokane Public Radio, Yellowstone Public Radio and more

Added: Mar 03, 2010
Length: 00:54:00
Purchases: 6

BackStory - "Controversial Wars"

From BackStory with the American History Guys

The debate over the War in Iraq... It's enough to make one yearn for earlier times, when the nation united against a common enemy. Or did it?

Bought by Spokane Public Radio, KXOT Public Radio, and WRIR

Added: Feb 22, 2010
Length: 00:54:27
Purchases: 3

BackStory - Environmental Crisis!!!!

From BackStory with the American History Guys

Climate change may be the most far-reaching environmental threat Americans have ever faced, but it's certainly not the first. The Father of Enviro...

Bought by Spokane Public Radio, WRNC-LP, WCAI / WNAN, WMPG, and WRPI

Added: Feb 22, 2010
Length: 00:53:51
Purchases: 5

BackStory - I owe, I owe... Debt in America

From BackStory with the American History Guys

200 years ago, debt was considered not simply an economic failing, but a moral one. It could even land you in prison! When did our attitudes about ...

Bought by WCPN, WNPR, 90.5 WSNC, KWIT, KXOT Public Radio and more

Added: Feb 22, 2010
Length: 00:53:53
Purchases: 8

BackStory - Inventing the Traditional American Family

From BackStory with the American History Guys

Throughout American history, economics - not affection - has been the real tie that binds a family together. So when did the "traditional" family e...

Bought by KSJD, 90.5 WSNC, WSKG, Spokane Public Radio, WRIR and more