BackStory - Aliens from... Inner Space? Outsiders in America
From: BackStory with the American History Guys
Length: 00:53:53
More from BackStory with the American History Guys
In the Beginning: Evolution and Creation in American History
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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 episode of BackStory, the History ...
Borrowed Times: A History of the National Debt
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From: BackStory with the American History Guys
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 times in American history ...
Civil War 150th: Questions Remain
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From: BackStory with the American History Guys
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 a wide range of questions ...
Civil War 150th: Why They Fought
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From: BackStory with the American History Guys
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 against one another in ...
Civil War 150th: The Road to War
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From: BackStory with the American History Guys
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 Lincoln's election and the ...
Beyond Numbers: A History of the U.S. Census
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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 doling out power based on the ...
American Spirit: A History of the Supernatural
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From: BackStory with the American History Guys
On this Halloween special, BackStory explores Americans' relationship with ghosts, spirits, and witches throughout our nation's history. Why were colonists so fearful of New ...
Justice on Horseback
(00:04:34)
From: BackStory with the American History Guys
Before "The People's Court," there was the circuit riding system. Supreme Court Justices traveled all over the country delivering--as one Senator put it--"law to the people's ...
Scales of Justice: A History of Supreme Court Nominations
(00:54:00)
From: BackStory with the American History Guys
Another summer, another Supreme Court vacancy! Join the History Guys as they explore the highlights – and lowlights – of Supreme Court nominations past.
Grave Matters: A History of Death and Mourning
(00:53:53)
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.
Piece Description
Americans have always feared "alien" invasions, especially those by other earthlings. Fearing French radicalism in 1798, the US passed its first deportation legislation (some of which remains today), but it wasn't until the late 19th century that we started stopping foreigners at the border. Why should a country populated by immigrants be so wary of immigration? Is it xenophobia or protection of the economy or public health? Who have been the targets of exclusion acts? And how native were the Nativists? What do you think? does our melting pot runneth over?
Broadcast History
Aired on two Central Virginia radio stations and Odessa TX August 9-11, 2008
Timing and Cues
Follows NPR Special Programming clock
:59 sec billboard
53:00 episode




