Archive for 2009
The Good Mother: A History of American Motherhood
For most of American history, women were charged with raising productive citizens, but not given full citizen status, themselves. Our Mother’s Day episode explores this enduring paradox.
Just the Facts?: Partisanship and the Press
What ever happened to good, old-fashioned, objective reporting? In this hour, the History Guys turn that question on its head, and ask instead where the notion of “objective” reporting came from in the first place.
Laboratories of Democracy: The State of the States
In its early years, the US wasn’t so much “United” as “States.” Power has steadily shifted to the federal government, but states have continued to assert independence on important issues. If we’re all Americans, why do states still matter?
The More Things Change: The History of Presidential Transitions
Commanders come and go—but what difference does it really make? In this hour, BackStory takes a closer look at the realities of presidential transitions. Send us your ideas, questions, and stories so you can join us on the air!
Black & White: The Idea of Racial Purity
On this episode of BackStory, the History Guys look for the roots of America’s obsession with race, and ask why the line between black and white has remained so bold despite centuries of racial mixing.
Were the categories of “black” and “white” already in place when Africans first came to America, and if not, when did [...]
