BackStory

12/20/2011 - Join the Discussion | (30 Comments)

The History Guys trace the evolution of Christmas in America from a public festival of rowdy excess to a child-centered celebration of church and family.

11/22/2011 - Join the Discussion | (29 Comments)

When we sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, we think we know what we’re commemorating. But if an actual Pilgrim were to attend your Thanksgiving, chances are he’d be stunned, and a little disgusted, by what transpired there.

11/11/2011 - Join the Discussion | (26 Comments)

How have war veterans been treated in the aftermath of America’s past wars? How much depends on the politics of the war? Are vets only as popular as the wars they’ve fought in?

10/26/2011 - Join the Discussion | (25 Comments)

With Halloween in the air, the History Guys set out to explore Americans’ relationship with ghosts, spirits, and witches throughout our nation’s history.

10/10/2011 - Join the Discussion | (3 Comments)

In this live performance at Colonial Williamsburg’s Kimball Theatre, the History Guys take on the history of Indians in Virginia.

7/27/2011 - Join the Discussion | (14 Comments)

The History Guys explore why the national debt has continued to be so controversial in a country that was founded on borrowing.

7/20/2011 - Join the Discussion | (0 Comments)

BackStory correspondent Catherine Moore collects segments of Walt Whitman’s Civil War memoirs, diary entries, and poetry to tell the story of the poet’s extended encounter with America’s wounded.

6/1/2011 - Join the Discussion | (12 Comments)

As America launches a multi-year commemoration of the Civil War, it’s easy to overlook the fact that back in the spring of 1861, disunion was anything but inevitable.

4/8/2011 - Join the Discussion | (28 Comments)

After 150 years of national conversation–and tens of thousands of books–why does the Civil War still fascinate? Share your stories, questions, and comments here!

3/31/2011 - Join the Discussion | (13 Comments)

Join the History Guys as they explore the forces and motivations behind Americans’ willingness to take up arms against one another.