American as Pumpkin Pie: A History of Thanksgiving
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.
The Extraordinary Ordinary: Populism in America
Joe the Plumber and his geographic equivalent, “Main Street,” were both major figures in Election ‘08. “We the People” have finally spoken and… wait a second, who’s “we” and what did “we” say, anyway? This week, the many faces of populism.
Environmental Crisis!
It seems that Americans are finally waking up to the reality of climate change, but scientists tell us it may be too little, too late. This may be the most far-reaching environmental threat Americans have ever faced, but it’s certainly not the first. In this hour, we consider the history of American anxieties about the [...]
Shenandoah Removals
Jesse Dukes’ story on the Shenandoah was inspired by Justin Reich’s article, Recreating the wilderness: Shaping narratives and landscapes in Shenandoah National Park.
Here are two pieces of archival tape, courtesy of the Carrier Library at James Madison University.
In this piece, Dorothy Noble Smith, who conducted a private oral history project, reads aloud the lyrics [...]
