Been There, Done That: Historical Reenactments [rebroadcast]
On this episode, we ask what drives Americans to reenact their past. Is it purely educational? Or is there something deeper, more personal, at stake?
Rules of Engagement: Ethics in Warfare
America’s use of targeted drone strikes in Pakistan and elsewhere has raised questions about what is — and isn’t — an appropriate way to wage war. In this episode, we look at the ways previous generations have answered these sorts of questions.
Thenceforward and Forever Free [Rebroadcast]
We look at the narratives surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation and try to unpack its legacy. How can we best understand emancipation – as a moral imperative, a military necessity, a political strategy, or all of the above?
Coming Home: A History of War Veterans [rebroadcast]
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?
American Spirit: A History of the Supernatural [Rebroadcast]
With Halloween in the air, the History Guys set out to explore Americans’ relationship with ghosts, spirits, and witches throughout our nation’s history.
Been There, Done That: Historical Reenactments
On this episode of BackStory, we ask what drives Americans to reenact their past. Is it purely educational? Or is there something deeper, more personal, at stake?
Thenceforward and Forever Free
We look at the narratives surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation and try to unpack its legacy. How can we best understand emancipation – as a moral imperative, a military necessity, a political strategy, or all of the above?
Civil War 150: Empty Sleeves and Broken Hearts
In this interview Ed interviews Megan Kate Nelson about the proliferation of so-called “empty sleeve narratives” in poems, stories, songs, and artworks that glorified amputee veterans returning home after the Civil War.
Civil War 150: Mapping Slavery, Pt. 2
In this interview, Ed speaks with historian Susan Schulten about the map that used U.S. Census data to illustrate the distribution of slave populations prior to the Civil War.
Civil War 150: Mapping Slavery, Pt. 1
In this interview, the History Guys take a look at the famous Francis Bicknell Carpenter painting, “First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln,” and talk to historian Susan Schulten about the map featured in the lower right-hand corner of the image.
