The Great Migration
The following audio clip is excerpted from the BackStory episode “Looking for Work: A History of Unemployment.” You can listen to the entire episode here. William Brown moved north from Jacksonville, FL, during the Great Migration. He describes what happened when he asked a Philadelphia real estate agent for a job. Discussion of challenges for [...]
Measuring Unemployment
The following audio clip is excerpted from the BackStory episode “Looking for Work: A History of Unemployment.” You can listen to the entire episode here. Historian Alexander Keyssar explains how the unemployed were counted and uncounted–acknowledged and unacknowledged–in the 19th and 20th centuries. [Audio clip: view full post to listen] Excerpted from: Looking for Work: [...]
Beth Bailey Extended Interview
The following audio clip is an extended interview of a version originally aired on the BackStory episode “Love Me Did: A History of Courtship.” You can listen to the entire episode here. SPECIAL WEB EXTRA: Beth Bailey tells Brian about three generations of courtship in her own family… and why there are only two entries [...]
19th Century Personal Ads
The following audio clip is excerpted from the BackStory episode “Love Me Did: A History of Courtship.” You can listen to the entire episode here. Pam Epstein, a PhD candidate in history at Rutgers University and author of the blog Advertising for Love, shares some of her favorite 19th century personal ads with BackStory’s 19th [...]
A Debt to Society
The following audio clip is excerpted from the BackStory episode “Serving Time: A History of Punishment.” You can listen to the entire episode here. Historian Rebecca McLennan explains why 19th century prison labor was not only central to America’s penal system, but also to its economy. [Audio clip: view full post to listen] Excerpted from: [...]
“Love Me Did”: Music Listing
This is a list of the music used in the BackStory episode “Love Me Did: A History of Courtship,” broadcast in January/February of 2010.
Panic!: A History of Financial Crisis
Deregulation…Crash…Recession…Bailout. Sound familiar? Probably. Sound modern? It shouldn’t. So how have we responded to financial crises in the past? And why do people think we’ll ever break free from this cycle? What would you like to know about the history of market crashes?
"Aliens" in America
In a country populated by immigrants, why are Americans so wary of newcomers? What’s the difference between the nativism of the early Republic and and the anti-immigrant sentiment on talk radio today? How do we draw the line between “us” and “them?” Historian Mae Ngai explains that the door slammed shut in the the 1920s. [...]
I Owe, I Owe: Debt in America
It seems like everyone owes money these days. But two hundred years ago, debt was considered not simply an economic failing, but a moral one. It could even land you in prison! In this hour, we look at how debt became the American way of life. Economic historian Louis Hyman argues that you and I [...]
I Owe, I Owe: Debt in America
It seems like everyone owes money these days. But two hundred years ago, debt was considered not simply an economic failing, but a moral one. It could even land you in prison! In this hour, we look at how debt became the American way of life. Economic historian Louis Hyman argues that you and I [...]
