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?

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?

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?

On this episode, we mark the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis with a look back on the outsized influence that this small nation has had on three centuries of American history.

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?

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?

We're devoting this episode of BackStory to maps - asking how the ways in which Americans have mapped geography illustrate the ways in which Americans have understood themselves socially.

The War of 1812 may be the war we forgot, but that does not mean it’s without an important role in shaping the country. On the occasion of its bicentennial, we ask: What were we fighting for? What did we win, what did we lose, and why should we care?

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?

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!