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?
Small Island, Big Shadow: Cuba and the US
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.
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?
Been There, Done That: Historical Reenactments
Americans have a fascination with their past – not just discussing it, but actually reliving it. And we’re not just talking about your every day Civil War reenactments. There are people reenacting American sports, wars, and even lynchings.
Conventional Wisdom: A History of American Political Conventions
American political conventions haven’t always been so predictable. Before becoming scripted for television, conventions were often where pressing issues of the day got hashed out and careers were made or ruined. In this hour of BackStory we venture into the back rooms, the chaotic halls, and the streets where these dramas unfolded.
City Upon a Hill: American Exceptionalism
The History Guys explore the changing meanings of American Exceptionalism, tracing it from the Founders through the presidential election of 2012.
George Washington’s Inaugural Parade
The following audio clip is excerpted from the BackStory episode “The More Things Change: A History of Presidential Transitions.” You can listen to the entire episode here. Catherine Moore tells the story of George Washington’s inaugural “parade,” and why it mattered. Excerpted from: The More Things Change: A History of Presidential Transitions
James K. Polk
The following audio clip is excerpted from the BackStory episode “The More Things Change: A History of Presidential Transitions.” You can listen to the entire episode here. Historian Michael Holt explains the lasting impact of a little-known president, James K. Polk, and the History Guys ask whether Polk’s expansion of US territory was a foregone [...]
Jefferson and the Press
The following audio clip is excerpted from the BackStory episode “Just the Facts?: Partisanship & the Press.” You can listen to the entire episode here. The History Guys discuss Thomas Jefferson’s sometimes contradictory ideas about a free press. Excerpted from: Just the Facts?: Partisanship & the Press
Jefferson Then and Now (Pt. 2)
From FDR to Sarah Palin, public figures on all sides of the political spectrum have claimed Thomas Jefferson as their own. But what did Jefferson really stand for?
