Four More Years: Presidential Inaugurations
As the rest of Washington looks forward to the next four years, BackStory is looking back — at the last 224 years of presidential transitions. On today’s show, the History Guys focus in on several of the most high-stakes presidential inaugurations, and ask what these moments tell us about the social and political forces at [...]
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
50 years ago this October, a US military jet photographed partially-built Soviet bases in western Cuba. To mark the anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, we’re turning our attention to Cuba — that tiny island with an outsized influence in US 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?
Here to There: A History of Mapping
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.
Civil War 150th: The Road to Civil War
As America launches a multi-year commemoration of the Civil War, it’s easy to overlook the fact that back in the spring of 1861, disunion was anything but inevitable.
“Questions Remain” — Transcript
This is the transcript of “Civil War 150th: Questions Remain,” broadcast in April of 2011. You can listen to the entire show here. Tape: From VFH Radio in Charlottesville, Virginia, this is “BackStory.” Peter Onuf: From weapons of mass destruction to the U.S.S. Maine, each of America’s wars has been accompanied by its own [...]
Civil War 150th: Questions Remain
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!
“The Road to Civil War” — Features and Highlights
The following are extended versions of interviews included in the BackStory episode “Civil War 150th: The Road to Civil War,” produced in March of 2011. You can listen to the entire episode here. Reporter Thomas Pierce recounts the story of Abraham Lincoln’s long train journey to the White House from his home in Springfield, IL. [...]
“Why They Fought” – Features and Highlights
The following interviews are included in the BackStory episode “Civil War 150th: Why They Fought,” produced in March of 2011. You can listen to the entire episode here. Gary Gallagher: Why Northerners Fought — University of Virginia historian Gary Gallagher argues that while Northern leaders’ opposition to slavery brought on the Civil War, it wasn’t [...]
