BackStory

6/1/2011 - Join the Discussion | (10 Comments)

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.

4/26/2011 - Join the Discussion | (1 Comments)

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 [...]

4/8/2011 - Join the Discussion | (28 Comments)

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!

4/6/2011 - Join the Discussion | (2 Comments)

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. [...]

4/6/2011 - Join the Discussion | (1 Comments)

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 [...]

3/31/2011 - Join the Discussion | (12 Comments)

Join the History Guys as they explore the forces and motivations behind Americans’ willingness to take up arms against one another.

3/29/2011 - Join the Discussion | (2 Comments)

This is the transcript of “The Road to Civil War,” broadcast in March of 2011.

2/28/2011 - Join the Discussion | (3 Comments)

The following clip is an interview featured in the BackStory episode “Civil War 150th: Why They Fought.” You can listen to the entire episode here. The History Guys interview Aaron Sheehan-Dean, historian at the University of North Florida, about the Confederate cause.