BackStory
BackStory is a weekly public podcast hosted by U.S. historians Ed Ayers, Brian Balogh, Nathan Connolly and Joanne Freeman. We're based in Charlottesville, Va. at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Each week we take a topic that people are talking about and explore it through the lens of American history. Through stories, interviews, and conversation with our listeners, we make history engaging and fun.
126
Wish You Were Here: A History of American Tourism
As summer winds down, millions of Americans are p…
57 min
127
Another Man’s Treasure: A History Of Trash [reb...
Let’s just call this episode trashy. The Guys pic…
51 min
128
You've Come A Long Way?: A History Of Women In ...
Hillary Clinton moved a giant step closer to beco…
60 min
129
Conventional Wisdom: A History of American Poli...
The 2016 presidential race switches into high gea…
51 min
130
The GOP: A History Of The Republican Party
Donald Trump has clinched the Republican party pr…
63 min
131
Rare History Well Done: Meat In America [rebroa...
Eating meat is a time-honored tradition in Americ…
58 min
132
Independence Daze: A History of July 4th [rebro...
In this episode of BackStory, Peter, Ed, and Brian explore the origins of July Fourth.
52 min
133
The Pursuit: A History Of Happiness [rebroadcast]
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - it’s…
51 min
134
Above The Fray?: Ideology & The Court
As of June 2016, the Republican controlled Senate…
51 min
135
Committed: Marriage In America [rebroadcast]
The month of June gets its name from Juno, the Ro…
51 min
136
Hamilton: A History
Alexander Hamilton is living large these days! Li…
51 min
137
Politically Incorrect: Speech In American Politics
***CONTENT ADVISORY: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS STRONG…
51 min
138
The Beasts Within Domesticated Animals In Amer...
This past March, Sea World announced it will stop…
51 min
139
All Hopped Up: Drugs In America [rebroadcast]
To date, four states have legalized recreational …
52 min
140
Watch The Throne: America & Royalty
Queen Elizabeth celebrates her 90th birthday this…
57 min
141
All In: A History of Gambling in America
This May, thousands of Americans will bet on the …
52 min
142
On The Money: A History Of American Currency [r...
This month, the U.S. Treasury announced that Harr…
51 min
143
Judaism in America
This month, Jewish communities across the country…
58 min
144
Stuck: A History of Political Gridlock [rebroad...
While Senate Republicans refuse to consider Presi…
51 min
145
Pass/Fail: An American History of Testing
This spring, millions of American high school stu…
51 min
146
TURF WAR [2016]: A HISTORY OF COLLEGE SPORTS [r...
With less than 2% of ESPN March Madness brackets …
51 min
147
Little Caesars: Local Power in America
As the presidential candidates continue their con…
58 min
148
Small Island, Big Shadow Cuba and the U.S. [re...
No sitting U.S. president has visited Cuba in nea…
51 min
149
Well-Regulated Militias: A History Of Armed Pro...
Earlier this year, tensions between federal offic…
53 min
150
The Middling Sort: Visions of the Middle Class ...
On this BackStory, we’ll take a look at what it m…
51 min