BackStory with the American History Guys

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BackStory  is a weekly podcast that uses current events in America to take a deep dive into our past. Hosted by noted U.S. historians, Ed Ayers, Brian Balogh, Peter Onuf, Nathan Connolly and Joanne Freeman, each episode provides listeners with different perspectives on a particular theme or subject – giving you all sides to the story and then some.

Please confirm carriage of evergreen BackStory with the American History Guys episodes by contacting Diana Williams @(434)-924-6894 or dwilliams@virginia.edu.

Moving from current headlines to drill down into U.S. history, each surprising BackStory episode features lively interviews with a diverse roster of scholars, experts, and ordinary citizens from around the country; listener calls; host discussions; and produced pieces. Topics are as diverse as college sports, reenactments, sugar, memorials, domestic terrorism, birthing, homeownership, the post office, philanthropy, protests, privacy, marriage, revivalism, and childhood—all in the context of American history.

BackStory is produced by  Virginia Humanities. Major funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities with additional corporate, foundation, institutional, and individual support.

Please visit our station landing page for upcoming episodes, promotional photos, and other information.

 


Series

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This series is for stations that want to subscribe to Backstory for WEEKLY deliveries using PRX's SubAuto system.

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188 Pieces

A collection of the best stories and features from BackStory, meant for excerpt by programs or stations.

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1 Piece

A collection of one-hour BackStory specials for use in station holiday programming.

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42 Pieces

Promos for stations airing upcoming episodes of BackStory with the American History Guys.

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A special three-part series of hour-long episodes exploring the causes and consequences of the American Civil War.


Pieces

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Contributor Meg Cramer tells the story of the first electrically lit town in America -- Wabash, Indiana.

Bought by WOUB, Radio Newark, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Nov 04, 2013
  • Length: 06:21
  • Purchases: 3
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Producer Eric Mennel tells the story of a 24-second experiment that saved one of America’s most beloved sports.

Bought by WOUB, Radio Newark, Louisville Public Media, PRX Remix, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Nov 04, 2013
  • Length: 06:59
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Detail from United Cigar Stores Company lithograph, "Victory! Congress Passes Daylight Savings Time Bill," 1918., Credit: Library of Congress
With fallback upon us once again, this episode of BackStory takes a look at the ways Americans have experienced and understood time, over time. Fro...

Bought by XRAY.fm and KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio


  • Added: Nov 01, 2013
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Detail from United Cigar Stores Company lithograph, "Victory! Congress Passes Daylight Savings Time Bill," 1918, Credit: Library of Congress
30-second promo for BackStory episode, "On the Clock: A (Brief) History of Time [rebroadcast]," with 5-second music bed at end for station-specific...

  • Added: Oct 29, 2013
  • Length: :30
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Host Ed Ayers talks with historian Annette Gordon-Reed about the Republican Party’s own civil war in the late 1860s, over the nature of Reconstruct...

Bought by Radio Newark


  • Added: Oct 28, 2013
  • Length: 07:09
  • Purchases: 1
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Host Brian Balogh sits down with historian Joseph Crespino, who explains the Democratic conflict that led to the Dixiecrat Bolt of 1948.

Bought by Radio Newark


  • Added: Oct 28, 2013
  • Length: 09:27
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Rival factions of the Democratic Party tussle over President Martin Van Buren. Lithograph, 1837. , Credit: Library of Congress
The recent government shutdown highlighted the intense conflict between political parties today, but it also showed how critical conflict within th...

Bought by XRAY.fm, Northeast Indiana Public Radio, KBRP Community Radio, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, and WRPI


  • Added: Oct 25, 2013
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Rival factions of the Democratic Party tussle over President Martin Van Buren. Lithograph, 1837. , Credit: Library of Congress
30-second promo for BackStory episode, "Splintered Parties: A History of Political Factions," with 5-second music bed at end for station-specific t...

Bought by Troy Public Radio


  • Added: Oct 23, 2013
  • Length: :30
  • Purchases: 1
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Reporter Nate DiMeo tells the story of the Kate and Margaret Fox, the small-town girls who triggered the 19th century movement known as Spiritualism.

Bought by WABE, Troy Public Radio, Radio Newark, PRX Remix, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Oct 21, 2013
  • Length: 06:23
  • Purchases: 5
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Host Peter Onuf speaks with Harvard historian Anne Braude about the intersection of Spiritualism with 19th century social reform movements.

Bought by Radio Newark and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Oct 21, 2013
  • Length: 08:33
  • Purchases: 2