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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Media and legal scholar Siva Vaidhyanathan talks with Host Brian Balough about the expansion of copyright protections.

Bought by WOUB, Radio Newark, and KHNS


  • Added: May 20, 2013
  • Length: 08:30
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: 1814 wood engraving of two types of locking mechanisms., Credit: (Library of Congress).
Can genes be patented? Are downloaders inhibiting musical creativity – or enhancing it? This week’s BackStory explores how Americans have viewed “i...

Bought by WUFT, XRAY.fm, WSKG, KUOW, WRPI and more


  • Added: May 17, 2013
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 12
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30-second promo for: Patent Pending: A History of Intellectual Property with 5 second hole for station-specific time/date tag.

Bought by WUFT and Troy Public Radio


  • Added: May 14, 2013
  • Length: :30
  • Purchases: 2
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The American History Guys riff on citizenship. Does being born on American soil guarantee American citizenship?

Bought by Radio Newark, KFAI Minneapolis, KHNS, and PRX Remix


  • Added: May 13, 2013
  • Length: 07:07
  • Purchases: 4
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Host Peter Onuf talks to religion scholar Peggy Bendroth about “Day of Doom” by Michael Wigglesworth, a poem in which dead babies talk to us from b...

Bought by KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, Radio Newark, KBRP Community Radio, and PRX Remix


  • Added: May 13, 2013
  • Length: 07:13
  • Purchases: 4
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Laurel Thatcher Ulrich talks to Host Ed Ayers about the movement away from midwifery and towards hospital births.

Bought by Radio Newark, KHNS, KBRP Community Radio, and PRX Remix


  • Added: May 13, 2013
  • Length: 09:03
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: Migrant cotton picker and her baby, Buckeye, AZ, 1940, Credit: (National Archives).
It’s BackStory’s birthday! To celebrate one year as a weekly show, the American History Guys are going back to where it all begins: birth. From mid...

Bought by RadioStPete Florida, KFOK-LPFM, KBRP Community Radio, WOUB, and WTJU


  • Added: May 10, 2013
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 5
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30-second promo for: Born in the USA with 5 second hole for station-specific time/date tag.

Bought by WUFT and KMXT


  • Added: May 08, 2013
  • Length: :30
  • Purchases: 2
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Host Brian Balough explores the meaning of "wartime" with Mary Dudziak, an historian at Emory University's School of Law. Well after V-J Day, Dudz...

Bought by WEZU, Radio Newark, KBRP Community Radio, and PRX Remix


  • Added: May 06, 2013
  • Length: 10:50
  • Purchases: 4
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Host Peter Onuf talks with Amy Greenberg, an historian at Pennsylvania State University, on the rogue diplomat that ended the Mexican-American War ...

Bought by XRAY.fm, Radio Newark, and PRX Remix


  • Added: May 06, 2013
  • Length: 11:01
  • Purchases: 3