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

Caption: Harlem Newsboy, 1943, by Gordon Parks, Credit: Library of Congress
30-second promo for BackStory episode, "Young Americans: A History of Childhood [rebroadcast]," with 5-second music bed at end for station-specific...

Bought by WUFT


  • Added: Jan 21, 2014
  • Length: :30
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Map of Mexico, 1847, Credit: Library of Congress
Twenty years ago, NAFTA — the North American Free Trade Agreement — removed barriers to trade between the United States and Mexico, marking a more ...

Bought by KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, WUFT, XRAY.fm, WRPI, KREV-LP and more


  • Added: Jan 17, 2014
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Map of Mexico, 1847 , Credit: Library of Congress
30-second promo for BackStory episode, "Border Crossings: A History of US-Mexico Relations," with 5-second music bed at end for station-specific ti...

Bought by WUFT


  • Added: Jan 14, 2014
  • Length: :30
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: A rabbit serves a meal to three kittens (Harry Whittier Frees, c1870)
From household pets to beasts of burden, domesticated animals are a major part of American life – and we spend billions of dollars each year lookin...

Bought by KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, KSRQ, XRAY.fm, WRPI, KREV-LP and more


  • Added: Jan 10, 2014
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: A rabbit serves a meal to three kittens (Harry Whittier Frees, c1870).
30-second promo for BackStory episode, "The Beasts Within: Domesticated Animals in America [rebroadcast]," with 5-second music bed at end for stati...

  • Added: Jan 07, 2014
  • Length: :30
Caption: Robert Owen’s proposed utopian community in New Harmony, Indiana (1838), Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The New Year is here and many Americans will be resolving to make this one better than the last. But some Americans have sought to make changes to ...

Bought by KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, WRPI, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, and WEZU


  • Added: Jan 03, 2014
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: New Harmony, as proposed by Robert Owen, 1838.
30-second promo for BackStory episode, "Heaven on Earth: A History of American Utopias," with 5-second music bed at end for station-specific time/d...

Bought by WUFT


  • Added: Dec 31, 2013
  • Length: :30
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: New York City policemen pour liquor into a sewer following a raid during Prohibition, c1921 , Credit: Library of Congress
New Year’s Eve is just round the corner – and many Americans will be marking the midnight hour with a drink (or three). And it’s not just New Year'...

Bought by KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, WHYY, XRAY.fm, Troy Public Radio, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio and more


  • Added: Dec 27, 2013
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: New York City policemen pour liquor into a sewer following a raid during Prohibition, c1921, Credit: Library of Congress
30-second promo for BackStory episode, "Cheers and Jeers: Alcohol in America [rebroadcast]," with 5-second music bed at end for station-specific ti...

Bought by WHYY and Troy Public Radio


  • Added: Dec 24, 2013
  • Length: :30
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Pope Leo XIII depicted going “through the ballot box to the Constitution.” Puck, 11/18/1885, Credit: Library of Congress
The holidays are here, and along with the celebrations come questions over the appropriateness of religious displays on public property. And there’...

Bought by KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, WEZU, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, and WRPI


  • Added: Dec 13, 2013
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 4