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Jun 18, 2025•58 min
BackStory
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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 Virginia Humanities.
\n\n\nThere’s the history you had to learn, and the history you want to learn - that’s where BackStory comes in. Each week BackStory takes a topic that people are talking about and explores it through the lens of American history. Through stories, interviews, and conversations with our listeners, BackStory makes history engaging and fun.
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Episodes
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Jun 18, 2025•2 min
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Oct 05, 2023•1 min
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Oct 04, 2023•1 min
331: The End of the Road: BackStory and the History of Finales in America
On this final episode of BackStory, Nathan, Brian, Joanne and Ed explore different kinds of finales throughout American history. They also consider what it’s like being a part of their own finale and how finales can sometimes lead to new beginnings.
Jul 03, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 331
Teaser: BackStory and the History of Finales in America
Coach Tony Bennett knows a thing or two about big finales. He’s the head coach of the men’s basketball team at the University of Virginia. This is a clip from Brian's conversation with Coach Bennett about the power of sports and how you have to be able to accept the outcome of a big game, whether it’s a buzzer-beater win or a heartbreaking loss. The full episode is coming to you this Friday, July 3.
Jun 30, 2020•6 min
330: Best of BackStory: The Time the People Picked
As BackStory nears the end of its production, we’ve asked our listeners to call in with moments from the show’s history and compile their very own “Best of BackStory.” We got some great responses covering a range of topics, each of them meaningful to the present moment in their own way. So in this best of BackStory, we present three of our listener’s favorite interviews from the show. You’ll learn about the early U.S. Postal Service, and hear from residents of Hamlet, North Carolina as we explor...
Jun 26, 2020•51 min•Ep. 330
Introducing: Seizing Freedom
Coming Feb 2021… In most history classes, students learn that the Emancipation Proclamation and Union victories “freed the slaves.” But ending slavery in America required much more than battlefield victories and official declarations. Black people battled for their own freedom, taking incredible risks for a country that had actively denied their right to it. And after the Civil War, they made freedom real by organizing for equality and justice. On Seizing Freedom , you’ll hear stories of freedom...
Jun 24, 2020•19 min
329: Great, Small and Other Expectations: Charles Dickens and His History with America
Charles Dickens died 150 years ago this month. A famous chronicler and critic of English industrial capitalism, Dickens was also immensely popular in the United States. But in an age of widespread debate about slave versus wage labor, his writings meant different things to different readers. Music: Bright White by Podington Bear Outmoded Waltz by Podington Bear Quatrefoil by Podington Bear Theme in G by Podington Bear Refraction by Podington Bear Stages of Awakening by Podington Bear Association...
Jun 19, 2020•40 min•Ep. 329
328: The Clue of the Blue Bottle from "The Last Archive"
The Last Archive is a show from Pushkin Industries about the history of truth, and the historical context for our current fake news, post-truth moment. It’s a show about how we know what we know, and why it seems, these days, as if we don’t know anything at all anymore. The show is driven by host Jill Lepore’s work as a historian, uncovering the secrets of the past the way a detective might. On this episode, The Clue of the Blue Bottle, Jill tells the story of a Spring day in 1919, when a woman’...
Jun 12, 2020•57 min•Ep. 328
327: Another Burden to Bear: A History of Racial Health Disparities in America
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color. According to the CDC, 33% of people who’ve been hospitalized due to the virus have been African-American, despite making up only 18% of the population. The ongoing crisis is a reminder of the racial health disparities that have plagued the United States throughout its history. So on this episode of BackStory, Joanne and Brian learn about how different communities have struggled to acquire adequate health care. NOTE: This...
Jun 05, 2020•56 min•Ep. 327
326: Mystery, Murder, and Mayhem: A History of True Crime in America
For the last decade or so, true crime has been everywhere -- Netflix shows like Making a Murderer and podcast series like Serial. All of them are a testament to the fact that for some strange reason, so many of us love stories about murder. But this magnetism towards the morbid is far from new. Over the years, Americans have found fascination, repulsion and sometimes even comfort in true crime stories. So on this episode of BackStory, Joanne and Ed shine a light onto the dark history of true cri...
May 29, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 326
325: American Empire: From Scene on Radio
“America” and “empire.” Do those words go together? If so, what kind of imperialism does the U.S. practice, and how has American empire changed over time? By host and producer John Biewen, with series collaborator Chenjerai Kumanyika. Interviews with Nikhil Singh and Daniel Immerwahr. The series editor is Loretta Williams. Music by Algiers, John Erik Kaada, Eric Neveux, and Lucas Biewen. Music consulting and production help from Joe Augustine of Narrative Music. Chenjerai Kumanyika, collaborator...
May 22, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 325
324: Best of BackStory: The Time Joanne Freeman Went to Congress
As BackStory moves towards the end of its production, we’ve asked our hosts to select memorable moments from the show that we’re publishing as episodes once per month. Joanne Freeman joined BackStory in 2017, and has since had hundreds of conversations on a huge variety of topics. But during this time, a few of these interviews surprised and moved her as a historian, and as a woman in unexpected ways. So in this best of BackStory, Joanne presents three of these striking conversations from her ti...
May 15, 2020•43 min•Ep. 324
276: Red in the Stars and Stripes?: A History of Socialism in America
With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and record levels of unemployment, the conversation around socialism in the U.S. has resurfaced in surprising ways. So we thought we'd revisit this episode from 2019. Image: The cover art for the album "Power to the Working Class: Revolutionary songs written & sung by workers & students in struggle." Source: Library of Congress BackStory is funded in part by our listeners. You can help keep the episodes coming by supporting the show: https://...
May 08, 2020•58 min•Ep. 276
323: Zooming Ahead: How Virtual Learning is Shaping the College Classroom
Today, the word zoom has become synonymous with an application millions of people are using to learn, teach and work. COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of our lives, including how we teach and how we learn. So what does this all mean for the future of classroom learning? And where does it fit into the broader history of higher education? On this episode of BackStory, Brian dives into the topic of teaching and where the virtual college classroom fits into the history of higher education in the U...
May 01, 2020•20 min•Ep. 323
322: 1980s Environmentalism and How the Reagan-Era Shaped the Natural World
This week, environmentalism was in the spotlight, thanks to the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Over the decades, environmentalism has adapted to new challenges, like increasing levels of greenhouse gases and a swinging pendulum when it comes to federal policy. But the 1980s exemplified a notable and often consequential shift in how people - from protestors to the president - approached environmental issues. So on this episode of BackStory, Ed and Brian dig into the 1980s and explore how actions ...
Apr 24, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 322
321: Give Us the Ballot: From LBJ and the Great Society
By his own account, and by many others as well, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was Lyndon Johnson’s greatest achievement – the jewel in the crown of the Great Society, and widely considered the most effective piece of civil rights legislation in American history. This episode, "Give Us the Ballot," will focus on the extraordinarily eventful eight-month period — January to August 1965 — when the battle for Voting Rights was joined and ultimately fought to a successful conclusion. The outcome was h...
Apr 17, 2020•51 min•Ep. 321
320: Best of BackStory: The Time Nathan Connolly Had A Close Encounter
As BackStory moves towards the end of its production, we’ve asked our hosts to select memorable moments from the show that we’re publishing as episodes once per month. Since joining BackStory in 2017, Nathan Connolly has interviewed a ton of different people about everything from Bruce Lee to Bison. But a handful of conversations are particularly memorable to Nathan because they unpacked issues that he cares deeply about.
Apr 10, 2020•36 min•Ep. 320
319: Overcoming An Outbreak: How San Francisco Survived the Plague
In this special bonus episode, Ed talks with David K. Randall , author of Black Death at the Golden Gate: The Race to Save America from the Bubonic Plague. David tells Ed about how Dr. Rupert Blue defied conventions to get an outbreak of the plague under control in San Francisco during the early 20th century. It’s a story that can offer us some important lessons as we wrestle with our own public health crisis today. Music: Chainlink Melody by Podington Bear Going Forward, Looking Back by Podingt...
Apr 09, 2020•24 min•Ep. 319
281: Mind, Body and Spirit: The History of Wellness In America
In these trying times, we’re all trying to stay well mentally, emotionally, and physically. Naturally, that got us thinking about the history of health in America. It also reminded us that maybe we could all use a break from thinking about COVID-19. So this week BackStory explores the history of wellness, a story which involves breakfast cereal, aerobics, and Sigmund Freud.
Apr 03, 2020•55 min•Ep. 281
318: Best of BackStory: The Time Brian Balogh Went to a Monastery
As BackStory wraps up production, we’ve asked our hosts to select memorable moments from the show. A founding host of the show, Brian Balogh has discussed a range of topics with a lot of different people - academic historians, museum curators, and even politicians. But some of his favorite conversations have been with everyday people who have lived and engaged with history, sometimes in surprising ways. So in this edition of the “Best of BackStory,” Brian brings you three of his favorite intervi...
Mar 27, 2020•26 min•Ep. 318
316: Fighting Jane Crow: The Multifaceted Life and Legacy of Pauli Murray
Pauli Murray might be one of the most influential but little-known figures in modern American history. Born in 1910 in Baltimore, Murray, who was a prominent lawyer and activist, went on to shape American law, society and culture throughout much of the 20th century. Publicly, Murray is remembered for contributions to feminist legal thought and in particular, the concept of “Jane Crow,” which recognized how black women struggle with racism and sexism. Meanwhile, in private, Pauli Murray’s fluid g...
Mar 20, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 316
Blacks and Indians: From What's Ray Saying?
What’s Ray Saying? is a podcast that takes a deeper view into Black life in America by examining the intersection of history, narrative, and experience. This episode, “Blacks and Indians,” explores the complex relationship between Black Americans and Native Americans and attempts to separate fact from fiction. Ray Christian has an MA in Public History and an EdS/ EdD in Education. His stories have been heard on the Moth Radio Hour, Snap Judgment, Spooked and the Risk podcast. Learn more about Ra...
Mar 13, 2020•39 min
Past Pandemics: What Can We Learn That May Help Us Today?
For several weeks, nothing has dominated national and international headlines more than the coronavirus. As of this week, authorities have identified approximately 113,000 cases worldwide, more than 4,000 deaths have been reported and the WHO is now calling the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. The coronavirus might be new. But this is by no means the first time that America and the world have been in the grips of a deadly virus. Over a century ago, Spanish influenza caused a global pandem...
Mar 12, 2020•23 min
315: New Stories for an Old Conflict: Rethinking Civil War Narratives
Over the years, tens of thousands of books have been published about the Civil War. America’s most divisive conflict might be its most-written about. With stacks and stacks and stacks of books about the Civil War, it’s hard to know what else there is to say. But historians are coming up with new ways to look at conflict all the time.
Mar 06, 2020•34 min•Ep. 315
314: People Making History: The Power and Perils of Telling History Through Individual Stories
We turn to history to make sense of the present…but how do you make sense of history? For many of us, it’s through stories -- individual tales of individual people. So on this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Ed and Brian present and discuss a particular person from their time period, someone who they think sheds much-needed light on our current moment.
Feb 28, 2020•33 min•Ep. 314
313: Best of BackStory: The Time Ed Ayers Marched Into Richmond
As BackStory moves towards the end of its production, we’ve asked our hosts to select memorable moments from the show that we’re publishing as episodes once per month. A founding host of the show, Ed Ayers has had hundreds of conversations on a huge variety of topics. But some of his favorite BackStory moments touched on anniversaries and events related to his own field in American history: slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. So in this best of BackStory, we will take a deep dive into wh...
Feb 21, 2020•38 min•Ep. 313
312: From Music to Madiba: A History of U.S. Relations with South Africa
Thirty years ago this week, Nelson Mandela, the renowned civil rights and anti-apartheid leader, was released from prison. His release marked the beginning of the end of South Africa’s brutal apartheid regime and a new future for black South Africans. So on this episode of BackStory, Joanne, Ed and Brian take a look at the complicated and often contentious relationship American officials and anti-racism activists have had with South Africa. Image: President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela with m...
Feb 14, 2020•49 min•Ep. 312
311: "The Gay Agenda" from American Hysteria
American Hysteria is a podcast exploring the fantastical thinking and irrational fears of Americans through the lens of moral panics, urban legends, and conspiracy theories, how they shape our psychology and culture, and why we end up believing them. Poet-turned-podcaster Chelsey Weber-Smith explores the sometimes hilarious, sometimes horrifying stories of historical and modern American freak-outs, and the real social issues they act to cover up. An in-depth alternative history as well as a soci...
Feb 07, 2020•43 min•Ep. 311
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