Sep 17 Watch 6:43 What Trump is saying about 1619 Project, teaching U.S. history Speaking at the White House Conference on American History on Thursday, President Trump announced he would be signing an executive order to create the “1776 Commission” to promote a “patriotic education.” Trump also blasted efforts to reexamine American history with… Continue watching
Aug 14 Why 1920 can offer clues about the 2020 elections By Lisa Desjardins, Rachel Wellford, Vika Aronson, Erica R. Hendry, Emily Carpeaux In 1920, Americans were reeling from a flu pandemic, recovering from an economic crisis and grappling with violence against Black people, creating political divisions and debates that are similar to the ones we're having today. Yale University professor Beverly Gage… Continue reading
Jul 10 Watch 7:18 These Black Americans see a statue memorializing Lincoln in different ways By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport Over the past few weeks, there has been extensive debate across the U.S. about statues depicting the Confederacy and other troubled aspects of American history. In the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., the Emancipation Memorial – also known as… Continue watching
Jun 17 Watch 9:17 Trump is a ‘divider,’ says Robert Gates, former CIA director and defense secretary The U.S. is facing multiple competing and simultaneous challenges at home and abroad. How has the country dealt with similar periods in the past? Former defense secretary and CIA director Robert Gates has a deep familiarity with the topic. He… Continue watching
May 28 Watch 9:20 What Americans are looking for from leaders at a time of extraordinary loss More than 100,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 so far -- a number unimaginable before the pandemic began. The U.S. has nearly 30 percent of reported deaths worldwide. How does this tragic moment fit into American historical context? Judy Woodruff… Continue watching
Mar 10 Watch 6:13 The little-known story of the Republican Party’s 1st presidential nominee In a new book, NPR’s Steve Inskeep has chronicled the little-known story of how the illegitimate son of an immigrant rose to become the Republican Party’s first presidential nominee in 1856 -- with a lot of help from his wife. Continue watching
Feb 06 Watch 11:06 3 historians on American political divisiveness — and how to heal it The partisan results of President Trump’s Senate impeachment trial reinforced the political divisions characterizing current American politics. How does this moment compare with the past? Judy Woodruff sits down with the University of New Hampshire’s Ellen Fitzpatrick, presidential historian Michael… Continue watching
Dec 18 Watch 7:29 How this impeachment compares to its historical predecessors Wednesday’s House proceedings represent only the third time in U.S. history that the body has debated impeaching a president. What has changed in the decades since previous impeachment processes -- and what hasn't? Yale University professor Beverly Gage joins John… Continue watching
Dec 16 Watch 6:13 Firearms museum takes aim at understanding history, culture of guns By Jeffrey Brown, Mike Fritz Wyoming is the least populous state in the U.S. but ranks near the top in per capita gun ownership. It’s also home to the nation's most comprehensive collection of historical firearms. Jeffrey Brown reports from Cody, where a renovated firearms… Continue watching
Nov 28 Watch 12:04 How Nixon, Clinton and Johnson dealt with the threat of impeachment By Amna Nawaz Impeachment is a rare event in American politics. Amid the past few weeks of public hearings, we have wondered how this episode compares to previous instances of impeachment. Amna Nawaz spoke with three historians, each focused on a former president… Continue watching