May 12 Watch 8:13 Examining the crisis in America’s democracy and the polarization of its politics Nearly 250 years ago, America's founders declared that everyone has "unalienable rights." What those rights are has been debated ever since. As the Supreme Court weighs the future of abortion rights the nation's divide has come into sharper focus, as… Continue watching
Jan 16 Will Trump’s mishandling of records leave a hole in history? By Deb Reichmann, Associated Press The public won’t see President Donald Trump’s White House records for years, but there’s growing concern the collection won’t be complete, leaving a hole in the history of one of America’s most tumultuous presidencies. Continue reading
Dec 20 Watch 4:08 By historical standards, President-elect Biden faces immense challenges By Jeff Greenfield Many incoming presidents have faced grave challenges upon assuming office. But President-elect Joe Biden will face a unique number of national and political crises on his very first day on the job. NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Jeff Greenfield examines some… Continue watching
Nov 10 Watch 6:38 How U.S. history could provide a path out of polarization By Paul Solman The U.S. feels more deeply divided than it has in decades. According to social scientist Robert Putnam, the data backs up that assessment. Putnam, author of the seminal work on social capital and isolation “Bowling Alone,” believes looking back to… Continue watching
Nov 01 How 1800 offers a lesson in delayed election results By Jerry Schwartz, Associated Press The tempestuous election of 2020 has been rife with predictions of confusion and cataclysm, with warnings that a contested battle could last well into December. It’s happened before. Take 1800, for example. Continue reading
Sep 17 WATCH: Trump downplays legacy of slavery, calls for ‘patriotic education’ in schools By Aamer Madhani, Deb Riechmann, Associated Press President Donald Trump will give an address at the National Archives Sept. 17 for a conference on American history. Continue reading
Jun 23 Watch 5:58 What the future could hold for these symbols of the American past By Jeffrey Brown As the country faces a moment of reckoning about its treatment of Black Americans and other people of color, the display of memorials, monuments and statues is being reexamined. Some of these symbols are being torn down by protesters, and… Continue watching
Jun 23 Watch 12:46 Monuments, statues and a national reckoning on racial injustice By PBS NewsHour, Courtney Norris The debate over physical symbols of the Confederacy has evolved into a broader one about U.S. history. Judy Woodruff talks to Peniel Joseph, professor at the University of Texas at Austin, W. Fitzhugh Brundage, professor at the University of North… Continue watching
Jun 11 Jefferson Davis statue torn down in Richmond, Virginia By Associated Press Protesters tore down a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis along Richmond, Virginia's famed Monument Avenue on Wednesday night. Continue reading
Nov 30 Watch 8:59 New York’s Mohawk tribe works to restore their culture By PBS NewsHour For decades, Native American children were forcibly removed from their families and lands to attend boarding schools where English was mandatory and their own languages were forbidden. But in 1979, a small Mohawk tribe in upstate New York formed The… Continue watching