This week marks the 240th anniversary of the Battle of Saratoga, so I’ll speak with Dean Snow, author of a new book titled, 1777: Tipping Point at Saratoga. It’ll give you a new appreciation of how this often overlooked battle was in many ways, the decisive moment in the American Revolution. It led … [Read more...]
Episode 040 Little Rock 1957 and the Problem of Civil Rights Memory
This week we look at a story that calls into question just how successful the Civil Rights Movement really was. It’s the iconic story of the Little Rock Nine, the courageous African American students who began the process of desegregating Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. They faced a … [Read more...]
Episode 039 Ken Burns and Coming to Terms with The Vietnam War
This week I speak with America's most acclaimed documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns, about his new project, The Vietnam War. This 10-part, 18-hour epic debuts on PBS on September 17, 2017. Vietnam has long been one of the most divisive events in recent US history. And yet, after making films on the two … [Read more...]
Episode 038 Classroom Wars! The History Behind the Fights over Bilingual Ed and Sex Ed in US Public Schools
It's September, so this history podcast is rolling out its annual back-to-school episode. This go around, we address the question: What do the controversies in the 1960s and 1970s surrounding sex education and bilingual education have to do with each other? Well, quite a bit, as it turns out. And … [Read more...]
Episode 037 The History Unfolded Project and What Americans Knew About The Holocaust
This week at In The Past Lane, the history podcast, we respond to the virulent anti-semitism that was on display during the neo-Nazi and white supremacist march in Charlottesville,VA by bringing to you an episode about a remarkable history research project. It’s called, History Unfolded: US … [Read more...]