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Aural History Productions
The Radio Archive ~ July-December 2015
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December 29, 2015
NO SHOW THIS WEEK. CHECK OUT OUR PREVIOUS PROGRAMS.
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December 22, 2015
Segment 1 | Against the Grain: Cotton Capitalism (2015).
Against the Grain offers us this conversation about capitalism, cotton culture, and slavery: "According to Sven Beckert, cotton was central to capitalism's development, and in particular its accelerating globalization. A key part of his narrative highlights the crisis brought on by the abolition of slavery in the US, when both capitalists and governments looked to new regions and workers for the raw cotton they desperately needed." For more information, see:
Sven Beckert, Empire of Cotton: A Global History (Penguin Random House, 2015);
Fink, McCartin and Joan Sangster, eds., Workers in Hard Times: A Long View of Economic Crises (University of Illinois Press, 2014).
Segment 2 | From the Archives: Solomon Northup's Twelve Years a Slave (1853; modern reading from LibriVox).
Here is a selection from one of the most famous slave narratives -- "as told to and edited by David Wilson" --that appeared in the decades before the coming of the Civil War. Published in 1853, the Twelve Years a Slave tells the story of Solomon Northup, a free black man living and working as a carpenter and musician (violinist) in Saratoga, New York, and how he was tricked into traveling to Washington, D.C. for a lucrative job, kidnapped, and sold into slavery in the Deep South. The narrative offers an account of his 12 years of bondage in Louisiana under various masters -- and his liberation through the intervention of friends and family in New York. For the full audio of the narrative, go to: https://librivox.org/twelve-years-a-slave-by-solomon-northup/. For the text, see: http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/northup/menu.html.
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December 15, 2015
Segment 1 | BackStory: American Prophets ~ Religions Born in the U.S. (2015).
BackStory and the American History Guys look at the history of U.S. relgions this week: "History textbooks often argue that the United States was founded on the principle of religious freedom, beginning with the Pilgrims who sought refuge from the Church of England. But the America of centuries past was more than a safe haven for religious dissenters. It was also fertile ground for many new religious faiths.
In this hour of BackStory, the History Guys will consider religions that originated or transformed in America, from Christian Science to Scientology. They'll find out how the threat of colonization briefly united 18th-century Native Americans under a single deity, and how the Nation of Islam found converts among African-Americans in the civil rights era. What makes a religion "American"? Why do so many new faiths sprout from American soil? And what role will 21st century America play in the history of religious innovation?" This week's guests include:
Estrelda Alexander, William Seymour College; Adam Jortner, Auburn University; John Turner, George Mason University; David Holland, Harvard Divinity School; Hugh Urban, The Ohio State University; Zaheer Ali, Brooklyn Historical Society.
Segment 2 | From the Archives: Music from the Shakers: Simple Gifts (1848; modern performance from YouTube).
Here is a recent performance (audio only) of a classic Shaker dance song written and composed in 1848 by Shaker elder Joseph Brackett. For the video of the perfomance -- from Cibertracker Imperium -- go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLAnuG1340g.
For background information on the song, see: http://www.americanmusicpreservation.com/JosephBrackettSimpleGifts.htm and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Gifts.
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December 8, 2015
Segment 1 | Against the Grain: The Moynihan Report of 1965 (2015).
This segment comes to us from Against the Grain [http://www.againstthegrain.org/]: "When the Moynihan Report was released fifty years ago, it sparked an explosive debate as well as a long-running controversy, one that persists to the present day. What did the document say about African American life, and why did William F. Buckley, Dr. King, and Michael Harrington all praise its message? Daniel Geary describes the report's impact on the way people think and talk about race and inequality in the US."
For more information on the Mouynihan Report, see: Daniel Geary, Beyond Civil Rights: The Moynihan Report and Its Legacy (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015).
Segment 2 | From the Archives: "Theodore" (1907 song).
Theodore Roosevelt's achievements are lauded in this song, released in 1907 as an Edison Gold Moulded Record cylinder recording. The song was composed by Vincent Bryan and sung here by Edward M. Favor. For more details, go to this UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive Web site: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/OBJID/Cylinder3429.
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December 1, 2015
Segment 1 | BackStory: Contested Landscape ~ Confederate Symbols in America (2015).
Brom BackStory and the American History Guys: "In July of this year, the murder of nine African-American parishioners at the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina reignited a longstanding debate about the Confederate flag. Soon after the shooting, South Carolina lawmakers voted to remove the flag from the State House building, and many other states followed suit. But while some Americans applaud the decision as a victory against racism and hatred, others argue that the flag's removal dishonors the memory of those who died defending the South. On this episode of BackStory, we're looking at how memories of the Confederacy have shaped the nation's landscape, from the rebel flag to the silver screen. The Guys will hear what symbols of the Confederacy mean to African Americans, explore Hollywood's love affair with Confederate heroes, and find out why one Civil War re-enactor changed his mind about his heritage. How have generations of Americans revered and renounced the Confederacy since its defeat 150 years ago?" This week's guests include:
John Coski, American Civil War Museum; Maurie McInnis, University of Virginia; Brenda Stevenson, UCLA; Logan Jaffe, WBEZ Chicago Public Radio; Michael Paul Williams, Richmond Times-Dispatch; Eileen Jones, UC Berkeley; Waverly Adcock, Former Civil War Re-enactor.
Segment 2 | From the Archives: Maryland, My Maryland (written 1861; official state song 1939).
Maryland, My Maryland is the official state song of Maryland; it's based on a poem written by James Ryder Randall in 1861. Filled with clearly anti-Northern and anti-Lincoln stanzas, the song was nonetheless adoped as Maryland's official state song on April 29, 1939, by Maryland's General Assembly. For more information about the history of the song, see: http://www.lib.umd.edu/civilwarwomen/exhibition/03song.html.
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November 24, 2015
Segment 1 | Open Source: America's First Dance with the Devil (2015).
From Open Source and Christopher Lydon: "John Winthrop, Massachusetts' first governor, first came to our shores, he gave the famous address, 'A Modell of Christian Charity.'
When Winthrop declared, 'we shall be as a city upon a hill — the eyes of all people will be upon us,' he may well have been thinking of Salem, a pious little place perched on the north shore of Massachusetts Bay, older and richer than the future capital of Boston.
Just before that, Winthrop predicted that a new kind of covenant would govern the people of Salem, Boston, Plymouth and York -- a religious fellowship, a peaceful neighborliness:
We must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience and liberality. We must delight in each other; make others’ conditions our own; rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, as members of the same body. So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace… So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.
By the century was out, Salem, a city named for peace, would break out into an unholy war of all against all: a fever of recrimination and betrayal directed at witches in high places and low.
Accusers named almost 200 people in places high and low -- from slave women and homeless widows to the governor’s wife -- as their stabbing spectral oppressors. A fiery court went to work in Salem's main street, extracting confessions. By the time the fever had broken, twenty martyrs -- those women and men who refused to pose as witches in order to save their own lives -- had been killed. (Five more had died in prison, including an infant.)
The witch-trial mania of 1692 represented the gravest disappointment of Winthrop's Christian charity yet seen on these shores -- and the shame of it pervades everything.
So, led by Stacy Schiff, author of a controversial new thriller-history of that year, we're looking at the Salem trials again as a whole: not just as a memory or a metaphor for McCarthyism, not as a Halloween jolt of adrenaline, but the ghostly after-image and lingering shame in our neck of the woods.
Historians and writers in town will bring us home: Emerson 'Tad' Baker pitches Salem as a pivotal moment in American history, Marilynne Roach acquaints us with victims of the hysteria, and novelist Katherine Howe finds the clearest soundings of the story in the Gothic 'romances' of Nathaniel Hawthorne and in the gray surround of her home turf in Essex County, Mass."
Segment 2 | From the Archives: The Three Witches in Macbeth (1968).
An interesting interpretation from Shakespeare's famous scene with the three witches in Macbeth (written in 1606) -- from Act IV, Scene 1. Source: Renee LaTulippe, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY0Hyza6C-U.
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November 17, 2015
Segment 1 | BackStory: Body Politics ~ Disability in America (2015).
BackStory and the American History Guys look back at the history of disability in America [http://backstoryradio.org/shows/body-politics/]: "The impact of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act is visible in parking lots, bathrooms, and public buildings across the country. But for centuries before the ramps and signs were erected, disabled people had to find their own ways to navigate American society. This week on BackStory, we’re exploring the history of disability in America, from the “ugly laws” that barred the disabled from public spaces to the grassroots activism that set the stage for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Guys will consider how the inventor of the telephone tried to stamp out American sign language, and how enslaved people found ways to exploit white fears of physical disability. How have people with disabilities shaped 21st century America? And how have American attitudes towards disability changed?" Guests this week include: Jenifer Barclay, Washington State University; Mat Fraser, Actor and disability advocate; Douglas Baynton, University of Iowa; Brian Greenwald, Gallaudet University; I. King Jordan, Gallaudet University; Dea H. Boster, Columbus State Community College; and Emily Smith-Beitiks, Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability.
Segment 2 | From the Archives: Jose Felliciano (1968).
Jos� Montserrate Feliciano Garc�a -- Jose Feliciano -- was born in Lares, Puerto Rico, on September 10, 1945. He was left permanently blind at birth as a result of congenital glaucoma, "One of eleven boys, his love affair with music began at the age of three when he first accompanied his uncle on a tin cracker can. When he was five, his family immigrated to New York City. Young Jose learned to play the concertina at age six, using a handful of records as his teacher. At eight, he entertained his classmates at PS 57, and at nine, performed at The Puerto Rican Theater in the Bronx. Venturing beyond the accordion, he taught himself to play the guitar with undaunted determination and again, with nothing but records as his teacher, practicing for as many as 14 hours a day. Exposed to the Rock'n'Roll of the 50's, Jose was then inspired to sing. . . . " For more on Feliciano, see his biography here: http://josefeliciano.com/wp/biography. Here we feature one of his better known musical renditions of the Doors' song Light My Fire, first released on his album Feliciano! in 1968.
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November 10, 2015
Segment 1 | Rear Vision (ABC-Radio National): A History of Zoos (2015).
Here's a piece that comes to us from ABC's Radio National's weekly program, Rear Vision: "People have collected and kept animals for thousands of years. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, what had been called menageries—often royal collections—gave way to zoos, where live specimens were collected for study.
Although some zoos—like the London Zoo—were established specifically for scientific research, ultimately the widespread human desire to look at live animals turned zoos into popular public places of entertainment.
During the twentieth century, zoo design evolved and concrete cages with bars were replaced by moats and more naturalistic settings. The role of zoos also changed and although entertainment certainly still tops the list for most visitors, education and conservation have been added to the reasons for keeping and displaying captive animals.
Rear Vision looks at the history of zoos and how they have adapted to the concerns of animal welfare advocates and the existential threat to animals in the wild." For the transcript and more, see: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rearvision/zoos/6842166.
Segment 2 | From the Archives: Dorothy Day interview (1960).
In this episode of Pacifica Radio's From the Vault, "we feature a rare recording of journalist, activist, and Catholic Worker Movement co-founder Dorothy Day. In 1927, thirty years after her birth, Day converted to Catholicism, and a few years later started The Catholic Worker, a popular newspaper promoting Catholic teachings. Leaning on the success of this publication, Day created the Catholic Worker Movement, which to this day addresses a wide range of social justice issues, guided by Catholic principles. Today, four decades after her passing in 1980, Day remains a revered figure in the modern Catholic Church, widely regarded as one of the most influential and important figures in the American Catholicism; indeed, Pope Francis himself highlighted the legacy of Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement in his 2015 address to the United States Congress." For the full From the Vault broadcast, which includes a commentary by Blase Bonpane, host of the radio show World Focus (KPFK) and director of the Los Angeles-based Office of the Americas, more information about this segment -- go to: http://fromthevaultradio.org/home/.
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November 3, 2015
Segment 1 | BackStory: People's Choice ~ A History of Populism (2015).
Here's another contribution from BackStory and the American History Guys [http://backstoryradio.org/shows/populism/] : "Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have packed the stadiums as they make their case for the 2016 Republican and Democratic presidential nomination. Many pundits have labeled them 21st century “populists.” But invoking the “voice of the people” is a tradition as old as the country itself.
On this episode of BackStory, the Guys trace populism’s influence on American politics—from mob justice in colonial Massachusetts to the White House’s first outsider, Andrew Jackson. BackStory will explore how farmers built a mass movement around monetary reform in the late 19th century and how politicians have capitalized on the tradition of riling up the masses. How have populist movements inspired—and sometimes frightened—the electorate? And how does populism impact our politics today?" This week's guests include: Omar Ali, University of North Carolina, Greensboro; Jamelle Bouie, Slate Magazine; Ranjit Dighe, State University of New York Oswego;
Paul Gilje, University of Oklahoma; Jason Opal, McGill University; Harry Watson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Segment 2 | From the Archives: Georgia Watson Craven interview (Tom Watson's granddaughter) by David Moltke Hansen (short selection; 1990).
Here is a short audio selection from an Interview with Georgia Watson Craven, conducted by David Moltke-Hansen in 1990. Craven is the granddaughter of Georgia populist Thomas E. Watson, who served as a congressman and later senator from Georgia. Watson was one of the founders of Georgia's Populist Party and ran for the Vice Presidency in 1896 on the Populist Party ticket, headed by William Jennings Bryan. For the full interview, go to: http://www2.lib.unc.edu/dc/watson/oralhistories.php. For a short biography of Watson, see: http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/thomas-e-watson-1856-1922.
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October 27, 2015
Segment 1 | Against the Grain: Industrialized Agriculture in the Soviet Union (2015).
From Against the Grain: "Agriculture in the Soviet Union had some colossal disasters -- not the least of which was the near-destruction of the Aral Sea -- and some significant successes as well. But most of the analysis of that experience has been through a Cold War lens. Historian Jenny Leigh Smith has taken a second look at Soviet agriculture. She argues that it compares decently to other mid-century industrialized agricultural systems, including that of the United States -- which may not be saying much" For more information, see: Jenny Leigh Smith, Works in Progress: Plans and Realities on Soviet Farms, 1930-1963 (New Haven: Yale U. Press, 2014).
Segment 2 | From the Archives; Harvest of Shame (Documentary film audio track -- selection; 1960).
Here is a short audio track selection from a classic television documentary, focusing on the plight of American migrant agricultural workers. Produced as an installment of the TV documentary series CBS Reports and broadcast on November 25, 1960 -- the day after Thanksgiving -- the segment was directed by Fred W. Friendly and hosted by Edward R. Murrow. The documentary marked Murrow's last appearance on "CBS Reports;" he had accepted John F. Kennedy's offer to head the United States Information Agency. For the full broadcast of Harvest of Shame, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJTVF_dya7E. For a retrospective account of Harvest of Shame and its impact (from National Public Radio), go to: http://www.npr.org/2014/05/31/317364146/in-confronting-poverty-harvest-of-shame-reaped-praise-and-criticism.
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October 20, 2015
Segment 1 | BackStory: "They Might Be Giants ~ China and the US (2015).
From BackStory and the American History Guys: "Americans have traded with China since the earliest days of the Republic. During the colonial era and for early Americans, China was a source of luxury goods like tea, porcelain, and silk. For some of their descendants, it was the destination for an illicit and lucrative trade in opium. Later, Chinese immigrants helped to build the American West. But the relationship between the two countries has often been fraught, with each side fearing that the other is seeking the upper hand. In this episode, Brian, Ed and Peter explore the long and often turbulent history between the two countries, now the top economies in the world. How does our past history with China color our present relationship?" Guests this week include: Gordon Chang, Stanford University; Nicholas Griffin, author of 'Ping Pong Diplomacy: The Secret History Behind the Game that Changed the World';
John Haddad, Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg;
Madeline Hsu, University of Texas at Austin;
Lisa Moorehouse, reporter and producer; Joe Orser, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. See http://backstoryradio.org/shows/china/ for more information.
Segment 2 | LibriVox Reading: The Book of Ser Marco Polo (c. 1300).
Perhaps more than any other person, Marco Polo helped initiate centuries of contact and trade between the West and China. Here is a selection from The Book of Ser Marco Polo, the Venetian, concerning the kingdoms and marvels of the East, volume 1, translated by Henry Yule (1820 - 1889). He we offer a reading from the book, from LibriVox: "Books of the Marvels of the World" or "Description of the World" (Divisament dou monde), also nicknamed "Il Milione" ("The Million") or "Oriente Poliano", but commonly called "The Travels of Marco Polo", is a 13th-century travelogue written down by Rustichello da Pisa from stories told by Marco Polo, describing the travels of the latter through Asia, Persia, China, and Indonesia between 1271 and 1291.It's been a very famous and popular book since the 14th century, creating the image of Marco Polo as the icon of the bold traveller. Presenting Marco Polo as an important figure at the court of the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, the book was written in Old French by Rustichello da Pisa, a romance author of the time, who was reportedly working from accounts which he had heard from Marco Polo when they were imprisoned in Genoa, having been captured while on a ship.
This audiobook in two volumes uses the 1903 third edition of Sir Henry Yule's translation, revised by Henri Cordier. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia by Leni)." For the full reading, see; https://librivox.org/the-book-of--marco-polo-1-by-rustichello-da-pisa/.
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October 13, 2015
No broadcast this week. Check out our archive for past broadcasts.
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October 6, 2015
Segment 1 | BackStory: "Banned ~ A History of Censorship" (2015).
From BackStory and the American History Guys: "September 27 marks the beginning of Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating literature and the freedom to read, by highlighting and exploring efforts around the country to remove or restrict access to certain books. Indeed, Americans have sought to censor all kinds of things: music, radio, TV, and film have also run up against assumed limits on what is acceptable to say or portray. In this episode, Peter, Ed, and Brian offer an uncut account of censorship in American politics, media, and culture—from rules designed to prevent the discussion of controversial subjects ranging from slavery to sex via the mail, to Hollywood's production code and censorship today. Recalling materials and individuals that have been suppressed or once incurred a censor’s wrath, BackStory’s hosts explore how the line between free speech and censorship has changed over time." Guests this week include: Sherman Alexie, author, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian;"
Richard Bernstein, City College of New York; Thomas Doherty, Brandeis University; John Fialka, Gulf War Correspondent; Joanne Freeman, Yale University; Joe Galloway, War correspondent; Daniel Hallin, University of California, San Diego; RIchard John, Columbia University; Craig LaMay, Northwestern University; Leigh Schmidt, Washington University in St. Louis. For more information on this segment, see: http://backstoryradio.org/shows/banned/.
Segment 2 | From the Archives: "Louie, Louis." (1963).
In keeping with the theme of this week, censorship, we offer a song that was banned by several radio stations in 1964 around the nation. Here is one account of why, from Dwight Rounds' The Year The Music Died, 1964-1972: "The words to 'Louie Louie' are almost impossible to understand, and are rumored to be obscene. No question that this added significantly to the sales of the single. There was probably a leak somewhere that the lyrics were obscene; otherwise no one would have realized it. This was the most ingenious marketing scheme ever. The FBI tried to track down Richard Berry, The Kingsmen, and various record company executives. They were never able to determine the actual lyrics used. To this day, the Kingsmen insist they said nothing lewd, despite the obvious mistake at the end of the instrumental, where Jack Ely started to sing the last verse one bar too soon, and can be heard yelling something in the background. Ely also said that he sung far away from the microphone, which caused the fuzzy sound, and that the notoriety was initiated by the record company." NPR actually ran a feature on the story behind the Kingsmen's version of Richard Berry's Louie, Louie [Go here to listen: http://www.npr.org/2015/05/02/403623915/louie-louie-indecipherable-or-indecent-an-fbi-investigation]. For the actual FBI report on its investigation of the song, see: https://vault.fbi.gov/louie-louie-the-song.
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September 29, 2015
Segment 1 | Open Source: "The Fate of the Union (with Steve Fraser)" (2015).
Producer Chrisopher Lydon begins a three-part series, "produced in partnership with The Nation, on the state of work in America today with a little history. It's a contradictory story of a century marked by incredible change, of a great boom and then a slow bust of labor power that brings the story current and into the presidential campaign of 2016.Throughout the 20th century, organized labor was a central feature of American life. Our guide, the historian Steve Fraser, asks what happened—between Roosevelt and Reagan, between the UAW and Uber?" A full summary of the program can be found at http://radioopensource.org/the-fate-of-the-union/.
Segment 2 | From the Archives: "Jimmy Hoffa's Last Interview?" (Selection, 1975).
Here is a short selection from the purported "last" interview with Jimmy Hoffa: "In the summer of 1975 Jimmy Hoffa sat down and gave his most frank and direct interview ever with eight men who questioned Hoffa on a wide range of subjects including a vendetta with Bobby Kennedy, mob ties to the teamsters union, Hoffa's threats to break a reporter's back, pay-offs, and much more. This astonishingly open dialogue from Hoffa lasted over two hours and, when Hoffa disappeared some weeks later on July 30th, 1975, unexpectedly became the last interview Jimmy Hoffa ever gave. Hidden for over thirty years." See the following for the video and information on obtaining the full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-uP9qvVcEc. For information on Hoffa's life, along with a comprehensive bibliography, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Hoffa.
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September 22, 2015
Segment 1 | BackStory: "Catholics in America" (2015).
Here's another segment from BackStory and the American History guys -- produced just before the Pope Francis' visit to the U.S.: "At the end of September, Pope Francis will embark on his first American tour, making stops in Washington, Philadelphia and New York along the way. This Papal visit, the first since 2008, demonstrates the continuing political, cultural and religious influence Catholics have on contemporary America.
And that influence is hardly new. From the tenements of 19th-century New York to the Spanish missions of colonial New Mexico, Catholicism has been a strong presence in America across time and space. It's an incredibly diverse presence, too. Practitioners have included Irish, Italian and Hispanic immigrants, French Jesuits, Spanish conquistadors, black freedmen, Native Americans in New England and the Southwest -- and, as we learned recently, perhaps some of the earliest English settlers as well.
In this episode, the Guys will explore American Catholicism -- recounting the struggles, triumphs and unique impact of Catholics on the history of the United States." [http://backstoryradio.org/shows/catholics-in-america/] Guests in this segment include: Orenda Boucher, University of Ottawa; Maura Jane Farrelly, Brandeis University; Allan Greer, McGill University; Steven Hackel, University of California, Riverside; Barbara Perry, University of Virginia; Nancy Schultz, Salem State University; Sister Barbara, Our Lady of the Angels Monastary; Sister Kathy, Our Lady of the Angels Monastary; Sister Maria, Our Lady of the Angels Monastary.
Segment 2 | From the Archives: "I Had No Right" by Dar Williams, 2000. (On Daniel Berrigan, the Radical Priest).
Here is Dar Williams' tribute to the radical priest, Daniel Berrigan (slightly edited). The full version is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxWaV_QZAzA. Biographies of Berrigan are widely available on line. Here's one: http://www.jonahhouse.org/archive/danProfile.htm.
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September 15, 2015
Segment 1 | Rear Vision (ABC Radio National): "Germany, Japan, War Guilt, and Redemption" (2015).
From Rear Vision, ABC Radio National's series: "This year ceremonies have been held to mark the 70th anniversaries of the end of World War Two in Europe and the Pacific. These anniversaries place the wartime history of both Germany and Japan in the spotlight. The atrocities committed by Nazi Germany in Europe and the Japanese in China and South East Asia are well documented. How does a nation come to terms with this history?"
Guests include: Jan-Werner Muller,
Professor of Politics at Princeton University; Thomas Berger,
Professor of International Relations at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University;
Koichi Nakano,
Professor of political science at Sophia University in Tokyo.
Segment 2 | From the Archives: "U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (LibriVox reading; 1948).
Here is a selection -- a LibriVox reading -- from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ratified in 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly. The Declaration "defines the fundamental rights of individuals, and exhorts all governments to protect these rights." The full version is available here: https://librivox.org/the-universal-declaration-of-human-rights-by-the-united-nations/
Segment 3 | Earshot (ABC Radio National): "Mr. Koowarta's Case and the Racial Discrimination Act at 40" (2015).
Here is a documentary that offers background on the development of human rights legislation in Australia -- and more specifically, on the history of Australia's Racial Discrimination Act and one case that helped define and expand it: "In the early 1970s John Koowarta began a legendary fight with the Queensland government to try and buy back the land of his birth at Archer River on Cape York.
Mr. Koowarta took the fight to the high court, where he won. But he also lost in a spectacularly hurtful way, as you'll hear in this program.
The Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) did not have an easy birth in 1975, and it stands out like an exclamation mark in our history: an extraordinary way to announce to the world that we had finally ended the White Australia Policy.
It�s forty years since the Whitlam government, in its dying days, passed the RDA, which paved the way for laws about gender, disability and age.
It�s as controversial today as it was then. The same questions are still asked: should we use the law to modify human behaviour? Do such laws stifle free speech?" For more information about this segment -- and details about the , see: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/earshot/the-racial-discrimination-act-at-40/6478198.
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September 8, 2015
Segment 1 | BackStory: "Rare History Well Done: Meat in America" (2015).
Here's another segment from BackStory and the American History guys: "Eating meat is a time-honored tradition in America. Whether it's Thanksgiving Day turkey, a TV dinner of Salisbury steak, or a plate of Hawaiian Spam musubi, meat has been a constant presence on the national platter. But over the years, changing technologies, tastes, and policies have altered not only which meats Americans consume but also how they consume them. As millions of Americans fire up their grills this Labor Day, the Guys will look back on America's love affair with all things meat. How did we get from smokehouses to supermarkets? Why do we love hot dogs so much? And in the era of modern appliances, why do we still insist on grilling steak, wings and burgers on an open flame?" Guest on this segment include:
Guests Include:
Roger Horowitz, University of Delaware; Meg Jacobs, Princeton University; Bruce Kraig, author of Hot Dog: A Global History; Sarah Milov, University of Virginia; Loren Moulds, University of Virginia; Maureen Ogle, author of In Meat We Trust: An Unexpected History of Carnivore America; Fred Opie, Babson College.
For more information about this segment, see: http://backstoryradio.org/shows/meat/.
Segment 2 | From the Archives: "Jack Elliot Sings The Chisolm Trail" (from archive.org; 1962).
Here is Jack Elliot singing an American classic -- and here's a bit more information about that classic, from http://www.balladofamerica.com/music/indexes/songs/oldchisholmtrail/: "Texas Confederate soldiers returning home from the Civil War found that in their absence the herds of longhorn cattle they were raising before the war had doubled in size and were now roaming the southern tip of the state unbranded. They were so plentiful that they had little value in Texas, but the industrial cities of the North were booming with immigrant labor and hungry mouths to feed. So began the era of the American cowboy and the great cattle drives, in which cattle were rounded up and herded north into Kansas, Missouri, and Wyoming. There they met the new railroad lines that could carry the meat to the East Coast.
The first trail that was widely used for these long drives was called the Chisholm Trail. By the time the trail fell into disuse in 1882, hundreds of cowboys had driven tens of thousands of cattle up the trail, inventing and singing countless verses to Old Chisholm Trail."
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September 1, 2015
Segment 1 | BackStory: "Where There's Smoke ~ A History of Fire" (2015).
From BackStory and the American History guys: "This summer, hundreds of thousands of acres are burning across the West. It's a reminder that a force of nature, mastered but not tamed over the millennia, doesn't always bend to the will of human beings. Until the early 20th century, fire was essential for heat, cooking and light. But as electrification spread, few Americans still relied on fire at work or in their homes. Brian, Ed and Peter will blaze a trail across time in search of stories about how Americans have harnessed the power of fire, managed its dangers, and made meaning in its flames." [For more information, see: http://backstoryradio.org/shows/fire/].
Segment 2 | From the Archives: "Mrs. Leary's Cow and the Chicago Fire" (LibriVox reading; selection).
Here is a selection from a LibriVox reading of Great Chicago Fire by Charles Cole Hine, a collection of "historical information relating the nature, extent, and consequences of The Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the insurance losses, and the relief costs. A brief interlude of comic relief is inserted midway in the form of a poem regarding the event." Here, we offer you that poem -- Mrs. Leary's Cow -- the supposed initiator of that fire. For detailed information on the various explanations for The Great Chicago Fire, including the one which included Mrs. Leary's cow, see: http://www.greatchicagofire.org/oleary-legend.
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August 25, 2015
No broadcast this week. Check out or previous broadcasts below and through our menu to the left.
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August 18, 2015
Segment 1 | Earshot (ABC Radio National): "Kamikaze Daughter" (2015).
From Earshot, ABC Radio National's documentary series: "A personal exploration of 'kamikaze' myths and memories by Masako Fukui, whose father would have died as a kamikaze pilot if the war had not ended when it did." For more details on this program, see: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/earshot/kamikaze-daughter/6657314.
Segment 2 | From the Archives: "U.S. War Relocation Authority film (soundtrack; 1942 govt. film).
Here is a sound track selection from a 1944 U.S. government propganda film, A Challange to Democracy, about the U.S. WW II Japanese internment program. The entire film is available on line here:
https://archive.org/details/Challeng1944.
Segment 3 | Earshot (ABC Radio National): "Mary Nakashiba (2015).
Here is documentary that offers a very personal perspective on Australia's WWII Japanese internment program, focusing on how "a Japanese family's idyllic life in 1930s Darwin is shattered when the city is bombed by Japan and they are interned." For more information on this segment, see: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/earshot/mary-nakashiba-story/6593580.
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August 11, 2015
Segment 1 | BackStory: "National Lampoon ~ Satire in American History" (2015).
From BackStory and the American History guys: "Millions of Americans tuned in on August 6 to watch Jon Stewart's last episode behind the anchor desk on The Daily Show. His 16-year run on the show helped usher in a new generation of satirists, including former correspondents Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell and John Oliver. In honor of Stewart's satirical legacy, Brian, Ed, and Peter are recalling how satire has played throughout American history. From songs mocking the redcoats during the American Revolution, to the political cartoons that helped decide a presidential election, to the biting social commentary of the Harlem Renaissance, the Guys explore how satire has both critiqued and shaped American society for generations." [For more information, see: http://backstoryradio.org/shows/satire/].
Segment 2 | From the Archives: "H. L. Mencken Interview" (June 30, 1948; selection).
Here is a selection from a rare interview conducted with the famous American journalist, cultural critic, satirist, and scholar of American English, H. L. Mencken. It was conducted by Mencken’s colleague Donald Howe Kirkley of The Baltimore Sun in a recording studio at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. on June 30, 1948. . For the transcript of the full interview, see: http://www.loc.gov/item/afccal000412/. For the full audio, go to: http://www.loc.gov/item/afccal000006/. For a biography of Mencken and links to additional information, go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._L._Mencken.
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August 4, 2015
Segment 1 | Open Source: "Losing the Peace" [Fighting Over the Meaning of the Civil War] (2015).
From Open Source [http://radioopensource.org/civil-war] : "Our guest David Blight reminds us that Americans are re-fighting the Civil War 150 years after it ended. Historians, he said, 'buried the questions at the heart of the war' and lost the truer, harder story. The young historian Kendra Field finds more 'silence' on the forced black diaspora that came in the wake of the conflict and our brief experiment with racial democracy, which died along with Reconstruction. . . . We're looking back 150 years to Appomattox, the famous site of Robert E. Lee's surrender to Grant, commonly identified as the end of the Civil War. But history's the extension of war by other means -- and a bitter fight’s ensued over the memory and meaning of that war ever since, according to Blight, with 'Lost Cause' historians revising the image of the Confederacy and black scholars staying on the sidelines."
Segment 2 | From the Archives: "Martin Luther King Jr. on the Emancipation Proclamation" (1962).
Here is a recently discovered recording of a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered on September 12, 1962 in New York City to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the issuance of Abraham Lincoln’s Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.It was discovered in the New Yokr State Archives, and you can listen to the full speech (and view related documents) at the NYS Archive's site: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/mlk/. For the story of the discovery of the recording, go to this National Public Radio site: http://www.npr.org/2014/01/20/264226759/a-promise-unfulfilled-1962-mlk-speech-recording-is-discovered.
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July 28, 2015
Segment 1 | BackStory: "The Pursuit: A History of Happiness." (2015).
From BackStory [http://backstoryradio.org] and the American History Guys: "Here's a line you might have heard once or twice: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.' But did the sentence really end there? Find out, this time on BackStory, as the Guys consider what 'happiness' meant to Jefferson when he penned that line -- and how it has changed in the centuries since.
How have Americans defined success, prosperity and contentment? How have they carried out their pursuit of those ends? And how does the course of history square with their lofty goals? Brian, E,d and Peter mull these questions over in stories across the centuries -- from a mesmerist who urged his followers to think happy thoughts to an early hit in the recording industry that will just crack you up".
Guests include:
Zsuzsa Berend, University of California, Los Angeles; Barbara Ehrenreich, author of "Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America"; Ian Nagoski, Canary Records; Jacob Smith, Northwestern University; Robert Waldinger, Harvard Medical School.
Segment 2 | From the Archives: "Russell Means' 1989 Senate Testimony."
Jefferson's vision of the pursuit of happiness came into conflict with Native Americans' pursuit of happiness, as this selection from American Indian Movement activist Russell Means' testimony to the Senate in 1989 makes clear. You can find the full videotaped testimony here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVANRroxuOo, and a summary New York Times article on his testimony here: http://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/31/us/indian-leader-charges-rampant-graft.html. The New York Times also ran a lengthy obituary for Means on October 22, 2012, the day Means died.
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July 21, 2015
No broadcast this week. Check out or previous broadcasts below and through our menu to the left.
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July 14, 2015
Segment 1 | Rear Vision (ABC's Radio National): "Canada's Lost Generation: Canada's Truth and Reconciiation Commission." (2015).
From ABC's Radio National's Rear Vision: "For over 100 years, Canada had a policy of removing indigenous children, some as young as six years old, from their families and putting them in residential schools.
Known as Indian Residential Schools, their stated aim was to assimilate indigenous children into white society.
Over six years, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Canada has heard the stories of the survivors of these schools.
When the Commission released its final report last month, it concluded that the policy of placing indigenous children in residential schools was a form of cultural genocide.
Rear Vision traces the story of Canada's Indian Residential Schools and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that exposed the truth.e National Security Council." For more details, see: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rearvision/canada27s-truth-and-reconciliation-commission/6587188.
Segment 2 | From the Archives: Seneca Chief Red Jacket Speech Defending Native Religion (1805; 1976 reading - selection).
"The Senecas, members of the Iroquois Confederacy, fought on the side of the British in the American Revolution. Red Jacket, also known as Sagoyewatha, was a chief and orator born in eastern New York; he derived his English name from his habit of wearing many red coats provided to him by his British allies. After the hostilities, as the British ceded their territories to the Americans, the Senecas and many other Indian peoples faced enormous pressure on their homelands. Red Jacket was a critical mediator in relations between the new U.S. government and the Senecas; he led a delegation that met with George Washington in 1792, when he received a peace medal that appeared in subsequent portraits of the Indian leader. In 1805 a Boston missionary society requested Red Jacket's permission to proselytize among the Iroquois settlements in northern New York State. Red Jacket's forceful defense of native religion, below, caused the representative to refuse the Indian’s handshake and announce that no fellowship could exist between the religion of God and the works of the Devil" [DESCRIPTION SOURCE: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5790/]. For the full text and audio, see: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/nativeamericans/chiefredjacket.htm.
Segment 3 | From Earshot (ABC's Radio National): "'The Soul of Darwin': the Story of the Kahlin Compound."
From ABC Radio National's Earshot , we bring you this oral history-rich tale of aboriginal removal in Australia: "In 1913 the NT Protector of Aborigines, Baldwin Spencer, decided with a stroke of his pen to solve what he called the 'half-caste problem' by rounding up hundreds of Aboriginal children and removing them from the 'native camps'.
The 'Kahlin Compound and Half Caste Home' was established at Myilly Point, overlooking Mindil Beach in Darwin.
A hundred years on from Baldwin Spencer's decision, the oldest survivors of Kahlin Compound are going back, some for the first time. They recall their childhoods there and the effect their removal has had on generations of their families." For more details, go to: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/earshot/kahlin-compound/6538842.
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July 7, 2015
Segment 1 | BackStory: "Enemies." (2015).
From BackStory [http://backstoryradio.org/shows/enemies/] and the American History Guys: "Across generations, Americans have seen foes turn to friends and allies to enemies. So, as negotiations for a nuclear deal with Iran and resuming formal diplomatic relations with Cuba are in the works, the Guys consider how the United States has dealt with enemies across time, from the tarring and feathering British Loyalists during the Revolution to comic book perceptions of Nazi Germany -- and what those relations say about the American public and their government."
Guests include: Maura Farrelly, Brandeis University; François Furstenberg, The Johns Hopkins University; Paul Hirsch, University of California, Santa Barbara; Ben Irvin, University of Arizona; Oleg Kalugin, Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies; Gary Sick, former member of the National Security Council.
Segment 2 | From the Archives: Mary McCarthy and Lillian Hellman on Dick Cavette (discussion, 2014)
Continuing with our theme of "enemies". . . here is a selection from a discussion from cunytv75's Theater Talk. The full discussion is available on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OfKEjABGGY). It features a discussion with actresses Roberta Maxwell and Marcia Rodd, with talk show host Dick Cavett about their roles as Lillian Hellman, Mary McCarthy and Dick Cavett respectively in the play "Hellman v. McCarthy." "The play dealt with the 1979 feud between the two eminent writers triggered by McCarthy saying of Hellman on Cavett's show, "Every word she writes is a lie, including 'and' and 'the'."
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