What is Freedomland U.S.A.? An unusual theme park in the Bronx, in existence for less than five years, Freedomland has become the object of fascination for New York nostalgia lovers everywhere. Created by an outcast of Walt Disney's inner circle, Freedomland practically defined 1960s kitsch, with dozens of rides and amusements related to saccharine views of American history.
According to BackStory, "In its early years, the U.S. wasn't so much "United" as "States." Over time, the federal government has become more powerful, but states have continued to assert their independence on everything from gun control to medical marijuana. This presentation asks: If we're all Americans, why do states still matter? Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell describes how his state has left the feds in the dust when it comes to climate change policy. Historian Eric Foner discusses the successes and failures of the 14th Amendment, created to protect us from the states. And a long-haul trucker explains why she'd like to do away with states altogether."
From the BackStory website:
"With the unemployment rate at a 25-year high, BackStory is exploring the phenomenon of joblessness throughout American history. How has the changing nature of employment shaped the experience of not having a job? Have the moral connotations of work evolved? What has it meant for American workers that there are always new immigrants—or poor migrants—who are willing to work for less?
Over the course of the hour, the History Guys speak with historian Alex Keyssar, take calls from BackStory listeners, and hear an imagined testimonial from an itinerant worker in the 'New Northwest' at the turn of the 20th century."
The BackStory site also has a Further Reading page for more information on this topic.
From the Bowery Boys website:
"You cannot understand New York without understanding its most corrupt politician—William 'Boss' Tweed, a larger than life personality with lofty ambitions to steal millions of dollars from the city. With the help of his 'Tweed Ring', the former chair-maker had complete control over the city—what was being built, how much it would cost and who was being paid. How do you bring down a corrupt government when it seems almost everybody's in on it? We reveal the downfall of the Tweed ring and the end to one of the biggest political scandals in New York history. It begins with a sleigh ride. ALSO: Find out how Tammany Hall, the dominant political machine of the 19th century, got its start—as a rather innocent social club that required men to dress up and pretend they're Indians."
From the BackStory website:
"Historian Peter Norton speaks with 20th Century History Guy Brian Balogh about how automobile companies in the 1920s managed to re-define streets as a space for cars, rather than pedestrians. And he explains the little-known history of the term 'jaywalker.'"
From the BackStory website:
"Historian Anne Blue Wills tells the story of Sarah Josepha Hale, a New England magazine editor who campaigned tirelessly to put Thanksgiving on our national calendar."
From the Lincoln Online Conference website:
"Historian Alexander Keyssar explains what the Founders were thinking when they designed the electoral college, and why the system has persisted even though so many Americans object to it."
Drew Gilpin Faust, author of This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, discusses the impact of the Civil War's massive death toll on American perceptions of death and dying.
Ed Ayers, Peter Onuf, and Brian Balogh discuss the evolution of the concept of motherhood in U.S. history.
Greg Young of the Bowery Boys details the history of the New York Shakespeare Festival, more commonly known as Shakespeare in the Park. Originating in 1954, in workshops and free performances spearheaded by Joseph Papp, the festival now takes place yearly at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Young looks at Papps's struggle with park commissioner Robert Moses over holding the festival in Central Park, resulting in the construction of the Delacorte Theater in 1961, and at the recent history of the festival and at the actors who have participated in it.