Sister Mary Abdi talking over homework assignments with Rohymah Toulas and Lanya Abdul-jabbar at the Islamic School in Seattle, Washington. Library of Congress

Islam & the United States

This time on BackStory, we look at the longer history of America’s relationship with Islam, from the Barbary Wars and the narratives of Muslim slaves in the New World, to the Nation of Islam and the Black Power movement of the 1960s. What has it meant to be Muslim in America — and how has the idea of Islam in the U.S. changed over time?

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"L'etat, c'est moi!" Teddy Roosevelt crowning himself on the cover of Puck Magazine. Credit: Library of Congress.

Joe “Toots” Shultz, Phillies pitching prospect (1913, c/o Library of Congress).

Tyrannophobia

Uses & Abuses of Executive Power

Call it a special American condition — the fear that any one person or party could wield too much power over the body politic. On this episode, we ask how perceptions of authoritarianism, and responses to it, have changed over time.

Let’s Make Up

Reconciliation & Its Limits

To mark the 25th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s demise, the Guys dig up buried hatchets to help us explore Americans’ best and worst efforts at making amends. What are the limits of reconciliation?

The Future Then

Visions of America Yet to Come

Flying cars, 3-hour workdays, meals in a pill, nuclear holocaust — what has the future held? On this episode, the Guys revisit yesterday’s visions of tomorrow, and what they say about the moments in time that conjured them up.

What Gives

Generosity in America

Public radio listeners, beware: pledge drive season is upon us. So in this episode, we ask, “What gives?” The stories we’re working on explore giving in American history and consider the meaning of charity, philanthropy and reciprocity.

Pitch a Show

Last year we received nearly 200 pitches for show topics — some of which made it on the air! Listeners suggested episodes about higher ed and U.S.-Mexico relations, and lots of individual stories also had their origins in your brains. Help us keep up the process!