An image of BackStory host Ed Ayers with the text “The Best of BackStory” in the background. Photo: Sanjay Suchak
As BackStory moves towards the end of its production, we’ve asked our hosts – both past and present – to select memorable moments from the show that we’re publishing as episodes once per month.
As a founding host, Ed has had hundreds of conversations on a huge variety of topics. But some of his favorite BackStory moments touched on anniversaries and events related to his own field in American history: slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. They are conversations of pain and struggle, change and triumph.
Here, Ed gives us additional insight about his favorite segments as a BackStory host, including the ones that didn’t make the cut for this week’s show. Click the links to hear the original episodes his selections came from.
