Explore imaginings of the American past with With Good Reason first at 6:00 tonight. In an episode titled "Marking Stories of Slavery," host Sarah McConnell speaks with scholars who study the lives of enslaved people before and during the American Civil War and the myths and romanticized tales that we use to tell their stories today. Later in the show, we'll hear more about Civil War-era fantasies, but from the point of view of those who wrote letters and journals during that period. Plus, McConnell talks to one researcher who is examining how contemporary and modern depictions of Jesse James compare to the reality of this folk hero outlaw.
Then at 7:00, join BackStory with the American History Guys for a look at how Americans through history have gotten rid of their garbage. In "Another Man's Treasure: A History of Trash," the Guys talk about what constitutes "trash" and how we dispose of it--and how that's changed over time. This episode explains the role of urban trash-eating pigs, soda companies' role in modern recycling programs, the anthropologic study of garbage dumps and the legal ramifications of throwing things out.