Media Resources

Even though Puerto Rico has been part of the United States for over a century, confusion persists about its legal status and that of the U.S. citizens that live on the island. And with reason: though Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, they lack voting representation in Congress and cannot vote for president, unless they leave the island and move to one of the fifty states. This episode of BackStory explores the history of the colonial relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico, characterized by what scholar Amilcar Barreto calls “malign neglect.”

Clio is an educational website and mobile application that guides the public to thousands of historical and cultural sites throughout the United States. Built by scholars for public benefit, each entry includes a concise summary and useful information about a historical site, museum, monument, landmark, or other site of cultural or historical significance.

This BackStory podcast on the history of women in the workplace includes several segments. Stories include the lives of nineteenth century domestic workers, myths related to "Rosie the Riveter" during WWII, and changes and challenges in the twenty-first century.

This episode of BackStory examines how women have influenced politics in the United States. From bread riots during the Civil War to the suffrage movement to campaigns for the Presidency of the United States, women have organized, marched, petitioned, and brought about change through grassroots movements and from within institutions of power. 

This episode of Backstory looks at the lionized figure of the American Millionaire, exploring the societal values that aided in its rise, the story of one of the first African American millionaires, and the complex philanthropic values of Andrew Carnegie. 

This episode of Backstory tackles the subject of advocacy journalism through the stories of two reporters, a discussion of the concept of objectivity, and a consideration of the role of the reporter in society.

This episode of Backstory recounts the turbulent history of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, focusing on the role President Johnson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and civil rights activists played in garnering support for this act. 

The NEH-funded Free and Equal project offers a digital way for students to explore the Rehearsal for Reconstruction in the Sea Islands of South Carolina in 1861. The site uses primary sources and dynamic images and illustrations to walk visitors through how this early attempt at reconstruction affected Black families. 

Ken Burns delivered the 2016 Jefferson Lecture on May 9, 2016.

Professor James O'Hara, a Trustee of the Supreme Court Historical Society, discusses an NEH-funded project to digitize the Society's library of rare, out-of-print, and fragile books about Supreme Court justices from the Washington administration to today.