With Patriots’ Day around the corner, this week we’re taking a deep dive into America 250 to honor our country’s founding. On April 20 at 8pm on GBH 2, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW premieres a new episode, 250 Years of Americana, reflecting on 250 years of American art, artifacts, crafts, and collectibles. So many treasures!
We’re feeling extra patriotic as the Artemis II astronauts just completed their awe-inspiring mission, so tune in tomorrow at 9pm on GBH 2 to watch NOVA: Return to the Moon. In the meantime, enjoy this clip about training for such a mission.
Yours in media,
Elizabeth He, Visual Communications Editor
Reflections on America 250
GBH’s America 250 Initiative Honors the Truth of America’s History
Marking the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding is as big, varied, and complex as America itself. Learn more about this year-long GBH effort to capture the told and untold stories that comprise our nation’s history.
Being a “Professional Loser”
David Clay, the British consul general to New England, has been a good sport playing the role of the villain in America 250 celebrations this year. What else has he been up to?
At Old North Church, the American Revolution Lives on Ahead of Nation’s 250th
Old North Illuminated‘s Emily Spence joined GBH’s All Things Considered to highlight the stories beyond Paul Revere and the famed church’s signal lanterns — stories of ordinary Bostonians. Journey back in time at the Old North Church Historic Site.
Americans Divided on Our History as 250th Anniversary Nears
Deep divisions over how Americans remember their past are coming into sharper focus. Judy Woodruff reports for her series, America at a Crossroads. Hear what fellow Americans have to say.
In Pursuit of Democracy
NOVA: Athens: Birth of Democracy
Follow archaeological investigations into the dramatic origins of democracy in Greece 2,500 years ago. Mass graves and ancient ruins where tyrants were murdered shine new light on the birth of a revolutionary form of government. This episode will air April 29 at 9pm on GBH 2.
Political Movements and Songs on “The Culture Show Podcast”
James Sullivan, journalist, author, and longtime contributor to the Boston Globe, joins The Culture Show to talk about his book Which Side Are You On? 20th Century American History in 100 Protest Songs. Explore how democracy and music work in tandem.
Wynton Marsalis on What Jazz Can Teach Us About Democracy
The world-renowned trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis helped found Jazz at Lincoln Center in the 1980s with a mission to build a more conscious, collaborative, and creative world through the art of jazz. Marsalis joins Amanpour and Company to discuss his tenure.
A More Perfect Union
Examine America’s founding and the values articulated 250 years ago. This conversation features Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein, co-directors of The American Revolution, and more special guests.
Defining What’s Missing in Our Democracy
In 1975, lawyer and former U.S. Representative Bella Abzug went on the Dinah! show and questioned what was missing in our democracy at the time. Have we fulfilled this gap or is it still there?
Firing Line with John Meacham
Historian Jon Meacham reflects on 250 years of American triumphs and tragedies, the legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson, and the challenges to democracy in the Trump era.
Recipe of the Week
Johnnycakes with Bluefish Pâté from Weekends with Yankee
This is the streamlined adaptation of a popular and wonderfully decadent appetizer served at the beloved oyster bar in Boston’s North End. Whereas the Neptune Oyster version uses three types of flour (all-purpose, semolina, and cornmeal), we use just two. This recipe is very simple – and great on crackers, too.
“We the People” of the Revolution
- No, George Washington didn’t have wooden teeth. Yes, he led the Siege of Boston. How did he lead a critical campaign in the early days of the American Revolution?
- Hear the stories that history often leaves out. Chief Curator and Director of Collections at the Museum of African American History Dr. Nedra Lee discusses the process of assembling and curating the Black Voices of the Revolution exhibit now on view at the museum.
- The Avett Brothers’ Bob Crawford discusses his book about John Quincy Adams. Hear about the tale of Adams’s turbulent government career and his evolving views on slavery.
- On PBS News Hour, Judy Woodruff explores what it means to be an American by first looking at how closely our identity adheres to the template created by George Washington.
- In Lucy Worsley Investigates the American Revolution, Lucy visits the Royal Society in London to learn about Benjamin Franklin’s dramatic transformation in appearance when he travelled to France. Find out what he changed.
Off Topic
- Celebrate two icons of jazz on GBH Music Presents JazzNOW with Ethan Iverson: Harlem stride pianist James P. Johnson, who contributed to the evolution of jazz from ragtime in the 1920s, and saxophonist John Coltrane, whose modal jazz and “sheets of sound” revolutionized the art form in later decades.
- Some things are just meant to be. Here’s Ken Burns on why his “45-year marriage” to PBS continues to work.
- Are we really in control of our own minds? Research suggests our sense of control may be far more fragile – and far stranger – than we imagine. Listen to to the “NOVA Remix” podcast episode, “Your Brain: Perception and Control,” to learn more about this phenomenon.
