The Future of America's Past

In THE FUTURE OF AMERICA'S PAST, notable scholar Ed Ayers takes viewers to the sites of complex and evocative chapters in American history. Throughout the series, Ayers meets with public historians working to preserve the past, from National Park Service rangers to curators and community activists. He visits the sites - both familiar and unknown - of monumental events, and brings on guests who offer a range of perspectives.

The Future of America's Past By Episode

  • Freedom's Fortress (#101)

    At Virginia's Fort Monroe, we discover a remarkable place: the spot where slavery began in British North America, and the site where it began to unravel during the Civil War. From one of the newest National Park Service sites to a historically-minded brewery and more, we learn from a diverse cast of people engaging visitors with defining moments in our national past.

  • The Fire of a Movement (#102)

  • Lines in the Sand (#103)

    Texas has long been a place of contentious borders and cross-cultural exchange. Six national flags have flown over Texas since the 1500s, starting with European contests for the land that followed 10,000 years of Native American history there. From Spanish missions, to a French shipwreck, to a former sugarcane plantation, we visit to ask: How did Texas become Texas?

  • A Grave Injustice (#104)

  • The Future of America's Past (#201)

  • The Future of America's Past (#202)

  • Transcontinental (#203)

  • School Interrupted (#204)

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