History

An understanding of our history is as crucial to a successful democratic society as it is essential to the well-examined life of the individual. As historian Howard Zinn told Bill Moyers, “I think the more people learn about the past… the more that they will understand that it is possible for people to change the world.” Start your understanding with some of the series and specials below.

EDITORS' PICKS

Everyone Should Be Entitled to Medicare
Bill recalls his days with Lyndon Johnson as they prepared to sell Medicare to Congress, and makes the case for why everyone should be entitled to it today.
Facing Our Racial Past
Bill and Khalil Gibran Muhammad discuss the importance of confronting the contradictions of America’s past.
From D-Day to the Rhine (1990)

EXPLORE History

John Grisham on Bill Moyers Journal in 2008

Moyers Moment (2008): John Grisham on Wrongful Death Penalty Convictions

March 29, 2013 | Moyers Moments

The bestselling author tells Bill how our legal system deals out justice unevenly, with terrible consequences and cost. Continue reading

A gavel replica and law books are shown in the office of California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George at his office in San Francisco, Wednesday, July 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Public Opinion and the Death Penalty

March 29, 2013 | Smart Charts

Although public support of capital punishment has been falling since its peak in 1994, approval numbers have plateaued in the 60th percentile over the past decade. Continue reading

Lawyers David Boies, left, and Theodore Olson, greet the public at a rally on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010 in West Hollywood, Calif. Gay rights supporters turned out in droves to celebrate a federal judge's overturning of California's Proposition 8, a same-sex marriage ban, a landmark case which could eventually land before the U.S. Supreme Court to decide if gays have a constitutional right to marry in America. (AP Photo/Adam Lau)

They Support Marriage Equality, But Olson and Boies Have Their Differences

March 26, 2013 | News & Notes

Lawyers Theodore Olson and David Boies discuss their ideological differences on Supreme Court cases Bush V. Gore and Citizens United. Continue reading

President Bush speaks at a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

An Anniversary Many Would Like to Ignore

March 20, 2013 | Connecting the Dots

It’s been a decade since the start of the Iraq War, but many of those responsible would rather not reminisce about the true roles they played. Continue reading

Former Senator Russ Feingold speaks at a Common Cause conference to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Watergate.

Robert Reich on Lessons Learned from Watergate

March 15, 2013 | Money & Politics

Michael Winship talks with the economist about lessons on government transparency that America learned, then forgot, in the years since Watergate. Continue reading

Experience ‘Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth’

March 15, 2013 | Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth (1988)

Watch excerpts from ‘The Power of Myth’, the beloved 1988 PBS series featuring mythologist and storyteller Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers. Continue reading