As America commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, NWPB presents a variety of special radio programs that invite listeners to explore the nation’s story from multiple perspectives. Including patriotic celebrations of American music and culture, examinations of democracy and civic life, and stories that uncover lesser-known chapters in our shared history; these programs offer opportunities to reflect on where the country has been, how it evolved, and what it means to be American today.
Public Radio in Democracy
NWPB News, June 26, 7pm
America’s 18thcentury founders emphasized the importance of a free press and an educated citizenry to the success of their experiment in democracy. In this special, NPR’s first program director reflects on the mission statement and recounts the network’s early goal of honoring diversity by including a variety of American voices.
Classical Music with Steve Reeder
NWPB Classical, June 30 to July 3, 9am to 1pm
NWPB’s Steve Reeder presents a week-long survey of gifted American composers and performers. Listen for eighteenth-century anthems and hymns, nineteenth-century orchestral statements, twentieth-century music for the concert hall, stage and cinema, and selections by talented musicians of this century. Along the way, you'll also hear works by several composers associated with the Pacific Northwest, in addition to tribute pieces written by composers of other lands.
Adults Learning to Read: America’s Literacy Crisis and Its Impact on Democracy
NWPB News, June 30, 7pm
About half of American adults read at or below a sixth-grade level. Some are native-born Americans, others are immigrants. Adults Learning to Read reflects of the challenges they face in maintaining a good job, navigating health care, or helping children (or grandchildren) with school work, and how this widespread low level of literacy affects the functioning of American democracy.
Things That Go Boom: Divided America
NWPB News, June 30, 7pm
Divided America goes deep on the challenges facing our nation and the real people trying to make the country better. Hear stories of an ex-FBI agent who took down violent neo-Nazis, Civil War reenactors as they visit hallowed ground, and a journalist who tracks anti-fascist movements.
Living on the Edge: Voices of Poverty in America
NWPB News, July 1, 7pm
Over a third of Americans lack sufficient savings to handle a $400 emergency. In this revealing public radio documentary, we consider the plight of tens of millions living on the edge of poverty in the United States. They may be among your family members or neighbors.
First America
NWPB News, July 2, 7pm
When you read the Declaration of Independence, you realize it’s a list of complaints. The last entry, the climax of our founders’ reasons for rebellion against the Crown, is this: “He has excited… the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.” First America unveils how the founders’ treatment of Indigenous nations—and their resistance—shaped US democracy.
America @ 250: Due Diligence Ep 1
NWPB News, July 3 8pm & July 6, 7pm
America @ 250: Due Diligence Ep 2
NWPB News, July 3, 9pm & July 7, 7pm
This two-part special examines one of the foundational questions that has defined — and divided — American democracy from the beginning: What does government owe its citizens? How has the promise of the Constitution been kept, broken, or rewritten over 250 years? And where does the country stand today?
3pm Vienna in the Wilderness: The Moravian Sound
NWPB Classical, July 4, 3pm
The Moravians, who settled in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, were some of the best music makers in early America. Their contributions were significant but largely unknown, and their music was of such high quality that visitors to their villages described them as Vienna in the Wilderness. Most importantly, Moravians held the first-known celebration of Independence Day with music in Salem, North Carolina on July 4, 1783. This special explores the music of the 18thcentury Moravians and their contemporaries.
Unsung Heroes
NWPB News, July 4, 6pm
Explore the history of the Revolutionary War through the stories of both well-known figures and often-overlooked heroes who helped shape the nation’s founding. Through narration, period music, poetry, and historical accounts, Unsung Heroes highlights the contributions of Native Americans, African Americans, women, and abolitionists in the fight for independence and freedom. The program offers a deeper look at the meaning of liberty and equality, illuminating stories rarely found in traditional history books.
Music & the Spoken Word: Certain as the Dawn
NWPB Classical, July 4, 6pm
Music & the Spoken Word: Self-Control, Liberty, and Law
NWPB Classical, July 4, 6:30pm
In these Independence Day specials, the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square perform uplifting patriotic music alongside heartfelt narration to honor the enduring values that define the American experience.
Classical Music with Jedd Greenhalgh
NWPB Classical, July 4,7pm to midnight
Spend Independence Day evening with classical music that goes beyond patriotic fanfares. Explore the richness and diversity of United States classical music, from beloved works of the past to voices shaping the nation’s musical landscape today.
Freed People
NWPB News, July 8,7pm
This Humankind documentary examines how America responded to a massive refugee crisis, when four million newly emancipated slaves needed shelter, employment, education and the basic rights at the close of the Civil War. Hear historians, brief readings from letters of people who were there, performances of "Negro Spirituals" and more.
Copperhead Conspiracy: A Forgotten Tale of Treason and Insurrection
NWPB News, July 9, 7pm
During the American Civil War, a group of Northerners, opposed to Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, conspired with Confederates to plan an armed insurrection intended to topple the governments of several Midwestern states and free tens of thousands of Confederate prisoners from Union prison—and it nearly worked. This radio documentary takes you on a tour of the events, and poses questions about government that Americans still grapple with today.
