From Memory to History

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History is often learned in school, but many of us experience and understand it through popular culture, particularly television, which has profoundly shaped American perceptions over the past century. Television has been crucial in interpreting collective memory, reflecting events that have faded into the past. This book explores how TV shows from the last fifty years depict American society, analyzing significant historical events from Prohibition to the Internet through beloved series like The Waltons, M*A*S*H, and Mad Men. It highlights that each show serves as a historical artifact, revealing insights about the era in which it was created as much as the time it portrays. For instance, That '70s Show provides a lens on the 1990s while telling a 1970s story, and Hogan's Heroes, a sitcom set in a WWII concentration camp, inadvertently reflects Civil Rights and Vietnam War anxieties. The Americans recontextualizes the Cold War's uncertainties despite its 1980s setting. Each chapter offers context for the show's setting, its interpretive argument at the time, and a contemporary perspective, presenting history in a multifaceted way. Engaging and insightful, this work encourages readers to view television and American history through a fresh lens.