-
-
-
How the States Got Their Shapes : Season 2
-
Air date: 29 Sep '12 - 19 episodesHow the States Got Their Shapes is a television series that airs on the History channel. It is hosted by Brian Unger and is based on Mark Stein's book, How the States Got Their Shapes. The show deals with how the various states of the United States established their borders, but also delves into other aspects of U.S. history, including failed states, proposed new states, and the local culture and character of various U.S. states. It thus deals with the "shapes" of the states in a metaphorical sense as well as a literal sense. Each episode has a particular theme, such as how the landscape, or language, or natural resources contributed to the borders and character of various U.S. states. The show format follows Unger as he travels to various locations, and interviews local people, visits important historical and cultural sites, and provides commentary from behind the wheel of his car as he drives from location to location. Interspersed with these segments are brief historical synopses by notable...
-
-
List of Episodes (19)
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
1. Red State vs. Blue State
29 Sep '12It's a rivalry that tears us apart every four years, but how did our nation divide into red states vs. blue states, and what happens to the states caught in the middle?
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
2. White Collar vs. Blue Collar
29 Sep '12Deep in the Rust Belt the white collar and blue collar divide has shaped our cities and our states. How did this rivalry change the way we all bring home the bacon?
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
3. Hillbilly vs. Redneck
06 Oct '12Two underdogs of American culture go head to head to prove how hillbillies and rednecks have shaped our states.
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
4. Hatfields vs. McCoys
06 Oct '12America's most iconic rivalry was more than just a feud between families. The fight between the Hatfields and McCoys nearly launched a war between two states.
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
5. North vs. South
13 Oct '12It's America's original rivalry, a divide that was so wide it took a war to close the gap. But have we really reunited, or are we still fighting a culture war?
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
6. Bigfoot vs. Aliens
13 Oct '12America is a nation under siege by unexplained phenomena. Whether you're afraid of Bigfoot or alien invasion might depend on what state you call home.
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
7. Great Lakes, Big Stakes
20 Oct '12Battles over access to lakefront property have made the Great Lakes region the most contested land on the entire map, and even pushed the states to a border war.
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
8. Battle of the Bible Belt
20 Oct '12With 85% of Americans affiliated with an organized religion, we're a nation of believers, but have we always practiced what we preached?
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
9. Vice vs. Virtue
27 Oct '12Americans have a lot of vices and they don't just stay in Vegas. From drugs to gambling, the state you live in may shape how bad you can be.
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
10. Midwest vs. The Rest
27 Oct '12It's the glue that holds our map together and feeds America, but the Midwest is more than just state fairs and flyover country.
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
11. Is West Best?
03 Nov '12Americans have been racing to tame the West since they first set foot on the continent, but now that the West has been won, what's next? Is the West still the best.
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
12. City vs. Country
03 Nov '12In the battle between city and country, it looks like the city is coming out ahead in population, but is there something about the country that all the city slickers are missing? And how has the move from rural to urban changed the shapes of our states and cities?
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
13. East vs. West
10 Nov '12The squabble between east coast and west coast leaves the rest of the country stuck in the middle. It's a rivalry that has made its way into our popular culture, but is there any common ground in this continental tug of war?
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
14. Rebels & Outlaws
17 Nov '12We may be a law-abiding nation but we also admire the outlaw, and the clash between rebels and the rules has shaped our states. Which states like to make their own rules, and which do the heat have on lockdown?
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
15. Mess with Texas
24 Nov '12Everything is bigger in Texas. It's the only state that acts like a country, but has it grown too big for its britches? We'll mess with Texas to settle this ten-gallon rivalry.
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
16. State vs. State
08 Dec '12We're the United States, but sometimes, it's every state for itself. Nearly every state has pulled a power play that gamed the system and changed the map. How much can you get away with when it's state vs. state?
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
17. Big vs. Small
15 Dec '12Money makes the world go 'round and in America, the pursuit of fortune and riches has shaped our states. Some states have built enormous economies on resources like gold, oil, or timber, but they first had to draw their borders around all the riches in order to stake a claim. In the race to grab up all the country's treasures, which states were the slowest on the uptake, and which came out on top?
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
18. The United Shapes of America
22 Dec '12Does size matter when you're a state? While the giants like to throw their weight around, there are some scrappy underdogs that have made their mark on the map.
-
How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)
-
19. The United Shapes of America
22 Dec '12After three years on the road, host Brian Unger is taking a different look at just how our states got their shapes. We'll hear about the unique American values that have made this country what it is today, and travel from coast to coast and everywhere in between. Along the way, Brian reveals that just as we shaped the map, it has shaped us.
-
