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394 The Pursuit of Happiness

Release Date: 09/24/2024

409 The Battles of Lexington & Concord, 1775

Ben Franklin's World

April 19, 2025 marked the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord—the moment the American Revolution turned from protest to war. What do we really know about that fateful day? How did the people of Concord prepare for what they faced in April 1775? David Wood, the longtime curator of the Concord Museum and the author of Eyewitness to Revolution: The American Revolution in the Concord Museum, joins us to explore answers to these questions. Concord Museum | | Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 ...

BFW Revisited: The Road to Concord

Ben Franklin's World

April 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. One of the lesser-known catalysts for these battles was the hunt for artillery. The British military, under General Thomas Gage, sought to seize weapons stockpiled by colonial militias, while Massachusetts Patriots scrambled to secure and hide weapons. This tug-of-war over firepower played a crucial role in pushing Massachusetts from political resistance to armed conflict. To better understand how Massachusetts got to this point, we’re revisiting Episode 129: The Road to Concord, with historian J.L. Bell. John is...

408 The Memory of 1776

Ben Franklin's World

The American Revolution was more than just a series of events that unfolded between 1763 and 1783, the American Revolution is our national origin story–one we’ve passed down, shaped, and reshaped for the last 250 years. But what do we really mean when we talk about “the Revolution?” Whose Revolution are we remembering? And how has the meaning of 1776 shifted from generation to generation? , a scholar of the American Revolution and historical memory, joins us to discuss the American Revolution and its memory, drawing on details from his new book, . Michael’s | Show...

BFW Revisited: Samuel Adams

Ben Franklin's World

This month, we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the “shot heard round the world” that ignited the Revolutionary War. But before those battles, and before the Revolution became a war for independence, it was a movement—a fight to secure more local control over government. And no one worked harder to transform that movement into a revolution than Samuel Adams. To help us investigate, we’re revisiting our conversation from Episode 350 with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Stacy Schiff, author of The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams. Stacy's | Show...

407 Patrick Henry

Ben Franklin's World

Patrick Henry is one of the most famous voices of the American Revolution. He was known in his own time for his powerful speeches and his unwavering commitment to liberty. But did you know that later in life, Patrick Henry opposed the United States Constitution? Did you know that during the political crisis of 1798/99, George Washington wrote to Patrick Henry and asked him to save the nation? In honor of the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry’s most famous speech, “Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death,” award-winning historian joins us to investigate the life and work of Patrick Henry....

BFW Revisited: Motherhood in Early America

Ben Franklin's World

What precisely is the work that mothers do to raise children? Has the nature of mothers, motherhood, and the work mothers do changed over time? , an Associate Professor of History at Western Carolina University, has combed through the historical record to find answers to these questions. Specifically, she’s sought to better understand the lived and imagined experiences of mothers and motherhood between the 1750s and 1850s. Nora’s | Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩‍💻 ...

406 How Haudenosaunee Women & Fashion Shaped History

Ben Franklin's World

Historians use a lot of different sources when they research the past. Many rely on primary source documents, documents that were written by official government bodies or those written by the people who witnessed the events or changes historians are studying. But how do you uncover the voices and stories of people who didn’t know how to write or whose families didn’t preserve much of their writing? , an Associate Professor of History at the University at Albany and author of , ran into this very problem as she sought to recover the lives of Haudenosaunee women. Maeve overcame this...

BFW Revisited: The Poison Plot: Adultery & Murder in Colonial Newport

Ben Franklin's World

In 1738, a cooper named Benedict Arnold petitioned the Rhode Island General Assembly for a divorce from his wife Mary Ward Arnold. Benedict claimed that Mary had taken a lover and together they had attempted to murder him with poison. How did this story of love, divorce, and attempted murder unfold? What does it reveal about the larger world of colonial America and the experiences of colonial American men and women? , a Distinguished Professor of History at Fordham University, takes us through the Arnolds’ story with details from her book, . Elaine's | Show Notes: ...

405 African Americans in Early New York

Ben Franklin's World

When we think of slavery in Early America, we often think about the plantations and economies of the South. But did you know that slavery was also deeply entrenched in New York City? Did you know that Africans and African Americans helped New York City confront slavery, freedom, and racism in the Early American Republic and Antebellum periods? , a professor at Northwestern University and author of , joins us to explore the history of Africans and African Americans in early New York City. Leslie’s | Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 REQUEST A...

BFW Revisited: Free People of Color in Early America

Ben Franklin's World

What does freedom mean when the deck is stacked against you? In commemoration of Black History Month, we’re revisiting a story that is too often overlooked, but critical to our understanding of Early America. Join , an Associate Professor of History at George Washington University, as we uncover the lives of free people of color in Early America. Warren’s | Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩‍💻 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩‍💻 🛜 ...

More Episodes

What did Thomas Jefferson and the members of the Second Continental Congress mean when they wrote “the pursuit of Happiness” into the United States Declaration of Independence? And why is pursuing happiness so important that Jefferson and his fellow Founding Fathers included it in the Declaration of Independence’s most powerful statement of the new United States’ ideals?

Jeffrey Rosen, the President and CEO of the National Constitution Center and a law professor at George Washington University Law School, joins us to investigate and answer these questions with details from his book, The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America.

Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/394

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