Ben Franklin's World
April 19, 2025 marked the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concordโthe 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 ๐ง ๐ง ๐ง ๐ง ๐ง ๐ง REQUEST A TOPIC ๐จ ...
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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, weโre revisiting Episode 129: The Road to Concord, with historian J.L. Bell. John is...
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The American Revolution was more than just a series of events that unfolded between 1763 and 1783, the American Revolution is our national origin storyโone weโve passed down, shaped, and reshaped for the last 250 years. But what do we really mean when we talk about โthe Revolution?โ 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, . Michaelโs | Show...
info_outlineBen Franklin's World
This month, we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the โshot heard round the worldโ that ignited the Revolutionary War. But before those battles, and before the Revolution became a war for independence, it was a movementโa 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, weโre revisiting our conversation from Episode 350 with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Stacy Schiff, author of The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams. Stacy's | Show...
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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 Henryโs most famous speech, โGive Me Liberty, or Give Me Death,โ award-winning historian joins us to investigate the life and work of Patrick Henry....
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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, sheโs sought to better understand the lived and imagined experiences of mothers and motherhood between the 1750s and 1850s. Noraโs | Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES ๐ง ๐ง ๐ง ๐ง ๐ง ๐ง REQUEST A TOPIC ๐จ ๐ซ WHEN YOU'RE READY ๐ฉโ๐ป ...
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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 didnโt know how to write or whose families didnโt 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...
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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 Arnoldsโ story with details from her book, . Elaine's | Show Notes: ...
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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. Leslieโs | Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES ๐ง ๐ง ๐ง ๐ง ๐ง REQUEST A...
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What does freedom mean when the deck is stacked against you? In commemoration of Black History Month, weโre 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. Warrenโs | Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES ๐ง ๐ง ๐ง ๐ง ๐ง ๐ง REQUEST A TOPIC ๐จ ๐ซ WHEN YOU'RE READY ๐ฉโ๐ป LISTEN ๐ง ๐ ๐ ๐ถ CONNECT ๐ฆ ๐ฉโ๐ป ๐ ...
info_outlineThis month, we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the โshot heard round the worldโ that ignited the Revolutionary War.
But before those battles, and before the Revolution became a war for independence, it was a movementโa 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, weโre revisiting our conversation from Episode 350 with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Stacy Schiff, author of The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams.
Stacy's Website | Book
Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/350
RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES
๐ง Episode 130: Paul Revere's Ride Through History
๐ง Episode 145: Mercy Otis Warren and the American Revolution
๐ง Episode 152: Origins of the American Revolution
๐ง Episode 153: Governments of the American Revolution
๐ง Episode 228: The Boston Massacre
๐ง Episode 296: The Boston Massacre: A Family History
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