loader from loading.io

BFW Revisited: The Early History of the U.S. Congress

Ben Franklin's World

Release Date: 05/27/2025

415 The Many Declarations of Independence show art 415 The Many Declarations of Independence

Ben Franklin's World

When you picture the Declaration of Independence, what comes to mind? Most people envision a single, iconic documentโ€“parchment, signatures, maybe even a scene from National Treasure. But what if I told you, the Declaration of Independence isnโ€™t just one document, but many documents? And that each version of the Declaration tells a different storyโ€“a story not just about American independence, but about the people who printed, read, preserved, and even re-wrote the Declaration? is one of the leading experts on the Declaration of Independence. She has spent more than a decade...

info_outline
414 Queerness and Reputation in Revolutionary America show art 414 Queerness and Reputation in Revolutionary America

Ben Franklin's World

How do we uncover queer lives from the distant past, especially in an era when language and records often erased or obscured them? What did queerness look like in early America, and how might it have intersected with power, religion, and empire on the eve of the American Revolution?  John McCurdy, a Professor of History and Philosophy at Eastern Michigan University and the author of Vicious and Immoral: Homosexuality, the American Revolution, and the Trials of Robert Newburgh, joins us to explore these questions through the remarkable story of British Army Chaplain Robert Newburgh. ...

info_outline
413 Dr. Joseph Warren & the Battle of Bunker Hill show art 413 Dr. Joseph Warren & the Battle of Bunker Hill

Ben Franklin's World

June 17, 2025, marks the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, the first full-scale battle of what would become the American War for Independence. Although technically a British victory, Bunker Hill proved that colonial soldiers could hold their own against the might of the British Empire. New England militiamen inflicted 1,054 casualties on the British, 50 percent of the British force. The New Englanders sustained 411 casualties that day, including the man who stood at the heart of this battle: Dr. Joseph Warren. Who was Dr. Joseph Warren, and why did he risk his life in the first...

info_outline
BFW Revisited: On Juneteenth show art BFW Revisited: On Juneteenth

Ben Franklin's World

Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, is nearly upon us, and it offers us the perfect moment for reflection. What do we know about Juneteenth? Where did this holiday begin? And how has it grown from a regional commemoration into a national conversation about freedom, equality, and memory? In this episode, we return to our conversation with in Episode 304. A native Texan and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, Annette brings both personal insight and deep historical knowledge to her book which is a rich meditation on Texas history, African American...

info_outline
412 The Franklin Stove show art 412 The Franklin Stove

Ben Franklin's World

It might surprise you, but in the 18th century, people across the globe were reckoning with colder-than-usual weather brought on by the Little Ice Ageโ€”a centuries-long chill that made heating homes more urgent than ever. At the same time, early Americans were cutting down trees at an unsustainable pace to stay warm. Enter Benjamin Franklin. In this episode, Harvard historian joins us to explore how Franklin tackled this problem by designing five different stove models, and what these innovations reveal about early American science, sustainability, and life with fire. Joyceโ€™s | | Show...

info_outline
BFW Revisited: The Early History of the U.S. Congress show art BFW Revisited: The Early History of the U.S. Congress

Ben Franklin's World

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Second Continental Congress, this episode revisits the origins of the United States Congress and how early Americans built a representative government from revolutionary ideals. Historians Matt Wasniewski and Terrence Ruckner of the Office of the Historian of the U.S. House of Representatives join us to explore how Congress evolved from its colonial and revolutionary predecessors into the bicameral legislature established by the Constitution. House History Office Show Notes:   RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES ๐ŸŽง ๐ŸŽง ๐ŸŽง ๐ŸŽง ๐ŸŽง ...

info_outline
411 Philadelhpia: An Early History show art 411 Philadelhpia: An Early History

Ben Franklin's World

Two hundred fifty years ago, in May 1775, delegates from thirteen British North American colonies gathered in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress.  Why was Philadelphia chosen as the seat of Congress? What made the city a critical hub for revolutionary ideas, commerce, and culture? And how has Philadelphiaโ€™s early history shaped the broader narrative of American Independence?  Paul Kahan, a historian of American political, economic, and urban history, joins us to explore Philadelphiaโ€™s early American history with details from his book. , the first comprehensive...

info_outline
BFW Revisited: Founding Friendships show art BFW Revisited: Founding Friendships

Ben Franklin's World

What did friendship between men and women look like in the decades following the American Revolution? Could emotional closeness and intellectual kinship flourish outside of marriageโ€” and without scandal? In this episode, we revisit our earlier conversation with historian , author of . Building on our recent exploration of love and advice in 1690s England, we take a closer look at how early Americans navigated the shifting social norms of gender, intimacy, and platonic relationships. Cassieโ€™s |   Show Notes: REQUEST A TOPIC ๐Ÿ“จ  ๐Ÿ“ซ  WHEN YOU'RE READY ...

info_outline
Ben Franklin's World Trailer show art Ben Franklin's World Trailer

Ben Franklin's World

This is a 30-second trailer for Ben Franklin's World.

info_outline
410 The World's First Personal Advice Column show art 410 The World's First Personal Advice Column

Ben Franklin's World

When did people begin seeking anonymous advice for their most profound personal dilemmas? What can the answers to their early questions tell us about the emotional lives of people in the past?  Weโ€™re traveling back in time to 1690s England to explore the worldโ€™s first personal advice column, The Athenian Mercury. This two-sided broadsheet publication invited readers to send in questions about anythingโ€“from science and religion to love and marriageโ€“ and its creators, a small group of Londoners who dubbed themselves the โ€œAthenian Society,โ€ answered these queries with a...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Second Continental Congress, this episode revisits the origins of the United States Congress and how early Americans built a representative government from revolutionary ideals.

Historians Matt Wasniewski and Terrence Ruckner of the Office of the Historian of the U.S. House of Representatives join us to explore how Congress evolved from its colonial and revolutionary predecessors into the bicameral legislature established by the Constitution.

House History Office Website

Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/202
 

RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES

๐ŸŽง Episode 040: For Fear of an Elected King
๐ŸŽง Episode 078: Washington Brotherhood
๐ŸŽง Episode 153: Governments of the American Revolution
๐ŸŽง Episode 179: Governance During the Critical Period
๐ŸŽง Episode 338: The Early History of the United States Senate



REQUEST A TOPIC
๐Ÿ“จ Topic Request Form
๐Ÿ“ซ [email protected]

WHEN YOU'RE READY
๐Ÿ—ž๏ธ BFW Gazette Newsletter 
๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ’ป Join the BFW Listener Community

LISTEN ๐ŸŽง
๐ŸŽ Apple Podcasts 
๐Ÿ’š Spotify 
๐ŸŽถ Amazon Music
๐Ÿ›œ Pandora

CONNECT
๐Ÿฆ‹ Liz on Bluesky
๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ’ป Liz on LinkedIn
๐Ÿ›œ Lizโ€™s Website

SAY THANKS
๐Ÿ’œ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
๐Ÿ’š Leave a rating on Spotify