696. Who Was Deborah Sampson? The Girl Who Disguised Herself to Fight in the Revolution
The Way the World Works: A Tuttle Twins Podcast for Families
Release Date: 06/09/2026
715. The Man Who Saved Thomas Jefferson's Life
The Way the World Works: A Tuttle Twins Podcast for Families
In the dead of night, a 26-year-old Virginian heard hoofbeats on the road to Charlottesville and made a split-second choice that may have saved Thomas Jefferson's life. When British troops launched a surprise raid aimed at Virginia's leaders, one young Virginian recognized the danger and took action. Connor tells the story of Jack Jouett, a militia captain who, on the night of June 3, 1781, overheard British cavalry under the command of Banastre Tarleton riding toward Charlottesville, where Governor Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature had relocated after Benedict Arnold's betrayal...
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714. Why NYC's Socialist Mayor Can't Create More Housing
The Way the World Works: A Tuttle Twins Podcast for Families
New York City just elected a democratic socialist mayor, and his plan to fix the housing crisis starts with getting rid of the very thing that builds houses: private ownership. Brittany dives into the real-world experiment now playing out in New York City, where Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his housing secretary, Cea Weaver, are pushing policies built on the idea that housing should be owned collectively rather than privately. It's a big claim from two people with a lot of new power over one of the largest cities in the country, and Brittany breaks down why the economics behind it don't hold up....
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713. What Can Legos Teach Us about Innovation?
The Way the World Works: A Tuttle Twins Podcast for Families
A struggling Danish carpenter lost his business in the Great Depression, watched his workshop burn to the ground twice, and still built one of the most beloved brands on the planet out of tiny plastic bricks. Legos aren't just the toy you're constantly stepping on in bare feet, they're also one of the best case studies in entrepreneurship you'll ever find. In this episode of The Way the World Works, we tell the story of Ole Kirk Christiansen, the Danish carpenter who invented Legos, and how he used grit, adaptability, and a relentless commitment to quality to turn a failing woodworking shop...
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712. The Baker Who Fed The Continental Army
The Way the World Works: A Tuttle Twins Podcast for Families
He never fired a shot in battle, but George Washington called him "the general baker" — and without his bread, the Continental Army might have starved before it ever won independence. Christopher Ludwick was a German immigrant, a trained soldier, and one of Philadelphia's most successful bakers when the Revolution began. As a German-born businessman, he could have easily sat the war out like many of his neighbors did. Instead, he pledged 200 pounds of his own money to the American cause, built ovens with his own resources at Valley Forge, and used his fluent German to talk Hessian soldiers...
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711. How Did Two People From Massachusetts Advance Religious Liberty?
The Way the World Works: A Tuttle Twins Podcast for Families
Two colonists broke every rule of Puritan Massachusetts—and accidentally invented American religious liberty. The Puritans and Pilgrims sailed to America seeking freedom to worship as they pleased. But once they had power, they didn't extend that freedom to anyone else. In 1630s Massachusetts Bay Colony, only church members could vote, starting a new church required government permission, and criticizing religious leaders could get you fined, whipped, or banished. This episode was inspired by Murray Rothbard's dense but brilliant history "Conceived in Liberty" (the same historian behind the...
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710. John Adams, Free Speech, and the First Constitutional Crisis
The Way the World Works: A Tuttle Twins Podcast for Families
John Adams helped write America's promise of free speech, then signed a law that made criticizing him a crime. The Revolution was won and the Constitution was ratified. But then what happened? Did the Constitution actually stop the new American government from becoming the very thing the Revolution was fought against? Brittany picks up right where the last Tuttle Twins history book left off, tracing what happened once George Washington stepped aside and the country's first contested election handed the presidency to John Adams and the vice presidency to his rival, Thomas Jefferson. Almost...
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709. Benedict Arnold: The Hero Who Became a Villain
The Way the World Works: A Tuttle Twins Podcast for Families
Benedict Arnold saved America at its most desperate hour, then became its most infamous traitor. This is the story of how wounded pride turned a war hero into a villain. Before he became America's most famous traitor, Benedict Arnold was one of its most valuable heroes. In this episode, Brittany traces Arnold's path from successful Connecticut merchant to battlefield legend, and asks the question that drives every villain origin story: villains aren't born, so what actually turns a hero into one? Arnold's turning point wasn't a single betrayal, but a string of wounds to his pride. He disobeyed...
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708. Seeing America Through Fresh Eyes
The Way the World Works: A Tuttle Twins Podcast for Families
A German tourist's viral videos about hotel rooms and gas stations reminded millions of Americans just how extraordinary their everyday life really is. During the 2026 World Cup, visitors from around the globe are experiencing America for the first time, and their reactions are going viral. Brittany starts with the story of Freddie, a tourist from Germany whose posts about oversized hotel rooms, huge gas stations, and other "ordinary" American things have captivated millions online. It's easy to stop noticing the things we live with every day. Brittany shares her own experience of taking...
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707. America: An Idea Worth Believing In
The Way the World Works: A Tuttle Twins Podcast for Families
A place can be captured. An idea cannot — and that idea is what makes America, America. Historian Gordon S. Wood spent his entire career explaining something most countries never have to explain: why they exist. Wood, who passed away this year at 92 — just months before he could have celebrated America's 250th birthday — became one of the most influential voices on the American founding, the Revolution, and why the signing of the Declaration of Independence mattered so much. His central argument was this: America was never really about a place. Most nations are built around geography,...
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706. Why Did The Framers Hate Excessive Fines?
The Way the World Works: A Tuttle Twins Podcast for Families
The Eighth Amendment says the government can't impose "excessive fines" — but that single clause has a wild, 800-year-old backstory involving a tyrant king, a murder accusation, and a family that paid the ultimate price for speaking up. In this episode, Rachel digs into the medieval origin of the excessive fines clause, tracing it all the way back to King John of England — yes, the same King John from the Robin Hood legends — and his baron, William. William had been one of John's most loyal supporters, helping secure his claim to the throne after John's own teenage nephew mysteriously...
info_outlineWhen women weren’t allowed to serve in the army, Deborah Sampson risked everything to fight for American independence anyway.
Deborah Sampson was one of the most remarkable unsung heroes of the American Revolution. Born in Massachusetts and raised through hardship, she grew up strong, determined, and deeply committed to the cause of liberty. But because women were not allowed to serve as soldiers, she made a bold decision: she disguised herself as a man and enlisted under the name Robert Shurtleff.
In this episode of The Way the World Works, we tell the incredible true story of Deborah Sampson’s courage, sacrifice, and determination. She fought in combat, endured battlefield wounds, removed a bullet from her own leg to protect her secret, and served for more than a year before her identity was discovered. Even after being sent home, her bravery was honored — and she became the only woman to receive a full military pension for serving in the Revolutionary War.
Her story reminds us that courage means standing up for what you believe in, even when the rules say you can’t.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Who Deborah Sampson was and why her story matters
- Why women were not allowed to serve as soldiers during the Revolution
- How Deborah disguised herself and enlisted in the army
- What she endured while fighting for American independence
- Why her courage earned recognition after the war
- How her story shows sacrifice, bravery, and love of liberty
Timestamps:
0:00 An Unsung Hero of the Revolutionary War
1:30 Who Was Deborah Sampson?
3:30 From Hardship to Strength
5:30 Why She Joined the Army in Disguise
7:30 Fighting as Robert Shurtleff
9:30 Wounded in Battle
11:30 How Her Secret Was Discovered
13:30 Deborah Sampson’s Honorable Discharge
15:00 Her Life After the War
16:30 Why Her Courage Still Matters
👍 Like this video if you believe courage can change history
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💬 Comment below: Would you have been brave enough to do what Deborah Sampson did?
Shop Resources:
📘 Learn more about the people, ideas, and events that shaped America in
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https://www.tuttletwins.com/products/americas-history-volume-1-2-bundle
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https://tuttletwins.com
Tags:
#DeborahSampson #AmericanRevolution #RevolutionaryWar #WomenInHistory #AmericanHistory #Liberty #Courage #ValuesEducation