Ben Franklin's World
Ben Franklin’s World is an award-winning podcast about early American history. It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world. Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history. It is produced by Colonial Williamsburg Innovation Studios.
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440 Jefferson's Cut Grievance and the British Monarchy's Role in Slavery
05/05/2026
440 Jefferson's Cut Grievance and the British Monarchy's Role in Slavery
Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence contained 28 grievances against King George III — not 27. The final grievance, the one Congress cut before signing, accused the British king of waging cruel war against human nature by trafficking enslaved Africans across the Atlantic, forcing slavery onto unwilling American colonists, and then inciting those same enslaved people to rise up and kill their enslavers. Did King George III and the British monarchy actually bear responsibility for slavery in the 13 colonies? Or was Jefferson's grievance a strategic sleight of hand — an attempt to pin a uniquely American system onto the crown he wanted to escape? Historian Brooke Newman, author of The Crown's Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery, joins us to find out. She traces the British monarchy's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade from Queen Elizabeth I through King George III, examines what Jefferson got right and what he got wrong, and delivers her verdict on one of the most explosive what-ifs in United States history. Brooke's | | Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:24 Episode Welcome and Jefferson's Cut Grievance 00:03:15 Guest Introduction: Brooke Newman 00:04:58 Jefferson's Claim and Brooke's Research Origins 00:09:28 Timeline of Monarchies and Terminology 00:12:03 England Enters the Slave Trade under Elizabeth I 00:17:41 Crown Investments and Royal African Company 00:30:15 Colonies Structured for Slavery 00:37:02 Logistics of the Slave Trade by Revolution 00:47:01 King George III's Views on Slavery 00:52:20 Virginia's 1772 Slave Trade Ban and Royal Veto 00:57:35 Dunmore's Proclamation: Not a Royal Act 01:01:17 Was George III to Blame? Jefferson's Strategy 01:04:26 Time Warp: If George III Abolished Slavery 01:10:56 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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BFW Revisited: Whose Fourth of July?
04/28/2026
BFW Revisited: Whose Fourth of July?
On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass stood before the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society and asked one of the most searing questions in American history: "What, to the slave, is the Fourth of July?" To answer Douglass's question, we have to go back to the Revolution itself; to the choices Black Americans made in wartime, to the ways they read, used, and interrogated the Declaration of Independence, and to the alternative celebrations they created when the Fourth of July felt like someone else's holiday. Historians and help us explore what the Fourth of July meant for African Americans in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and how their experiences with the Fourth contributed to the larger history of the nation's founding. Christopher's | Martha's | Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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439 When the Declaration of Independence Was News
04/21/2026
439 When the Declaration of Independence Was News
The Second Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776, but it had absolutely no plan for telling the world about it. Congress sent just one copy of the Declaration to France. It was lost at sea. Printers ran the text however they liked. And the first formal acknowledgment of American independence came not from a European court, but from a Native American chief responding to a verbal translation of the Declaration in the middle of a treaty negotiation. Historian and Declaration expert joins us to explore what the Declaration of Independence looked like when it was just news — urgent, imperfect, and far beyond anyone's control. Emily’s | | Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:07 The Declaration as a Congressional Product 00:06:28 Jefferson's humble signature 00:11:10 Congress Has No Plans for Circulation 00:16:22 News of the Declaration Breaks 00:24:36 Pubilc Readings of the Declaration 00:27:27 Ministers Spread News of the Declaration 00:32:57 German-American Translation of the Declaration 00:42:04 French Translation Failures 00:46:42 Verbal Translations of the Declaration 00:51:52 No Official Copy Sent to King George III 00:58:43 The Declaration of Independence as News 01:02:17 Time Warp 01:07:48 Upcoming 250th Exhibitions 01:11:24 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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BFW Revisited: The Age of Revolutions
04/14/2026
BFW Revisited: The Age of Revolutions
Between 1763 and 1848, revolutions swept across four continents. We tend to remember three of them — the American, the French, and the Haitian Revolutions. But what about all the rest? And what connected them to each other? In this episode, we're bringing back our conversation with , Presidential Professor of History Emerita at the University of New Hampshire and author of , and , Associate Professor of History at William & Mary, who helps us understand why historians are increasingly looking at the American Revolution through an international lens. Together, they reveal why the Age of Revolutions happened when it did, how the American Revolution fit within this larger Atlantic-wide moment of upheaval, and how revolutionary ideas traveled across borders through people, print, and rumor. Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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438 The American Revolution & the Fate of the World
04/07/2026
438 The American Revolution & the Fate of the World
What if the American Revolution didn't just create the United States, but also created Australia? Most of us learned about the Revolution as a story of thirteen North American colonies pushing back against a distant king. But this episode reveals something far wilder: a genuinely global war whose consequences rippled across every inhabited continent — reshaping empires, forcing migrations, and planting the seeds of more than a hundred declarations of independence that would follow over the next two and a half centuries. Joseph Adelman joins historian to explore the American Revolution as a world war. They discuss: Why the Declaration of Independence was really a Declaration of Interdependence How Hyder Ali, the Muslim ruler of Mysore in southern India, became George Washington's ally by the logic of wartime coalitions How Spain's campaign to recapture Florida tied down thousands of British troops How Britain's convict crisis, caused by losing access to Maryland and Virginia, led to the founding of Australia at Botany Bay. Rick's | | Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:06:28 Differences in Perception of the American Revolution 00:09:00 Reframing the Declaration of Independence 00:17:32 Molly Brandt and Haudenosaunee Diplomacy 00:24:38 Baron von Steuben: A Mercenary's Tale 00:29:15 The American Revolution: Myth vs. Reality 00:35:02 The American Revolution and Florida 00:43:39 The American Revolution's Impact on India 00:50:24 The Connection Between the American Revolution and Australia 00:56:50 Themes of the American Revolution 00:59:16 The Time Warp 00:62:00 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft 🎧 Episode 163: The American Revolution in North America 🎧 Episode 238: Benedict Arnold 🎧 Episode 348: Valley Forge 🎧 Episode 325: Everyday People of the American Revolution 🎧 Episode 437: The Home Front SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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BFW Revisited: British-Occupied Philadelphia, 1777–1778
03/31/2026
BFW Revisited: British-Occupied Philadelphia, 1777–1778
In September 1777, just fourteen months after declaring independence, Philadelphia fell to the British Army. For nearly nine months, the new nation's capital was occupied territory. But what did that actually mean for the people who lived there? Not the generals, not the Congress: ordinary Philadelphians who had to decide whether to flee or stay, share their homes with British officers, watch their fences get chopped up for firewood, and figure out which neighbors to trust when it was all over. In this episode, , a professor of History at Rider University, , a public historian and Executive Director of the Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion Museum in Germantown, PA, and historical interpreter , now the Director of the Virginia Center for the Book, take us inside occupied Philadelphia. Together, they reveal how a city that was never fully committed to independence experienced nine months of British rule, and what the occupation cost everyone who lived through it: Quaker women negotiating with soldiers at their back gates, merchants whose fortunes rose on British hard currency while their neighbors went hungry, and Black Philadelphians who looked at the upheaval and asked whether it might open a door to freedom. Plus: the most extravagant party thrown in eighteenth-century America, staged while the city's almshouses overflowed. Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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437 Civilian Life in America's Occupied Cities
03/24/2026
437 Civilian Life in America's Occupied Cities
The British Army is at your door. They need a room. What do you do? For thousands of civilians living in cities occupied during the American War for Independence — Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Newport, Charleston, Savannah — this wasn't a hypothetical. It was a reality that upended daily life and revealed a side of the revolution we rarely talk about. Lauren Duval, author of joins us to explore what the War for Independence actually looked like from inside the household. Women who negotiated quartering terms and held their ground. Men who came to blows over who controlled the parlor. Enslaved people who used the chaos of occupation to reunite families and reach British lines. The revolution didn't just happen on battlefields. It happened at kitchen tables, in back gardens, and on doorsteps. Lauren's | | Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:38 The Home Front of the American Revolution 00:05:24 The Gensis of the Revolutionary Household 00:10:49 Why Focus on Urban Port Cities 00:19:46 The British Occupation's Impact on City Life 00:25:55 Quartering a British Officer: The Drinker Household 00:33:38. Quartering Experiences in Male-Headed Households 00:39:22 Lower-Class Experiences During British Occupation 00:40:55 The Impact of British Hard Currency on Urban Labor Markets 00:44:21 Black Experiences During British Occupation 00:51:21 The Overall American Experience of the War for Independence 00:54:01. The Time Warp 00:59:47 Conculsion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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BFW Revisited: Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
03/17/2026
BFW Revisited: Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
250 years ago, the British evacuated Boston: driven out by cannon that had traveled 300 miles from Fort Ticonderoga. But where did the plan for those cannon take shape? In this Revisited episode, we return to our conversation with now Program Manager for Interpretation and Visitor Experience at Saratoga National Historical Park, to explore the in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This Georgian mansion served as George Washington's home and headquarters for nearly nine months during the Siege of Boston. In this house, Washington forged the Continental Army and plotted the moves that liberated the city. Garrett reveals the house's Loyalist origins, life inside during the siege, and how poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow later transformed it into a literary landmark. A companion to Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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Episode 436: Fort Ticonderoga & Henry Knox's Noble Train of Artillery
03/10/2026
Episode 436: Fort Ticonderoga & Henry Knox's Noble Train of Artillery
On March 17, 1776, the British evacuated Boston, driven out by cannon hauled 300 miles through winter wilderness from a crumbling fort in upstate New York. Join Curator at , as we trace the fort's dramatic history from its French origins in the Seven Years' War, its chaotic capture by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold in May 1775, and Henry Knox's legendary expedition to move nearly 60 tons of artillery to George Washington's army. Discover the logistics, rivalries, and resourcefulness behind one of the Revolution's most remarkable feats. Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:06:26 British Withdrawl from Boston 00:07:55 Fort Ticonderoga's Origins 00:25:05 British Capture of Fort Ticonderoga, 1756 00:28:04 British Improvements to Fort Ticonderoga 00:32:44 American Capture of Fort Ticonderoga, 1775 00:49:06 Henry Knox's Expedition 01:04:46 Cannon on Dorchester Heights 01:10:36 British Evacuation of Boston 01:13:43 Legacy of Knox's Noble Train of Artillery 01:17:36 Visiting Fort Ticonderoga 01:24:65 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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435 Common Sense at 250: The Unfinished Work of Democracy, A Live Conversation
03/03/2026
435 Common Sense at 250: The Unfinished Work of Democracy, A Live Conversation
In January 1776, Thomas Paine told the American colonies to break free from their king. But what was supposed to come next? 250 years later, that question still doesn't have a good answer. To mark the anniversary of *Common Sense*, we traveled to Lewes, England, the town where Paine lived before he ever set foot in America, and recorded our first-ever LIVE episode inside Bull House, the building where Paine honed his ideas about citizens and their government. Joseph Adelman chairs a panel with scholars , and as they dig into the legacy of *Common Sense*: democracy's "day two problem," the women Paine wrote out of his own story, why "the law is king" keeps showing up on protest signs, and what a 15th-century building in a small English town can teach us about where democratic ideas actually take root. Recorded live in partnership with the at Iona University. Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:06 What Happened After the Revolution? 00:02:59 Live from the Bull House in Lewes, England 00:04:49 A Template for Common Sense and Civic Life 00:07:12 Thomas Paine's Legacy in Lewes, England 00:10:24 Thomas Paine's Legacy in New Rochelle, New York 00:16:04 Democracy's "Day Two Problem" 00:22:50 Local Civic Engagement in Lewes 00:27:46 Women and Common Sense 00:34:54 Paine's Family Life in Lewes 00:35:31 Reconstituting Government 00:42:44 Violence and Change 00:49:31 "No Kings" Protest and 'The Law is King' 00:56:29 Thomas Paine's Legacy 00:58:10 Audience Q&A 01:18:20 Episode Wrap-Up RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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434 Freeborn Black Soldiers in the American Revolution
02/24/2026
434 Freeborn Black Soldiers in the American Revolution
What would you fight for if you were free but still not equal? In 1777, brothers William and Benjamin Frank answered that question by enlisting in the Second Rhode Island Regiment of the Continental Army. Freeborn men of color, they gambled that military service would earn them what freedom alone had not: equality, land, and a better future. Historian Shirley Green, author of Revolutionary Blacks: Freeborn Men of Color, Soldiers of Independence, joins us to tell their story. Drawing on genealogical research rooted in her own family history, Green reveals what daily life looked like for free Black families in Revolutionary Rhode Island, how the Frank Brothers fought at the Battles of Red Bank, Monmouth, and Rhode Island, and how the Revolution ultimately divided them—one brother serving through Yorktown, the other crossing to the British side and resettling in Nova Scotia as a Black Loyalist. Their story is a window into the full range of Black experiences during the Revolution, and a reminder that for men like William and Benjamin Frank, choosing a side was never simple. It was a calculated gamble, shaped by promises made—and promises broken. Shirley’s | | Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:19 The Frank Brothers' Revolutionary Choices 00:05:14 Discovering the Frank Brothers Through Family Oral History 00:09:01 Blending Genalogy and Microhistory 00:15:22 Life for Free Black Families in Early Rhode Island 00:20:50 Why Free Black Men Joined the Continental Army 00:24:00 Motivations: Land, Pay, and Equality 00:29:15 The Gamble of Military Service Amid Policy Shifts 00:41:13 Daily Life and Combat in the Integrated Regiments 00:44:46 Ben Frank's Desertion 00:52:51 The Book of Negroes 01:00:02 Postwar Outcomes: Did Promises of Land, Pay, and Equality Hold? 01:02:47 Lessons from Black Soldiers' Experiences 01:07:26 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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Revisited: The American Revolution's African American Soldiers
02/17/2026
Revisited: The American Revolution's African American Soldiers
More than 6,000 Black men—free and enslaved—served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Yet their stories remain some of the least told of the war. In this revisited episode, we rejoin Judith Van Buskirk, Professor Emerita of History at SUNY Cortland and author of , to explore what motivated African American men to fight for the Revolutionary cause, how the Continental Army's policies toward Black enlistment shifted over the course of the war, and what life and service looked like in units like the First Rhode Island Regiment. Judy's Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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433 Entangled Revolutions: Haiti, France, and the American War for Independence
02/10/2026
433 Entangled Revolutions: Haiti, France, and the American War for Independence
What if the American Revolution was never just an American story? Historian Ronald Angelo Johnson helps us uncover the deep connections between the American and Haitian Revolutions to reveal how both revolutions emerged from the same Atlantic imperial struggle for empire, racialized power, and war. Using details from his book Entangled Alliances, Ron will guide us from the Treaty of Paris in 1763 to the Siege of Savannah in 1779, where hundreds of Black soldiers from French Saint Domingue landed on Georgia’s shores—not as enslaved laborers, but as uniformed volunteers ready to fight for American Independence. Ron's | | Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:08 Episode Overview 00:04:50 The Treaty of Paris 1763 and its Impact 00:09:09 Consequences of the Seven Years' War for Saint Domingue 00:18:39 Saint Domingue Society Post-Seven Years' War 00:24:32 French Imperial Reaction vs. Local Resentment 00:28:36 Circulation of News Between British North America & Saint Domingue 00:39:22 France's Strategy to Assist American Revolutionaries 00:50:42 Reception of the Chasseurs Volontaires Regiment in Georgia 00:54:42 Re-evaluating the American Revolution 00:57:32 Time Warp 01:05:38 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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BFW Revisited: The Marquis de Lafayette
02/03/2026
BFW Revisited: The Marquis de Lafayette
What does it take to become a revolutionary in more than one revolution? In this revisited conversation with Mike Duncan, we explore the life of the Marquis de Lafayette—an ambitious young Frenchman who crossed the Atlantic to fight for the American cause and later carried those lessons into the political storms of France. From early idealism to a complicated role in two upheavals, Lafayette’s story reveals how ideas, alliances, and personal relationships shaped the Age of Revolutions. You’ll hear how Lafayette became close to George Washington, what he learned in America, and why his legacy makes the most sense when you follow him across borders. Mike’s | | Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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432 How France and Spain Helped Win the American Revolution
01/27/2026
432 How France and Spain Helped Win the American Revolution
The American Revolution wasn’t just a colonial rebellion; it was a global conflict shaped by European rivalries and high-stakes diplomacy. Without the help of foreign allies like France and Spain, the United States might never have won its independence. Historian John Ferling joins us to explore the international dimensions of the Revolutionary War. Drawing from his new book Shots Heard Round the World, Ferling reveals how secret aid, political gambles, and naval power from Europe (especially France) influenced the outcome of the war, and nearly derailed it. John’s | | Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:01:06 Introduction 00:01:52 Why European Powers Intervened 00:08:02 International Interest in the American Revolution 00:14:20 French Reaction to the Outbreak of War 00:19:28 Initiation of Foreign Aid 00:23:46 British Expectations of a Quick Victory 00:25:35 Saratoga as a Turning Point 00:31:46 French Naval and Military Support 00:37:36 Spain's Ambitions and Entry into the War 00:42:55 Britain's War Fatigue and Missed Opportunities 00:51:31 Outcomes for France and Spain 00:54:53 Time Warp 00:59:20 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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BFW Revisited: The Common Cause
01/20/2026
BFW Revisited: The Common Cause
Before Common Sense could ignite a revolution, colonists had to be convinced they shared a cause worth fighting for. So how did Revolutionary leaders turn thirteen very different colonies into “Americans”—and what stories did they tell to make that unity feel real? In this Ben Franklin’s World Revisited episode, historian Robert Parkinson returns to explore how newspapers and wartime messaging helped forge the Revolution’s “common cause”—and how that campaign leaned on fear, race, and exclusion to build a new national identity. Rob’s | | Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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431 Common Sense at 250: The Pamphlet That Sparked a Revolution
01/13/2026
431 Common Sense at 250: The Pamphlet That Sparked a Revolution
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense turned a colonial rebellion into a full-blown revolution. But how did one pamphlet move so many minds in 1776—and why does it still matter 250 years later? To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Common Sense, historian and Director of the at Iona University, , joins us to explore Paine’s life, the pamphlet’s explosive impact, and what this revolutionary text still teaches us about democracy, communication, and civic life. ITPS Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:06 Thomas Pain's Early Life and Influences 00:05:53 The Institute for Thomas Paine Studies 00:07:51 Thomas Paine as an English Excise Man 00:13:34 Paine's Ideas for Reform of the British Government 00:19:27 Reception of Paine's First Pamphlet 00:21:48 Paine's Intellectual Life in England 00:27:30 Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin 00:31:44 Paine's Migration to Philadelphia 00:35:55 Paine's View of the American Revolution 00:39:15 The Story of Common Sense 00:50:34 Measuring the Reach of Common Sense 00:59:34 The Legacy of Common Sense and Thomas Paine 01:02:54 Time Warp 01:05:02 Commemorating the 250th Anniversary of Common Sense 01:08:17 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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BFW Revisited: The Power of the Press in the American Revolution
01/06/2026
BFW Revisited: The Power of the Press in the American Revolution
Common Sense didn’t just make an argument for independence—it moved through a world of newspapers, pamphlets, and personal networks that carried revolutionary ideas from one doorstep to the next. So how did political news travel in 1776, and what made print such a powerful engine of persuasion? As we approach the 250th anniversary of Common Sense, Ben Franklin’s World Revisited returns to Episode 156 to explore how early Americans shared, debated, and embraced revolutionary ideas. You’ll discover how print and networks spread the Revolution, what made Common Sense a publishing phenomenon, and how media shaped political debate and public opinion. Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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The Founding Father of American Medicine: Benjamin Rush
12/30/2025
The Founding Father of American Medicine: Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush was one of early America’s most fascinating figures. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a leading Philadelphia physician, and a thinker who believed that a healthy body was the foundation of a healthy republic. In this episode, historian , author of introduces us to Rush as both doctor and political philosopher. We’ll explore: How Rush developed an “American system” of medicine His groundbreaking ideas on mental health and addiction And why he believed the human body modeled the ideal form of government. Rush may be what Sarah calls a “B-list Founding Father,” but his influence on early American science, politics, and public health was anything but minor. Sarah’s | | Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:06 Episode Introduction 00:04:48 Who Was Benjamin Rush 00:13:52 Benjamin Rush's Medical Practice 00:17:01 The American System of Medicine 00:22:30 Rush's Ideas about Civic Health 00:29:07 Rush's Approach to Mental Health 00:33:53 Rush's Views on Addiction 00:48:00 Rush's Legacy 00:52:13 Time Warp 00:55:00 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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BFW Revisited: Smuggling and the American Revolution
12/23/2025
BFW Revisited: Smuggling and the American Revolution
British officials had a problem: Their American colonists wouldn't stop smuggling. Even after Parliament slashed tea prices and passed laws to make legal imports cheaper, colonists kept buying Dutch and French goods on the black market. So what was really going on? If it wasn't just about saving money, what drove thousands of merchants and consumers to risk fines, seizure, and worse? In this revisited episode, we follow the illicit trade networks that connected colonial port cities to the "Golden Rock,” Sint Eustatius, a tiny Dutch island that became the Atlantic World's busiest smuggling hub. You'll discover why American merchants risked everything to trade there, how these underground networks shaped revolutionary resistance, and what Britain's crackdown on smuggling reveals about the deeper economic and political tensions that ignited the Revolution. Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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429 Coffee in Early America: Why Americans Really Drink Coffee
12/16/2025
429 Coffee in Early America: Why Americans Really Drink Coffee
Think the Boston Tea Party made America a coffee-drinking nation? Historian Michelle McDonald reveals the truth: colonists were already choosing coffee over tea because it was cheaper. , the Librarian/Director of the Library & Museum at the American Philosophical Society and author of , explains how coffee shaped American identity long before the Revolution. You'll hear about Revolutionary-era women storming a Boston warehouse to seize hoarded coffee and sell it at regulated prices. You'll discover why Parliament protected coffee while taxing tea. And you'll learn how enslaved Caribbean laborers made America's favorite beverage possible. From colonial coffee houses to debates about caffeine addiction in the early republic, discover how one imported commodity became distinctly American. Michelle's | | Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:20 Meet our Guest 00:04:35 Coffee vs. Tea in Early America 00:06:50 Coffeehouses and How Coffee Was Served 00:08:04 Medical Concerns About Coffee 00:09:12 Coffee Production 00:12:35 Attempts to Grow Coffee in North America 00:14:04 The Use of Enslaved Labor in Coffee Cultivation 00:19:50 The Early American Market for Coffee 00:22:21 Early American Coffee Connoisseurs 00:29:57 Early American Coffeehouses 00:34:48 Coffee and the American Revolution 00:36:40 The Boston Coffee Riot, 1777 00:42:48 Coffee in the Early Republic 00:45:00 Coffee and the Haitian Revolution 00:47:53 Early Republic Attempts to Grow Coffee 00:50:55 Early Republic Coffee Culture 00:53:56 Time Warp 00:58:31 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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428: America's Forgotten Quest to Link Two Oceans
12/09/2025
428: America's Forgotten Quest to Link Two Oceans
In the 1820s, American entrepreneurs, engineers, and politicians dared to dream big. They believed they could cut a canal, not through Panama, but through the wild, rain-soaked terrain of Nicaragua. Their goal: To link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and transform global trade forever. But what inspired these ambitious "canal dreamers?” And why did they believe Nicaragua held the key to controlling the future of commerce? Jessica Lepler, Associate Professor of History at the University of New Hampshire and author of Canal Dreamers: The Epic Quest to Connect the Atlantic and Pacific in the Age of Revolutions, joins us to explore this nearly forgotten story of innovation, illusion, and international ambition in early American history. Jessica’s | | Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:01:00 Introduction 00:04:05 Desire to Build a Canal Across Central America 00:08:01 Political Landscape of Central America During the 1820s 00:09:55 Creating a Stable Central American Government 00:11:55 Geography of the Nicaraguan Canal Route 00:16:03 Economic Opportunities of an Interoceanic Canal 00:17:57 Individual vs. State Interest in a Nicaraguan Canal 00:21:58 Why Americans Sought A Private Canal Contract 00:26:44 Information Canal Dreamers Relied On to Build a Canal 00:33:12 Competitive Advantages of American Canal Dreamers 00:35:40 American Surveys of a Central American Canal Route 00:39:12 Influence of the Erie Canal 00:42:32 Why the Nicaraguan Canal Failed 00:44:50 What Canal Dreamers Reveal About the Early United States 0046:40 Overview of the Panama Canal 00:49:50 Time Warp 00:56:00 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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427 How States Are Planning the 250th: Commemorating the American Revolution in 2026
12/02/2025
427 How States Are Planning the 250th: Commemorating the American Revolution in 2026
As we look ahead to the 250th anniversary—the semiquincentennial—of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, communities and commissions across the United States are asking big questions: How should we commemorate this historic milestone?
What’s the right balance between celebration and education? And how can this moment bring people together across political divides, generational gaps, and complex histories? To explore these questions, I’ve invited my friend, colleague, and co-founder to guest host a special conversation with two people who are leading the way: , Chair of the Rhode Island 250 Commission, and , Chair of the Virginia 250 Commission. Together, they reveal how their states are planning commemorative programs that center civic engagement, local storytelling, and inclusive history—and how the 250th can be more than a moment. It can be a spark. Karin’s | | Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:10 Welcome & Episode Overview 00:04:45 Guest Introductions 00:07:32 Virginia & Rhode Island's Commemorative Plans 00:11:21 State Efforts and Collaborations 00:16:32 Engaging Young People 00:20:11 Educational Initiatives 00:22:13 Ken Burns's The American Revolution 00:24:30 Navigating the Political Climate 00:32:05 Reflections on the Bicentennial 00:35:00 Challenges to Achieving Commemorative Goals 00:42:51 Conclusion and Future Opportunities 00:46:53 Final Thoughts RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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BFW Revisited: The Mayflower
11/25/2025
BFW Revisited: The Mayflower
Each November, we Americans come together to celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday that invites us to reflect on gratitude, community, and the stories we tell about our past. But what do we really know about the origins of this holiday? What did the “First Thanksgiving” look like, and who were the people who made it happen? In honor of Thanksgiving, we’re revisiting our 2018 conversation with Rebecca Fraser, author of . This rich conversation offers a look at the English Separatists or Pilgrims who settled in Massachusetts. It explores who they were, why they came to North America, and what their life was like in the early years of Plymouth Colony. Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 🌍 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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426 Indigenous Agriculture and the Hidden Science of Native Foodways
11/18/2025
426 Indigenous Agriculture and the Hidden Science of Native Foodways
As Thanksgiving approaches, many Americans are gathering to reflect on gratitude, family—and of course—food. It's the time of year when we may think about the so-called "First Thanksgiving" and imagine scenes of Pilgrims and Native peoples gathering in Massachusetts to share in the bounty of their fall harvests. But how much do we really know about the food systems and agricultural knowledge of Indigenous peoples of North America? In what ways were the Wampanoag people able to contribute to this harvest celebration—and what have we gotten wrong about their story? , Associate Professor of History at the University of North Texas and author of , joins us to challenge four persistent myths about Indigenous food practices. Discover how Native communities shaped and stewarded the land and its agriculture long before European colonists arrived—and why this history matters more than we might think. Michael’s | | Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:10 Episode Introduction 00:03:43 Guest Introduction 00:04:30 Myths about Indigenous Agriculture 00:11:29 Indigenous and European Gender Roles 00:15:56 Wampanoag Agriculture 00:17:29 Wampanoag Corn Cultivation 00:25:59 Wampanoag Cuisine 00:27:52 Indigenous Disspossesion in New England 00:32:58 Cherokee Agriculture 00:37:13 The Cherokee Hunter Myth 00:40:53 The Origin of the Myths about Native American Agriculture 00:45:40 Future Projects 00:47:13 Closing Thoughts & Resources RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. =
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425 Ken Burns' The American Revolution
11/11/2025
425 Ken Burns' The American Revolution
What does it take to bring the American Revolution to life? How can an event that took place 250 years ago be conveyed to us through modern-day film? Ken Burns and his team worked to answer these questions in their new, epic six-part documentary, . Their work promises to deepen, complicate, and transform our understanding of the Revolution over 12 hours of film. But how did Burns and his team make this film? What stories did they choose to tell? And what challenges did they face in telling those stories? and , the two co-directors of Ken Burns’ The American Revolution, join us for a behind-the-scenes tour of their film and how they made it. Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:09 Guest Introduction 00:04:42 Becoming Involved in the Documentary 00:07:57 Approach to Telling the Story of the Revolution 00:18:57 Images and Representation 00:21:53 Challenges Faced 00:27:03 Choosing Which Stories to Include 00:39:00 Relevance and Meaning of the Revolution 00:45:45 Time Warp 00:52:15 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. =
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424 Dunmore's Proclamation & The Revolution in Virginia
11/04/2025
424 Dunmore's Proclamation & The Revolution in Virginia
In November 1775, as tensions between the British Empire and its rebellious colonies continued to escalate, Virginia’s royal governor made a radical—and to some, terrifying—proclamation: Any enslaved person who fled a revolutionary enslaver and joined the British Army would gain their freedom. Known to history as Dunmore’s Proclamation, this single decree changed the course of the American Revolution in the South. It offered a lifeline to thousands of enslaved men, women, and their families, ignited fierce debates about loyalty and liberty, and revealed deep contradictions at the heart of a revolution that claimed to fight for freedom. In honor of the 250th anniversary of Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation, we’re taking a deeper look at the man behind it: John Murray, Fourth Earl of Dunmore, and at the Revolution in Virginia, which he helped fuel. Our guide for this exploration is , an award-winning journalist and author of . Andrew's | | Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. =
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BFW Revisited: Disruptions in Yorktown
10/28/2025
BFW Revisited: Disruptions in Yorktown
What did it take to end the War for Independence? When we think of the American Revolution’s final chapter, we think of the Siege of Yorktown. Between September 28 and October 19, 1781, British forces endured a siege by the Franco-American forces that ultimately led to a triumphant Franco-American victory, British recognition of American independence, and the birth of a new nation. But the real story of the Yorktown victory is far more layered. It involved international alliances, enslaved people seeking freedom, and years of hardship. Today, we’re revisiting the events of October 1781 as we revisit Episode 333. In this episode, we join three historians–Marcus Nevius, Ed Ayers, and Gretchen Johnson– who help us uncover: How American, French, and British forces converged at Yorktown The vital role of the French army and navy in securing victory And what this final battle looked like on the ground for soldiers, civilians, and Black Virginians alike Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:59 Siege of Yorktown 00:05:13 The British Military Approach 00:08:50 The Importance of Virginia's Regions 00:18:57 The Impact of War on Yorktown 00:28:03 Dunmore's Proclamation and the British Strategy 00:33:44 The British Invasion of Virginia 00:48:00 Aftermath and Legacy 00:55:49 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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423 The Forgotten Artists of the American Revolution
10/21/2025
423 The Forgotten Artists of the American Revolution
Have you ever noticed how conversations about the American Revolution often center on great battles, founding documents, and famous statesmen? What if, instead, we explored that world through the eyes—and the hands—of everyday people who shaped it through art? Zara Anishanslin, Associate Professor of History and Art History at the University of Delaware and Director of its Museum Studies and Public Engagement Program, joins us to uncover the hidden world of artists, artisans, and makers who painted, stitched, and crafted the Revolution into being. Drawing from her book The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution, Zara helps us see how creativity and craftsmanship tell a fuller—and more human—story of America’s founding. Zara’s | | Show Notes: EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:41.79 Welcome & Episode Overview 00:02:59 Meet Our Guest 00:07:11 The Transatlantic Network of Revolutionary Artists 00:11:28 Why Revolutionary Artwork Didn't Survive 00:14:13 Prince Demah & His Mother Daphny 00:21:21 How Art Patronage Worked in the 18th Century 00:24:01 Finding Prince Demah a Teacher in London 00:27:40 Life as a Black Artist in London 00:41:22 Prince Demah's Life in Revolutionary Boston 00:49:24 Robert Edge Pine: The English Artist Who Supported America 00:59:24 How Revolutionary Art Differs from Later Commemorative Art 01:04:55 What Artists Reveal About the Revolution 01:07:29 Closing Thoughts & Resources RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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BFW Revisited: The World of John Singleton Copley
10/14/2025
BFW Revisited: The World of John Singleton Copley
What does it mean to be caught between two worlds? Between loyalty and liberty, artistry and commerce, and between the British North American colonies and the British Empire? We’re revisiting our exploration of the life of John Singleton Copley, one of early America’s most celebrated portrait artists. Copley’s story reveals much about the upheaval of the American Revolution and the choices people made as events unfolded around them. Show Notes: RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 📫 WHEN YOU'RE READY 👩💻 LISTEN 🎧 🍎 💚 🎶 CONNECT 🦋 👩💻 🛜 SAY THANKS 💜 💚 *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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