Ben Franklin's World: A Podcast About Early American History

Between 1775 and 1783, an estimated 230,000 men served in the Continental Army with another approximately 145,000 men serving in state militia units. But who were the men who served in these military ranks? What motivated them to take up arms and join the army? And what was their military experience like? In this episode of the Doing History: To the Revolution series we begin a 2-episode exploration of some of the military aspects of the American Revolution by exploring the experiences of the approximately 6,000-7,000 African American men who served in the Continental Army. Our guide for this exploration is Judith Van Buskirk, a professor of history at the State University of New York, Cortland and the author of Standing in Their Own Light: African American Patriots in the American Revolution. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/157   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute William and Mary Quarterly OI Reader App William and Mary Quarterly-Journal of the Early Republic joint issue on the Ameri

How did Americans find out about the Revolution? What effect did printed materials like newspapers, pamphlets, and books have on shaping the debate about independence? And just how big of a role did Thomas Paine’s Common Sense play in causing Americans to declare their independence from Great Britain? In this episode of the Doing History: To the Revolution! series, we explore these question with four scholars of Revolutionary communication: Alyssa Zuercher Reichardt, Eric Slauter, Seth Cotlar, and Trish Loughran. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/156   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute William and Mary Quarterly OI Reader App Episode 076: Nathan Perl-Rosenthal, Citizen Sailors: Becoming American in the Age of Revolution William and Mary Quarterly-Journal of the Early Republic special issue on the American Revolution discount   Complementary Episodes Episode 001: James Green, The Library Company of Philadelphia Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft Episode 144: Robert Parkinson, The

How much can the work of one historian impact how we view and study the American Revolution? We investigate the answer to this question by exploring the life and work of Pauline Maier, a historian who spent her life researching and investigating the American Revolution. Over the course of her lifetime, Maier wrote four important books about the American Revolution: From Resistance to Revolution, The Old Revolutionaries, American Scripture, and Ratification. Mary Beth Norton, Joanne Freeman, Todd Estes, and Lindsay Chervinsky join us as we journey through Maier’s body of work to better understand the American Revolution and how one historian can impact how we view and study history. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/155   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute William and Mary Quarterly OI Reader App William and Mary Quarterly-Journal of the Early Republic joint issue on the American Revolution special discount   Complementary Episodes Episode 007: Sara Georgini, John Adams and the Ada

Declaring independence from Great Britain required the formation of new governments. But why did Americans want and need new governments? And how did their interactions and experiences with their old, colonial governments inform their decisions to create new governments? Barbara Clark Smith, a curator in the division of political history at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the author of The Freedoms We Lost: Consent and Resistance in Revolutionary America, leads us on an exploration of how Americans interacted with their government before the American Revolution and how the Revolution changed their interaction and ideas about government. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/154   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute  William and Mary Quarterly OI Reader App William and Mary Quarterly-Journal of the Early Republic joint issue on the American Revolution special discount   Complementary Episodes Episode 036: Abigail Swingen, Competing Visions of Empire Episode 049:

How did the American revolutionaries organize and coordinate local, provincial, and intercolonial action? How did the revolutionaries form governments? In this episode of the Doing History: To the Revolution series we explore governance and governments of the American Revolution with three scholars: Mark Boonshoft, Benjamin Irvin, and Jane Calvert. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/153   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture Doing History: To the Revolution! series OI Reader App Care.com Senior Services    Complementary Blog Post William Huntting Howell, "The Committee of Correspondence and the War at Home"   Complementary Episodes Episode 112: Mary Beth Norton, The Tea Crisis of 1773 Episode 123: Revolutionary Allegiances Episode 129: J.L. Bell, The Road to Concord Episode 130: Paul Revere’s Ride Through History Episode 134: Spencer McBride, Pulpit and Nation Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft Episode 143: Michael Klarman, The Making o

What caused the American Revolution? Was it the issue of ‘No Taxation without Representation?’ Was it conflict and change in the social order of colonial and British society? Or, was the Revolution about differences in ideas about governance and the roles government should play in society? In this episode of the Doing History: To the Revolution series, we explore one set of ideas about the origins of the American Revolution with Bernard Bailyn, a Professor Emeritus at Harvard University and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/048   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture Doing History: To the Revolution! OI Reader app Hello Fresh (Promo Code: BFWorld30)   Complementary Episodes Episode 107: Mary Sarah Bilder, Madison’s Hand Episode 119: Steve Pincus, The Heart of the Declaration Episode 127: Caroline Winterer, American Enlightenments Episode 141: A Declarat

What do we mean by the American Revolution? How do we define it? Was it a war? Was it a movement? Was it a series of movements? The Doing History: To the Revolution! Series seeks to explore not just the history of the American Revolution, but the histories of the American Revolution. In this episode, we undertake the difficult task of trying to define the American Revolution by going behind-the-scenes of the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/151   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture Doing History: To the Revolution! OI Reader app   Complementary Episodes Episode 112: Mary Beth Norton, The Tea Crisis of 1773 Episode 123: Revolutionary Allegiances Episode 130: Paul Revere’s Ride Through History Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft Bonus: Why Historians Study History Bonus: History and Historians in the Public     Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Join the Ben Franklin's

Abigail Adams lived through and participated in the American Revolution. As the wife of John Adams, she used her position to famously remind Adams and his colleagues to "remember the ladies" when they created laws for the new, independent United States. In this episode, Woody Holton, a Professor of History at the University of South Carolina and author of Abigail Adams: A Life, helps us explore a different, largely unknown aspect of Adams' life: Her financial investments. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/150   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture Doing History: To the Revolution! series The William and Mary Quarterly OI Reader App   Complementary Episodes Episode 007: Sara Georgini, John Adams & the Adams Papers Documentary Editing Project Episode 022: Vivian Bruce Conger, Deborah Read Franklin & Sally Franklin Bache Bonus: Why Historian’s Study History Episode 103: Sara Bon Harper, James Monroe & His Highland Estate Episode 131: Frank Cogliano

Over the course of his long life, Benjamin Franklin traveled to and lived in London on two different occasions. The first time he went as a teenager. The second, as a man and colonial agent. All told he spent nearly 18 years living in the heart of the British Empire. How did Franklin’s experiences in London shape his opportunities and view of the world? George Goodwin, author of Benjamin Franklin in London: The British Life of America’s Founding Father, leads us on an exploration of Franklin’s life in London. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/149   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture The OI Reader App Doing History: To the Revolution! Series Episode 130: Paul Revere’s Ride Through History Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft   Complementary Episodes   Episode 001: James Green, The Library Company of Philadelphia Episode 022: Vivian Bruce Conger, Deborah Read Franklin & Sally Franklin Bache Episode 031: Benjamin Franklin and the Papers of Benjam

How did everyday men and women experience life in the colonial America? How did the American Revolution transform their work and personal lives? Marla Miller, a professor of history at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the author of Betsy Ross and the Making of America, guides us through the life of Betsy Ross with an aim to help us answer these questions. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/148   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture The Octo Doing History: To the Revolution! Series Episode 130: Paul Revere’s Ride Through History Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft “A Turning Point: The Declaration of Independence and the House of Lords,” History of Parliament  “Historical Fiction Roundtable,” The Junto    Complementary Episodes Episode 013:Rachel Hope Cleves, Charity & Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America Episode 027: Lisa Wilson, A History of Stepfamilies in Early America Episode 032: Michelle Coughlin, One Colonial Woman’s

What about the British Redcoats? When we discuss the military history of the American War for Independence, we tend to focus on specific battles or details about the men who served in George Washington’s Continental Army. Rarely do we take the opportunity to ask questions about the approximately 50,000 men who served in the British Army that opposed them. Don N. Hagist, independent scholar and author of British Soldiers, American War: Voices of the American Revolution, leads us on exploration of the “other” men who fought in the American War for Independence, the soldiers in the British Army. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/147   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture The Octo Doing History: To the Revolution! Series Episode 130: Paul Revere’s Ride Through History Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft “The Adverts 250 Project”  “George Washington’s Bodies,” Nursing Clio   Complementary Episodes Episode 081: Don Glickstein, After Yorktown: The Fin

What drove George Washington to become a Patriot during the American Revolution? How did he overcome the ill-trained and inexperienced troops, inadequate pay, and supply problems that plagued the Continental Army to win the War for American Independence? Robert Middlekauff, professor emeritus of colonial and early United States history at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals the answers to these questions as we explore details from his book Washington’s Revolution: The Making of America’s First Leader. This episode originally posted as Episode 026. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/146   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture The Octo Doing History: To the Revolution! Series Episode 130: Paul Revere's Ride Through History Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft "Dartmouth College and Canada: The Problem of National Historiographies," Borealia: A Group Blog on Early Canadian History "Era of Good Feelings Roundtable," U.S. Intellectual History B

Mercy Otis Warren wasn’t your typical early American woman. She was a woman with strong political viewpoints, which she wrote about and published for the world to see and consider. Did anyone take her views seriously? Did her writings sway public opinion in the direction of her political views? In this episode, Rosemarie Zagarri, a professor of history at George Mason University and author of A Woman’s Dilemma: Mercy Otis Warren and the American Revolution, helps us kick off a new, six-episode series about the people of the American Revolution by taking us through the life of Mercy Otis Warren. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/145   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture The Octo   Complementary Episodes Episode 032: Michelle Marchetti Coughlin, One Colonial Woman’s World Episode 050: Marla Miller, Betsy Ross Episode 123: Revolutionary Allegiances (Doing History) Episode 129: J.L. Bell, The Road to Concord Episode 143: Michael Klarman, The Making

How do you get people living in thirteen different colonies to come together and fight for independence? What ideas and experiences would even unite them behind the fight? Patriot leaders asked themselves these very questions, especially as the American Revolution turned from a series of political protests against imperial policies to a bloody war for independence. What’s more, Patriot leaders also asked themselves once we find these ideas and experiences, how do we use them to unite the American people? Robert Parkinson, an Assistant Professor of History at Binghamton University and author of the award-winning book, The Common Cause: Creating Race and Nation in the American Revolution, has some ideas for how patriot leaders answered these questions. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/144   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture The Octo: Eight Curated Blogs About Early American History "Historicizing Freedom & Black Abolitionism," Black Perspectives "A

How did the framers draft the Constitution of 1787? What powers does the Constitution provide the federal government? Why do we elect the President of the United States by an electoral system rather than by popular vote? These are some of the many questions you’ve asked since November 2016. And today we’re going to explore some answers. Michael Klarman, the Kirkland & Ellis Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and author of The Founders’ Coup: The Making of the United States Constitution joins us to discuss the United States Constitution and how and why the framers drafted it. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/143   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture Georgian Papers Programme   Complementary Episodes Episode 057: Max Edling: War, Money, and the American State, 1783-1867 Episode 061: Edward Larson, George Washington in Retirement Episode 087: Sean Condon, Shays’ Rebellion Episode 098: Gautham Rao, Birth of the American Tax Man Episode 107: Mar

Most histories of American abolitionism begin just before the Civil War, during the Antebellum period. But the movement to end chattel slavery in America began long before the United States was a nation. Manisha Sinha, a professor of history at the University of Connecticut and author of the award-winning book The Slaves Cause: A History of Abolition, takes us through the early American origins of the the abolition movement. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/142 Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture Georgian Papers Programme   Complementary Episodes Episode 055: Robb Haberman, John Jay: Forgotten Founder Episode 096: Nicholas Guyatt, The Origins of Racial Segregation in the United States Episode 124: James Alexander Dun, Making the Haitian Revolution in Early America Episode 127: Caroline Winterer, American Enlightenments Episode 135: Julie Holcomb, Moral Commerce Episode 137: Erica Dunbar, The Washingtons’ Runaway Slave Ona Judge   Helpful Show

The Declaration of Independence stands first in a series of documents that founded the United States. It also stands as an early step in the long process of establishing a free, independent, and self-governing nation. Since 1776, more than 100 nation-states and freedom organizations have used the Declaration of Independence as a model for their own declarations and proclamations of independence. Given the Declaration of Independence’s important place in the hearts and minds of peoples around the world, we need to go behind its parchment and explore just how the Declaration of Independence came to be. In this preview episode of the Doing History: To the Revolution! Series, we explore how the Second Continental Congress drafted the Declaration of Independence. Show Notes:https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/141   About the Series The mission of episodes in the Doing History: To the Revolution series is to ask not just “what is the history of the American Revolution?” but “what are the histories of the Americ

Nathaniel Bowditch worked as a navigator, mathematician, astronomer, and business innovator. Over the course of his lifetime, his fellow Americans hailed him as the “American Sir Isaac Newton.” Tamara Thornton, a professor of history at the University of Buffalo and author of Nathaniel Bowditch and the Power of Numbers: How a Nineteenth-Century Man of Business, Science, and the Sea Changed America, leads us on a detailed exploration of the life of Nathaniel Bowditch. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/140   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture Georgian Papers Programme   Complementary Episodes Episode 057: Max Edling, War, Money, and the American State, 1783-1867 Episode 098: Gautham Rao, Birth of the American Tax Man Episode 113: Brian Murphy, Building the Empire State Episode 109: John Dixon, The American Enlightenment & Cadwallader Colden Episode 127: Caroline Winterer, American Enlightenments   Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Faceb

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. He also played a central role in the European adoption of Indian or Native American slavery. When we think of slavery in early America, we often think of the practice of African and African-American chattel slavery. However, that system of slavery wasn’t the only system of slavery that existed in North America. Systems of Indian slavery existed too. In fact, Indians remained enslaved long after the 13th Amendment abolished African-American slavery in 1865. In this episode, Andrés Reséndez, a professor of history at the University of California, Davis and author of The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in Americas, leads us on an investigation of this “other" form of American slavery. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/139   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture Georgian Papers Programme   Complementary Episodes Episode 008: Greg O'Malley, Final Passages: The Intercolonial Slave Trade of Br

Did you know that Connecticut and Virginia once invaded Pennsylvania? During the 1760s, Connecticut invaded and captured the northeastern corner of Pennsylvania just as Virginia invaded and captured parts of western Pennsylvania. And Pennsylvania stood powerless to stop them. In this episode, Patrick Spero, the Librarian of the American Philosophical Society and author of Frontier Country: The Politics of War in Early Pennsylvania, takes us through these invasions and reveals why Pennsylvania proved unable to defend its territory. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/048   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture Georgian Papers Programme   Complementary Episodes Episode 029: Colin Calloway, The Victory With No Name: The Native American Defeat of the First American Army Episode 048: Ken Miller, Dangerous Guests: Enemy Captives During the War for Independence Episode 056: Daniel J. Tortora, The Anglo-Cherokee War, 1759-1761 Episode 079: Jim Horn, What is