This is a multiple award-winning podcast about early American history. It’s a show for people who love history and who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world. Each episode features conversations with professional historians who he… read more
An important message from RadioPublic
The American Revolution was a movement that divided British Americans. Americans did not universally agree on the Revolution’s ideas about governance …
Women make up eight out of every ten healthcare workers in the United States. Yet they lag behind men when it comes to working in the roles of …
When we study the history of Black Americans, especially in the early American period, we tend to focus on slavery and the slave trades. But focusing …
2023 marked the 250th anniversary of the arrival of Phillis Wheatley's published book of poetry in the British American colonies.
Phillis Wheatley …
Colonial America was born in a world of religious alliances and rivalries. Missionary efforts in the colonial Americas allow us to see how some of …
Over the past decade, we’ve heard a lot about “fake news” and “misinformation.” And as 2024 is an election year, it’s likely we’re going to hear even more about these terms.
So what is the origin of misinformation in …
The American Revolution and its War for Independence comprised the United States’ founding movement. The War for Independence also served as the …
The so-called “March to the American Revolution” comprised many more events than just the Stamp Act Riots, the Boston Massacre, and the Tea Crisis. …
Early America was a diverse place. A significant part of this diversity came from the fact that there were at least 1,000 different Indigenous tribes and nations living in different areas of North America before the …
Long before European arrival in the Americas, Indigenous people and nations practiced enslavement. Their version of enslavement looked different from …
Happy Halloween! In honor of the 31st of October and All Hallows Eve, we investigate a historical incident of witches and witchcraft in Springfield, …
Establishing colonies in North America took an astonishing amount of work. Colonists had to clear trees, eventually remove stumps from newly cleared …
The Brafferton Indian School has a long and complicated legacy. Chartered with the College of William & Mary in 1693, the Brafferton Indian …
In 1693, King William III and Queen Mary II of England granted a royal charter for two institutions of higher education in the Colony of Virginia. …
On September 17, 1787, the members of the Constitutional Convention concluded their work by signing the final draft of their new proposed government. The document they signed was the United States Constitution, which is …
2020 commemorated the 300th anniversary of French presence on Prince Edward Island. Like much of North America, the Canadian Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island, and Prince Edward …
The Mississippi Gulf Coast was the home of many different peoples, cultures, and empires during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. According …
About 620 miles north of New Orleans and 62 miles south of St. Louis, sits the town of Ste. Geneviéve, Missouri.
Established in 1750 by the French, Ste. Geneviéve reveals much about what it was like to establish a …
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian has an exhibit called Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States & American Indian Nations. This exhibit allows you to see treaties the United …
July 4, 2023 marks the 247th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States. In three short years, we will be …
Juneteenth is a holiday that celebrates and commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. We choose to reflect on the end of slavery in the …
“People are complicated” is a truism that holds in the past and the present. Seldom do we find a person where all of their actions and thoughts are …
For much of the colonial period, Spain claimed almost all of North America as Spanish territory. It displayed this claim on maps and in the …
How did the Continental Congress approach creating military forces that could go toe-to-toe with the British military during the American War for …
In 1682, the first Assembly of Pennsylvania and the Delaware counties met in Chester, Pennsylvania, and adopted “the Great Law,” a humanitarian code that guaranteed the people of Pennsylvania liberty of conscience.
“The …
On April 10th, 1606, King James I granted the Virginia Company of London a charter. Just over a year later, on May 14, 1607, this privately-funded, …
History tells us who we are and how we came to be who we are. It also allows us to look back and see how far we’ve come as people and societies. Of course, history also has the power to show us how little has changed …
How did Indigenous people adapt to and survive the onslaught of Indigenous warfare, European diseases, and population loss between the sixteenth and …
People of African descent have made great contributions to the United States and its history. Think about all of the food, music, dance, medicine, farming and religious practices that people of African descent have …
African chattel slavery, the predominant type of slavery practiced in colonial North America and the early United States, did not represent one …
Before the American Revolution became a war and a fight for independence, the Revolution was a movement and protest for more local control of …
There are a lot of books about Benjamin Franklin. They tell us about his youth and accomplishments in business, politics, and diplomacy. They tell us …
On December 19, 1777, George Washington marched his Continental Army into its winter encampment at Valley Forge. In school we learned this was a …
It’s impossible to overstate the importance of African and African American music to the United States’ musical traditions. Steven Lewis, a Curator of Music and Performing Arts at the Smithsonian, notes that “African …
How did everyday Americans in the early United States use and enjoy music? How did they create and circulate new songs and musical lyrics?
Our …
Our study of music in Early America continues with this third episode in our five-episode series.
Our last two episodes (Episode 343 and Episode 344) helped us better understand the musical landscapes of Native North …
Our 5-episode series about music in Early America continues with this second episode that seeks to answer your questions about music in Early America.
What was music like in Early America? How did different early Americans—Native Americans, African Americans, and White Americans—integrate and use music in their daily lives?
Your questions about music inspired this …
Did you know that small Native American nations had the power to dictate the terms of French colonization in the Gulf South region?
Prepare for tricks, treats, and time travel! In honor of Halloween, we’re traveling back to the mid-seventeenth century to investigate a case of demonic possession and the practice of exorcism in New France.
The War of 1812 is an under-known conflict in United States history. It’s not a war that many Americans think about or dwell upon. And it was not a …
Between May 25 and September 17, 1787, delegates from each of the United States’ thirteen states assembled in Philadelphia for an event we now call the Constitutional Convention.
What do we know about the moment of the …
On September 17, 1787, thirty-nine delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the United States Constitution and submitted it to the states for ratification.
In honor of Constitution Day, we join three historians …
What made trade with China so important to the new United States that one of Americans’ first acts after securing the United States’ independence was to establish a trade with China and other Southeast Asian countries?
What did it take to stage a successful slave uprising?
Over the course of the early republic, we see a few violent slave uprisings in the United …
Alexander Hamilton played important roles in the founding of the United States. He served in the Continental Army, helped frame the United States …
Spanish explorers and colonists visited, settled, and claimed territory in 42 of the United States’ 50 states. So what does the history of Early …
What was everyday life like during the American War for Independence?
Our Fourth of July series continues with an investigation of how the American …
What was everyday life like during the American War for Independence?
In honor of the Fourth of July, we’ll investigate answers to this question by …
In a town as old as Williamsburg, Virginia, which was established in 1638, it’s often the case that historic buildings with interesting pasts stand …
We’ll never know for certain how many Americans supported the American Revolution, remained loyal to the British Crown and Parliament, or tried to …
This is an episode you’ve been waiting for!
Mark Tabbert, the Director of Archives and Exhibits at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association and the author of Almanac of American Freemasonry and A …
We know from our explorations of early America that not all Americans were treated equally or enjoyed the freedoms and liberties other Americans …
How do we know what we know about Benjamin Franklin? We know historians, museum curators, and archivists rely on historical documents and objects to find and learn information about the past. But how does a documentary …
With Ukrainian sovereignty and democracy under attack, Americans have been wondering: Should our government be doing more than placing economic …
What do we know about the American Revolution? Why is it important that we see the Revolution as a political event, a war, a time of social and …
After Henry Hudson’s 1609-voyage along the river that now bears his name, Dutch traders began to visit and trade at the area they called New Netherland. In 1614, the Dutch established a trading post near present-day …
In the Treaty of Paris, 1783, Great Britain ceded to the United States all lands east of the Mississippi River and between the southern borders of …
On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered a speech to an anti-slavery society and he famously asked “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
In …
Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston on January 17, 1706, to Abiah Folger and Josiah Franklin. Although Franklin began his life as the youngest son …
One of the Caribbean islands that Christopher Columbus stopped at during his 1492-voyage was an alligator-shaped island that sits at the mouth of the …
What challenges do National Park Service interpretive rangers face when they interpret non-British colonial history? How did the relationships …
About 620 miles north of New Orleans and 62 miles south of St. Louis, sits the town of Ste. Geneviéve, Missouri.
Established in 1750 by the French, Ste. Geneviéve reveals much about what it was like to establish a …
The first Jewish colonists in North America arrived in 1654. From that moment, Jews worked to build and contribute to early American society and the …
In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France. This purchase included the important port city of New Orleans. But the United States did not just acquire the city’s land, peoples, and wealth– …
What has enabled the American experiment in democracy to endure for nearly 250 years?
What is it about early American history that captivates peoples’ attention and makes them want to support the creation of historical …
The Massachusetts Historical Society has a podcast!
In this bonus episode of Ben Franklin's World, we'll introduce you to The Object of History, with …
We rejoin Colin Calloway, Professor of History and Native American Studies at Dartmouth College, in this bonus episode so he can answer more of your …
Have you ever considered early American cities as places where Native Americans lived, worked, and visited?
Native Americans often visited early American cities and port towns, especially the towns and cities that …
Welcome to OI Reads, an occasional series on Ben Franklin's World where we introduce you to new books that we'll think you love and that are published by the Omohundro Institute.
Using details from her book, The Strange …
You know “America’s favorite fighting Frenchman” is the Marquis de Lafayette. But what do you know about Lafayette and his life?
How and why did this …
The transatlantic slave trade dominated in North America during the 17th and 18th centuries. But by 1808, a different slave trade came to dominate in the young United States, the domestic or internal slave trade.
Investigations of the American Revolution often include explorations of politics, ideology, trade and taxation, imperial control, and social strife. …
To understand early American history, we need to investigate and understand North America as an Indigenous space. A place where Native American …
By the eighteenth century, the Atlantic Ocean had become a busy highway of ships crisscrossing its waters.
What do we know about the ships that made these transatlantic voyages and connected the eighteenth-century …
The story of freedom in colonial New Orleans and Louisiana pivoted on the choices black women made to retain control of their bodies, families, and …
In Episode 307, Michael Hattem helped us investigate the role history played in the American Revolution and the ways early historians used history as …
The story of the founding of the United States is a familiar one. It usually (but not always) begins with the English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, describes the founding and development of thirteen British …
The words of the Declaration of Independence are not the only aspect of the American Revolution that carry power. Visual and material objects from …
Death is one of the few universals in life. Everyone who is born, will die.
How do the living make peace with death?
While different cultures make …
Juneteenth is a state holiday that commemorates June 19, 1865, the day slavery ended in Texas. Over the last decade, a push to make Juneteenth a …
The Mississippi Gulf Coast was the home of many different peoples, cultures, and empires during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. According …
Before its eradication in 1980, smallpox was the most feared disease in many parts of the world. Known as the “king of terrors” and the “disease of diseases” the search for a way to lessen and avoid smallpox was on!
How …
Smallpox was the most feared disease in North America and in many parts of the world before its eradication in 1980. So how did early Americans live with smallpox and work to prevent it? How did they help eradicate this …
What do historians wish more people better understood about early American history and why do they wish people had that better understanding?
In celebration of the 300th episode of Ben Franklin’s World, we posed these …
What can a portrait reveal about the history of colonial British America?
Portraits were both deeply personal and yet collaborative artifacts left …
Have you ever stopped to think about how the United States became a manufacturing nation? Have you ever wondered how the United States developed not …
The history of Native American land dispossession is as old as the story of colonization. European colonists came to the Americas, and the Caribbean, …
Is there anything more we can know about well-researched and reported events like the Boston Massacre?
Are there new ways of looking at oft-taught events that can help us see new details about them, even 250 years after …
What does it take to create a museum? How can a museum help visitors grapple with a very uncomfortable aspect of their nation’s past?
Ibrahima Seck, a member of the History Department at the University Cheikh Anta Diop …
When we think of important years in the history of the American Revolution, we might think of years like 1765 and the Stamp Act Crisis, 1773 and the …
How did Jamaica grow to become the "crown jewel" of the British Atlantic World?
Part of the answer is that Jamaica’s women served as some of the most …
What was everyday life like for those who lived in early America?
To understand the everyday lives of early Americans we need to look at the goods they made and how they produced those goods. In essence, nothing …
This episode is a companion episode to the 2-episode World of the Wampanoag series.
This bonus episode allows us to speak with two guests from the …
Before New England was New England, it was the Dawnland. A region that remains the homeland of numerous Native American peoples, including the …
Before New England was New England, it was the Dawnland. A region that remains the homeland of numerous Native American peoples, including the Wampanoag.
Over the next two episodes, we’ll explore the World of the …
The name “Great Dismal Swamp” doesn’t evoke an image of a pleasant or beautiful place, and yet, it was an important place that offered land …
In what ways did the Atlantic World contribute to the American Revolution?
Empire, slavery, and constant warfare interacted with each other in the …
Join the Omohundro Institute and Mass Humanities for a special two-episode series about the World of the Wampanoag before and after 1620. The Wampanoag’s history has always been spoken. Hear it on Ben Franklin’s World …
This special bonus episode previews the Ben Franklin's World Subscription program and its monthly bonus episode for program subscribers.
In this bonus episode, Historian of the United States House of Representatives …
For four months during the summer of 1787, delegates from the thirteen states met in Philadelphia to craft a revised Constitution that would define …
Who is American democracy for and who could participate in early American democracy?
Women and African Americans were often barred from voting in …
Independence from Great Britain provided the former British American colonists the opportunity to create a new, more democratic government than they …
The British North American colonies formed some of the most democratic governments in the world. But that doesn't mean that all early Americans were …
On Friday, September 18, 2020, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, died.
Justice Ginsburg's death has …
2020 commemorates the 300th anniversary of French presence on Prince Edward Island. Like much of North America, the Canadian Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island, and Prince Edward …
Between 1760 and 1761, Great Britain witnessed one of the largest slave insurrections in the history of its empire. Although the revolt took place on …
We live in an age where big businesses track our shopping habits and in some cases our work habits. But is the age of data new? When did the “age of the spreadsheet” and quantification of habits develop?
The American Revolution is embedded in the American character. It’s an event that can tell us who we are, how we came to be who we are, and how we …
As the first President of the United States, George Washington set many precedents for the new nation. One of the biggest precedents Washington set came in the form of the Cabinet, a body of advisors from across the …
Polygamy is not a practice that often comes to mind when many of us think about early America. But it turns out, polygamy was a ubiquitous practice …
On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered a speech to an anti-slavery society and he famously asked “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
In …
This special bonus episode introduces the Ben Franklin's World Subscription program and a new monthly Listener Question & Answer feature for subscribers to that program.
In this preview, award-winning historian Nick …
Who gets to be a founding father?
“Founding Father” status goes to men who helped found the United States. That means the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, those who led the Continental Army, and the 36 …
What kinds of animals did early Americans keep as pets? How did early Americans acquire pets? What kinds of animals did early Americans keep as pets?
What do we know about how and why England came to establish its first permanent colony at Jamestown? And what do we know about the English colony …
How did Americans learn to establish philanthropic institutions?
Victoria Johnson, an Associate Professor of Urban Policy and Planning at Hunter …
What do you know about the Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution?
Caitlin Galante-DeAngelis Hopkins, a Lecturer in the History Department at Harvard University and a former research associate for the …
On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere rode to Lexington, Massachusetts to spread the alarm that the Regulars were marching. Revere made several important …
How do you uncover the life of an enslaved person who left no paper trail?
What can the everyday life of an enslaved person tell us about slavery, how it was practiced, and how some enslaved people made the transition …
What was everyday life like for average men and women in early America?
Listeners ask this question more than any other question and today we …
What in the first 40 years of his life made Benjamin Franklin the genius he became?
Benjamin Franklin serves as a great window on to the early American past because as a man of “variety” he pursued many interests: …
How did the people of early America experience and feel about winter?
Thomas Wickman, an Associate Professor of History and American Studies at …
How did early Americans educate their children? How and when did Americans create a formal system of public education?
You sent me these questions for Episode 200: Everyday Life in Early America. You also said you …
On July 1, 1790, Congress passed “An Act for Establishing the temporary and permanent Seat of the Government of the United States.” This act …
The Treaty of Paris 1783 ended the American War for Independence, but it did not bring peace to North America. After 1783, warfare and violence …
Did you know that imagination once played a key role in the way Americans understood and practiced medicine?
Sari Altschuler, an Assistant Professor …
History is an important tool when it comes to understanding American law.
History is what the justices of the United States Supreme Court use when …
The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution doesn’t always make headlines, but it’s an amendment that undergirds foundational rights. It’s also an amendment that can show us a lot about the intertwined nature …
How and why did Congress draft the First Ten Amendments to the Constitution?
In the United States, we use the Constitution and Bill of Rights to …
Law is all around us. And the basis of American Law comes not only from our early American past, but from our founding documents.
This episode begins our 4th Doing History series. Over the next four episodes, we’ll …
The Second Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776 with 12 colonies and one abstention. The delegation from New York abstained …
What was it like to live as a woman of faith in early republic America? What was it like to live as a Catholic in the early United States?
How do empires come to be? How are empires made and who makes them? What role do maps play in making empires?
Christian Koot is a Professor of …
Who gets to be a citizen of the United States? How does the United States define who belongs to the nation?
Early Americans asked and grappled with these questions during the earliest days of the early republic.
We read and hear a lot about money. We read and hear about fluctuations in the value of the Dollar, Pound, and Euro, interest rates and who can and …
What can a family history tell us about revolutionary and early republic America?
What can the letters of a wife and mother tell us about life in the …
Much of early American history comprises stories of empire and how different Native, European, and Euro-American nations vied for control of North …
What did early Americans think about science? And how did they pursue and develop their knowledge of it?
Cameron Strang, an Assistant Professor of …
2019 marks the 400th anniversary of two important events in American History: The creation of the first representative assembly in English North America and the arrival of the first African people in English North …
Between 1789 and 1825, five men would serve as President of the United States. Four of them hailed from Virginia.
Many of us know details about the …
Not all historians publish their findings about history in books and articles. Some historians convey knowledge about history to the public in public spaces and in public ways.
We conclude the “Doing History: How …
A “little short of madness.” That is how Thomas Jefferson responded when two delegates from New York approached him with the idea to build the Erie Canal in January 1809.
Jefferson’s comment did not discourage New …
Did Canada almost join the American Revolution?
Bruno Paul Stenson, a historian and musicologist with the Château de Ramezay historic site in …
It wasn’t always fireworks on the fourth.
John Adams predicted Americans would celebrate the Second of July, the day Congress voted in favor of …
There’s a saying that tells us we should walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. It’s a reminder we should practice empathy and try to understand people …
For the American Revolution to be successful, it needed ideas people could embrace and methods for spreading those ideas. It also needed ways for …
Delaware may be the second smallest state in the United States, but it has a BIG, rich history that can tell us much about the history of early America.
David Young, the Executive Director of the Delaware Historical …
Spain became the first European power to use the peoples, resources, and lands of the Americas and Caribbean as the basis for its Atlantic Empire.
How did this empire function and what wealth was Spain able to extract …
Have you ever had one of those really conversations where the person was so fascinating that you wished the conversation didn’t have to end?
Flora Fraser joins us for one of those conversations. We’ll talk about …
How did the postal system work in Early America? How did people send mail across the North American colonies and the British Empire?
Benedict Arnold is an intriguing figure. He was both a military hero who greatly impacted and furthered the American War for Independence with his …
Mother’s Day became a national holiday on May 9, 1914 to honor all of the work mothers do to raise children.
But what precisely is the work that …
Who do we count as family?
If a relative was born in a foreign place and one of their parents was of a different race? Would they count as family?
…
What does early America look like if we view it through Native American eyes?
Jenny Hale Pulsipher, an Associate Professor of History at Brigham …
If we want to understand everyday life in early America we need to understand the everyday life of early American farms and farmers.
Roughly three-quarters of Americans in British North America and the early United …
When we think about colonial American history we think about the colonies of the English, the Dutch, the French, and the Spanish. Rarely do we think …
Before the English settled in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607 or the Dutch settled near Albany, New York in 1615, a group of French-speaking, Catholic …
Historians use archives to create the histories we love to read, watch, and listen to. So we’re going into one archive to investigate how historians use them and to discover more about the religious lives of the Adams …
Samuel Gray, James Caldwell, Samuel Maverick, Patrick Carr, and Crispus Attucks. These are the five men who died as a result of the shootings on …
Within days of the Boston Massacre, Bostonians politicized the event. They circulated a pamphlet about “the Horrid Massacre” and published images …
On the evening of March 5, 1770, a crowd gathered in Boston’s King Street and confronted a a sentry and his fellow soldiers in front of the custom …
In the 21st century, we are all creators and users of content. We take original photos with our smartphones, generate blog posts, digital videos, and podcasts. Some of us write books and articles. And nearly everyone …
What do we mean by “the state?”
How is a “state” produced?
Is “the state” something everyone can participate in producing?
Ryan Quintana, an …
In 1738, a cooper named Benedict Arnold petitioned the Rhode Island General Assembly for a divorce from his wife Mary Ward Arnold. Benedict claimed …
The Atlantic World has brought many disparate peoples together, which has caused a lot of ideas and cultures to mix.
How did the Atlantic World bring …
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Ohio River Valley proved to be a rich agrarian region. Many different Native American peoples prospered from its land both in terms of the the land’s ability to produce a wide …
Have you ever wondered how the capital of the United States came to be situated at Washington D.C.?
The banks of the Potomac River represent an odd …
Can food help us better understand the people and events of the past? Can we better understand a person like Benjamin Franklin and who he was by the foods he ate?
Rae Katherine Eighmey, an award-winning food historian, …
Did you know that one of the earliest practices of slavery by English colonists originated in New England?
In fact, Massachusetts issued the very …
Inns and taverns played prominent roles in early American life. They served the needs of travelers who needed food to eat and places to sleep.They …
Have you ever wondered where the Christmas traditions of stockings, presents, and cookies come from?
What about jolly, old Saint Nicholas? Who was he …
How do you uncover the life of an enslaved person who left no paper trail?
What can the everyday life of an enslaved person tell us about slavery, how it was practiced, and how some enslaved people made the transition …
What do George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln have in common?
They all grew-up in blended or stepfamilies.
Lisa Wilson, the …
We tend to view gay marriage as a cultural and legal development of the 21st century.
But did you know that some early Americans lived openly as …
Was the early United States a “Christian nation?” Did most of its citizenry accept God and the Bible as the moral authority that bound them together …
In 1621, the Pilgrims of Plimoth Colony and their Wampanoag neighbors came together to celebrate their first harvest. Today we remember this event as …
How do historians and biographers reconstruct the lives of people from the past?
Good biographies rely on telling the lives of people using practiced historical methods of thorough archival research and the sound …
As part of the Omohundro Institute's Doing History series on biography, Episode 212 offers us a new conversation with Erica Dunbar, the author of Never Caught: The Washington’s Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave …
Can a biography help us explore big historical questions?
Can knowing about the life of John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, help us better understand the Supreme Court and how it …
For 34 years, John Marshall presided as the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. During his service, Marshal transformed the nation’s …
Biography. Since the earliest days of the United States, and even before the thirteen colonies came together to forge a nation, Americans have been …
2018 marks the 241st anniversary of the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga and the 240th anniversary of the Franco-American Alliance. But was the victory that prompted the French to join the American war effort, …
What in the first 40 years of his life made Benjamin Franklin the genius he became?
Benjamin Franklin serves as a great window on to the early American past because as a man of “variety” he pursued many interests: …
Between 1500 and the 1860s, Europeans and Americans forcibly removed approximately 12 million African people from the African continent, transported them to the Americas, and enslaved them.
Why did Europeans and …
La Presidente? The Presidentess? The First Lady of the Land?
The Second Article of the United States Constitution defines the Executive Branch of the …
Aaron Burr: Revolutionary War hero, talented lawyer, Vice President, and Intriguer of treason?
Between 1805 and 1807, Aaron Burr supposedly intended …
Hamilton the Musical hit Broadway in August 2015 and since that time people all around the world have been learning about a man named Alexander Hamilton. Or, at least they’ve been learning about the musical’s character …
On September 17, 1787, a majority of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention approved the new form of government they had spent months drafting and submitted it to the 13 states for their ratification and …
What kind of character should Americans have? Is it possible to create a shared sense of national character and identity that all Americans can …
What would you like to know about Early American History?
It turns out, you wanted to know about the establishment of schools, how the colonial …
When we explore the history of early America, we often look at people who lived in North America. But what about the people who lived and worked in …
When we think of Native Americans, many of us think of inland dwellers. People adept at navigating forests and rivers and the skilled hunters and horsemen who lived and hunted on the American Plains.
But did you know …
When we think about early American slavery, our minds evoke images of plantations where enslaved men and women were forced to labor in agricultural …
We live in an age of information. The internet provides us with 24/7 access to all types of information—news, how-to articles, sports scores, entertainment news, and congressional votes.
But what do we do with all of …
In 1705 a group of colonists in Simsbury, Connecticut founded a copper mine, which the Connecticut General Assembly purchased and turned into a …
As part of its mission, the National Park Service seeks to protect and preserve places saved by the American people so that all may experience the heritage of the United States. These places include those with …
In 1959, the Omohundro Institute and University of North Carolina Press published Lester J. Cappon’s The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete …
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Two drafters and signers of the Declaration of Independence, two diplomats who served the United States abroad in Europe, and two men who went on to serve as vice president and president …
The Jersey Devil is a monster legend that originated in New Jersey’s early American past.
How and why did this legend emerge? And, what can it tell us about New Jersey’s past?
Brian Regal, an Associate Professor of …
King Philip’s War is an event that appears over and over again in books about colonial America.
So when you have an event that has been as studied as …
As many as 70 percent of Americans consider themselves to be members of the middle class. But if you consider income as a qualifier for membership, only about 50 percent of Americans qualify for membership.
So what does …
We’re living in a period of climate change. Our Earth has been getting warmer since the mid-19th century.
So how will humans adapt to and endure this period of global warming? Will they adapt to it and endure?
It turns …
The Alien and Sedition Acts consisted of four laws enacted by the United States government in 1798. The United States passed these laws during a time of great uncertainty, a time when many Americans feared for the very …
Our present-day American culture is obsessed with sports. To cite just two pieces of evidence of this, on average, more than 67,000 fans attend each …
As a result of Great Britain’s victory in the Seven Years’ War, British North America expanded so that it stretched from the Atlantic seaboard west …
Who should determine our culture and the morals our society follows?
Culture, or the intellectual achievements, attitudes, and behaviors of our …
Early North America was a place rife with violent conflict. Between the 17th and 19th centuries we see a lot of conflict between different Native …
George Washington played three very important public roles during his lifetime. He served as the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, the …
What was it like to live through an extraordinary time?
The 1740s and 1750s proved to be an extraordinary time for many ordinary New Englanders. It was a period when itinerant preachers swept through the region and …
Why did early Americans choose to become patriots or loyalists during the American Revolution?
How did they make the decision to either stand with or …
The legacy of Alexander Hamilton tells us that he was Thomas Jefferson’s political rival, a man who fought to secure strong powers for the national …
Douglas Winiarski answers your questions about religion in early New England with details from his book, Darkness Falls on the Land of Light: Experiencing Religious Awakenings in Eighteenth-Century New England.
Darkness …
The Confederation period is one of the most neglected aspects of United States History. And yet, it’s a very important period. Between 1781 and 1789, the Confederation Congress established by the Articles of …
In 1535, Spanish holdings in the Americas proved so great that the Spanish government created the Viceroyalty of New Spain to govern all territory …
Did you know that maps have social lives?
Maps facilitate a lot of different social and political relationships between people and nations. And they …
What did it mean to be a person and to also be a commodity in early America?
Daina Ramey Berry, author of The Price for Their Pound of Flesh: The Value of the Enslaved, from Womb to Grave, in the Building of a Nation, …
Just how personal was the American Revolution?
What could the event and war mean for individual people and families?
Daniel Mark Epstein, author of …
It’s February 2018 and doctors have declared this year’s seasonal flu epidemic as one of the worst to hit the United States in over a decade. Yet this flu epidemic is nothing compared to the yellow fever epidemics that …
The histories of early North America and the Caribbean are intimately intertwined. The same European empires we encounter in our study of early …
Intelligence gathering plays an important role in the foreign policies of many modern-day nation states, including the United States. Which raises …
History books like to tell us that Native Americans did not fully understand British methods and ideas of trade. Is this really true?
Did Native …
New England was a place with no cash crops. It was a place where many of its earliest settlers came to live just so they could worship their Puritan …
We remember Benjamin Franklin as an accomplished printer, scientist, and statesman. Someone who came from humble beginnings and made his own way in the world. Rarely do we remember Franklin as a man of faith.
Benjamin …
When we study the history of colonial North America, we tend to focus on European colonists and their rivalries with each other and with Native …
The French established New Orleans and the greater colony of Louisiana in 1717. By 1840, New Orleans had become the 3rd largest city in the United …
The Declaration of Independence described “all men” as “created equal” when its authors knew they were not. So was the revolutionary idea of freedom …
Between 1763 and 1848, revolutions took place in North America, South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe. But why is it that we only seem to …
The American Revolution took place within a larger period known today as the “Age of Revolutions.”
What does the Revolution look like when we place …
When we think about North America during the American Revolution, most of our brains show us images of eastern Canada and the thirteen British …
What did British imperial officials in London and their North America-based representatives make of the American Revolution?
In this episode, we …
At the end of the French and Indian, or Seven Years’ War in 1763, Great Britain claimed that smuggling was a BIG problem in its North American …
How did early Americans go from hosting social tea parties to hosting protests like the Boston Tea Party?
Tea played a central role in the economic, …
How much merit do the economic factors behind the cry “No Taxation Without Representation” have when we consider the origins of the American …
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.
Who were the men who served in these military ranks? What motivated …
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 …
How did Americans find out about the Revolution?
What effect did printed materials like newspapers, pamphlets, and books have on shaping the debate …
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 …
Declaring independence from Great Britain required the formation of new governments.
But why did Americans want and need new governments? And how did …
How did the American revolutionaries organize and coordinate local, provincial, and intercolonial action?
How did the revolutionaries form …
What caused the American Revolution?
Was it the issue of ‘No Taxation without Representation?’ Was it conflict and change in the social order of …
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?
Abigail Adams lived through and participated in the American Revolution. As the wife of John Adams, she used her position to famously remind Adams …
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. …
How did everyday men and women experience life in the colonial America?
How did the American Revolution transform their work and personal lives?
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 …
What drove George Washington to become a Patriot during the American Revolution?
How did he overcome the ill-trained and inexperienced troops, …
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 …
How do you get people living in thirteen different colonies to come together and fight for independence?
What ideas and experiences would even unite …
How did the framers draft the Constitution of 1787? What powers does the Constitution provide the federal government? Why do we elect the President …
Most histories of American abolitionism begin just before the Civil War, during the Antebellum period. But the movement to end chattel slavery in …
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. …
Nathaniel Bowditch worked as a navigator, mathematician, astronomer, and business innovator. Over the course of his lifetime, his fellow Americans …
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 …
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 …
George Washington was an accomplished man. He served as a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, first President of the United States, and on top of all that …
What do the objects we purchase and use say about us?
If we take the time to think about the material objects and clothing in our lives, we’ll find that we can actually learn a lot about ourselves and other people. The …
If early Americans desired slaves mostly to produce sugarcane, cotton, rice, indigo, and tobacco, what would happen if Europeans and early Americans …
In Colonial America, clergymen stood as thought leaders in their local communities. They stood at the head of their congregations and many community …
The institution of African slavery in North America began in late August 1619 and persisted until the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States in December 1865.
Over those 246 years, …
When we explore the history of early America, we often look at people who lived and the events that took place in North America. But what about the …
The United States has a complicated history when it comes to ideas of empire and imperialism. Since it’s earliest days, the United States has wanted the power that came with being an empire even while declaring its …
On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere rode to Lexington, Massachusetts to spread the alarm that the Regulars were marching. Revere made several important …
How did the colonists of Massachusetts go from public protests meant to shame government officials and destroy offending property, to armed conflict …
Historians often portray the American Revolution as an orderly, if violent, event that moved from British colonists’ high-minded ideas about freedom …
In many ways, the Enlightenment gave birth to the United States. Enlightened ideas informed protests over imperial governance and taxation and over …
What happened to the loyalists who stayed in the United States after the War for Independence?
After the war, 60,000 loyalists and 15,000 slaves evacuated the United States. But thousands more opted to remain in the new …
Early America was a diverse place. It contained many different people who had many different traditions that informed how they lived…and died.
How did early Americans understand death? What did they think about suicide?
What did the American Revolution mean and achieve? What sort of liberty and freedom did independence grant Americans and which Americans should …
In December 1773, the Cape Cod Tea Crisis revealed that the people of “radical” Massachusetts were far from united in their support for the American …
Did the Americans win the War for Independence? Or did the British simply lose the war?
The history of the American War for Independence is complicated. And history books tell many different versions of the event, which …
The Spanish, French, and English played large roles in the origins of colonial America. But so too did the Dutch. During the 17th century, they had a …
How do you build colonies without women?
Most of the colonial adventurers from England and France who set out for Jamestown, New France, and colonial …
On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia moved that the Second Continental Congress resolve “that these United Colonies are, and of right out …
How did the smallest colony and smallest state in the union became the largest American participant in the slave trade?
Christy Clark-Pujara, an …
Thomas Jefferson wrote about liberty and freedom and yet owned over six hundred slaves during his lifetime.
He’s a founder who many of us have a hard time understanding.
This why we need an expert to lead us through his …
When we think of the French and Indian, or Seven Years’ War, we often think of battles: The Monongahela, Ticonderoga, Québec. Yet, wars aren’t just about battles. They’re about people and governments too.
In this …
Like many states in the south and west, Texas has an interesting early American past that begins with Native American settlement followed by Spanish …
Throughout the “Doing History: How Historians Work” series we’ve explored how historians find and research historical topics, how they identify and read historical sources for information, and how they publish their …
History has a history and genealogy has a history. And the histories of both affect how and why we study the past and how we understand and view it.
Today, we explore why it’s important for us to understand that the …
After seven, long years of occupation, Americans found New York City in shambles after the British evacuation on November 25, 1783.
Ten to twenty-five percent of the city had burned in 1776. The British used just about …
On December 16, 1773, the colonists of Boston threw 342 chests of English East India Company tea into Boston Harbor, an act we remember as the …
Neither colonial North America nor the United States developed apart from the rest of the world. Since their founding, both the colonies and the …
History tells us who we are and how we came to be who we are.
Like history, genealogy studies people. It’s a field of study that can tell us who we are in a more exact sense by showing us how our ancestral lines connect …
We’ve heard that the American Revolution took place during a period called “the Enlightenment.” But what was the Enlightenment?
Was it an …
Colonial America comprised many different cultural and political worlds. Most colonial Americans inhabited just one world, but today, we’re going to …
When politicians, lawyers, and historians discuss the Constitutional Convention of 1787, they often rely on two sources: The promotional tracts …
What can the life of an artist reveal about the American Revolution and how most American men and women experienced it?
Today, we explore the life …
What do historians do with their research once they finish writing about it?
How do historians publish the books and articles we love to read?
This episode of our “Doing History: How Historians Work” series, takes us …
When we think of Native Americans, many of us think of inland dwellers. People adept at navigating forests and rivers and the skilled hunters and horsemen who lived and hunted on the American Plains.
But did you know …
On April 30, 1789, George Washington became the first President of the United States. Between 1789 and 1825, five men would serve as president. Four …
In the Treaty of Paris, 1783, Great Britain offered the new United States generous terms that included lands in between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.
Why did the biggest empire with the greatest …
How do historians write about the people, places, and events they’ve studied in historical sources?
We continue our “Doing History: How Historians Work” series by investigating how historians write about history. Our …
Wow! Ben Franklin’s World has made it to episode 100.
How do we celebrate and mark this special occasion?
By your request, host Liz Covart answers your questions about history, podcasting, and time travel.
Show Notes:…
Pirates are alive and well in our popular culture. Thanks to movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and television shows like Black Sails, we see …
Could customs collectors, the tax men of early America, be the unsung founders of the early United States?
Today, we explore the creation of the …
What do historians do with all of the information they collect when they research?
How do they access their research in a way that allows them to …
Ever wonder how the United States’ problem with race developed and why early American reformers didn’t find a way to fix it during the earliest days …
The City Upon a Hill. The Athens of America. The Cradle of Liberty.
Boston has many names because it has played important roles in the history of …
Who are you friends with?
Why are you friends with your friends?
In the early American republic, men and women formed and maintained friendships for many of the same reasons we make friends today: companionship, shared …
What can the collections of the Harvard University Libraries teach us about our early American past?
It turns out, quite a lot.
Taylor Stoermer, a …
How do historians conduct research online? This is your second-most asked question after how did everyday people live their day-to-day lives in early America.
As the “Doing History” series explores how historians work, …
Did you know that George Washington’s favorite drink was whiskey?
Actually, it wasn’t.
Washington preferred Madeira, a fortified Portuguese wine from the island of Madeira. Why the false start to today’s exploration of …
The American Revolution inspired revolutions in France, the Caribbean, and in Latin and South America between the late 18th and mid-19th centuries.
…
How do you uncover the life of a slave who left no paper trail?
What can her everyday life tell us about slavery, how it was practiced, and how some slaves made the transition from slavery to freedom?
Today, we explore …
Historians rely on secondary historical sources almost as much as they rely on primary historical sources.
But what are secondary historical sources and how do they help historians know what they know about the past?
After achieving independence from Great Britain, the new United States and its member states had to pay war debts. As the national government lacked the power to tax its citizens, the problem of paying war debts fell to …
Over the course of his long life, Benjamin Franklin traveled to and lived in London twice. The first time he went as a teenager. The second as a man …
The War for Independence was a conflict between Great Britain and her 13 North American colonies. It was also a civil war.
Not only did the war pit …
What do historians do with historical sources once they find them?
How do they read them for information about the past?
Today, Zara Anishanslin, an …
Colonial Bostonians practiced slavery. But slavery in Boston looked very different than slavery in the American south or in the Caribbean.
Today, …
We live in an age of information. The internet provides us with 24/7 access to all types of information—news, how-to articles, sports scores, entertainment news, and congressional votes.
But what do we do with all of …
When did the fighting of the American War for Independence end?
In school we learn that the war came to an end at Yorktown. But, this lesson omits …
American prisons are overcrowded. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and nearly 2.5 million Americans are serving …
Historians research the past through historical sources.
But what are the materials that tell historians about past peoples, places, and events?
Today, James Horn, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the …
The United States is in midst of a political and cultural divide.
The last time the United States faced this deep of a division, the nation descended …
Do you have what it takes to be a pioneer?
If offered the opportunity, would you undertake a journey across the Oregon Trail in a mule-pulled covered …
What did it mean to be a citizen during the late-18th and early-19th centuries?
Why and how did early American sailors seem intent on proving their citizenship to the United States?
In this episode, we explore …
Historians research history in archives.
But how do you gain access to one? And how do you use an archive once you find that it likely contains the information you seek?
In this third episode of our “Doing History: How …
George Washington stands as one of the most famous Americans in history, but what do we know of his helpmeet and partner, Martha?
Who was the woman who stood beside and encouraged Washington?
How did she assist him as …
What role did the Bible play in the development of British North America and the early United States?
How did the settlement of numerous religious …
The American Civil War took place over 150 years ago.
The war claimed over 600,000 American lives and its legacy affects the way present-day Americans view civil rights and race relations.
The Civil War stands as an …
Historians refer to the Battle of Saratoga as the “turning point” of the American Revolution.
They argue the Patriot Army’s defeat of British General …
How did enslaved African and African American women experience slavery?
What were their daily lives like?
And how do historians know as much as they do about enslaved women?
Today, we explore the answers to these …
Law and order stood as a sign of civilization for many 17th-century Europeans, which is why some of the first European settlers in North America created systems of law and order in their new homeland.
Today, we explore …
Abraham Lincoln grew up as the son of a poor farmer. Yet, he became the 16th President of the United States.
How did the son of a poor farmer achieve …
Aside from nice weather, what do California and Hawaii have in common?
Spanish longhorn cattle.
Today, we explore how Spanish longhorn cattle influenced the early American and environmental histories of California and …
How did average, poor, and enslaved men and women live their day-to-day lives in the early United States?
Today, we explore the answers to that …
History is about people, but what do we know about the people behind history’s scenes?
Who are the people who tell us what we know about our past?
How do they come to know what they know?
Today, we begin our year-long …
Today, we explore espionage during the American Revolution and the origins and operations of the Culper Spy Ring with Alexander Rose, author of …
Most early Americans practiced chattel slavery: the practice of treating slaves as property that people could buy, sell, trade, and use as they would …
The American Civil War claimed more than 620,000 American lives.
Did you know that it also cost American forests, landscapes, cities, and institutions?
Today, we explore the different types of ruination wrought by the …
Did you know that when James Madison originally proposed the Bill of Rights, it consisted of 36 amendments and that the House of Representatives did not want to consider or debate Madison’s proposed amendments to the …
If you had only six years to enjoy retirement what would you do?
Would you improve your plantation? Build canals? Or work behind-the-scenes to unite …
Did Washington really start the French and Indian War?
Why should we remember a battle that took place over 260 years ago?
In this episode, we …
Between the 1830s and 1860s, a clandestine communications and transportation network called the “Underground Railroad” helped thousands of slaves escape to freedom.
Today, we will investigate and explore this secret …
Why do we refer to the men who founded the United States as the “founding fathers?”
Why do we choose to remember the American Revolution as a …
Do you know what we have in common with our early American forebears?
Taxes.
As Benjamin Franklin stated in 1789, “nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Given the certainty of taxes it seems important that we …
Between 1754 and 1763, North Americans participated in the French and Indian War; a world war Europeans call the Seven Years’ War.
As this world war …
Who was John Jay?
Jay played important and prominent roles during the founding of the United States and yet, his name isn’t one that many would list …
The United States is a diverse nation of immigrants and their ancestors. With such diversity, and no one origination point for its people, how do we describe what the United States is and what its people stand for?
What …
Do you believe in the supernatural? In ghosts, zombies, or perhaps witches?
Today we celebrate All Hallows Eve with an exploration of the specters and witches that haunted 17th-century Massachusetts.
Our guide for this …
Much like the United States, the colonists of Saint Domingue (present-day Haiti) sought their independence from France by fighting a war and waging a …
Located 600 miles inland from Philadelphia and over 700 miles from Québec City, early Detroit could have been a backwater, a frontier post that …
How did every day men and women experience life in colonial America?
How did the American Revolution transform their work and personal lives?
Today, …
Why did England want to establish colonies in North America and how did Englishmen go about establishing them?
We explore the early days of English …
When we think about the War for American Independence many of us conjure images of Washington crossing the Delaware, Cornwallis’ surrender at …
Where did the United States fit within the world between 1810 and 1847?
After the United States secured its independence from Great Britain, many Americans looked at the world and wondered about their place within it.
…
What caused the American Revolution?
Can we use the term “American Revolution” to describe both the revolution and the War for Independence?
What was …
Many Americans associate the state of Utah with Mormons.
But did you know the Mormons almost settled in Texas?
Spencer McBride, an editor with the Joseph Smith Papers Documentary Editing Project, joins us to explore the …
Do you know which early American reform movement pushed for abolition, women’s rights, pacifism, and economic growth?
Today, Adam Shprintzen, …
How and when did doctors become respected professionals in American society?
The answer lies in early Americans’ fascination with delirium tremens, …
“No Taxation Without Representation!”
August 14, 2015 marks the 250th anniversary of the first Boston Stamp Act riot.
Today’s bonus episode commemorates the anniversary with a conversation about the Stamp Act, the …
Is the Republican Party, the party of Abraham Lincoln?
The United States has entered presidential primary season, which means it won’t be long before …
Did Canada almost join the American Revolution?
In September 1775, Major-General Philip Schuyler launched the Patriot’s invasion into Canada. The …
Today we address the President of the United States as “Mr. President.” But did you know that the proper title for the office was almost “His …
The American Revolution was a revolution against Parliament not a king.
This is the idea offered by Eric Nelson in his new book The Royalist …
Are you ready to time travel?
2015 marks the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, a document created to limit the powers of King John of England and his successors in 1215.
Today, Magna Carta and its four key principles …
What battle proved to be the turning point of the American War for Independence?
If you answered Saratoga, you are in general agreement with most …
How and where did the colonies of North America and the Caribbean fit within the British Empire?
The answer to this question depends on whether you …
Who was the Marquis de Lafayette? How did he make the Patriots’ success in the American Revolution possible? And why did a group known as the Friends …
Washington Irving was an historian and writer. Some historians and biographers have called him the first great American author.
Today, Michael Lord, Director of Education at Historic Hudson Valley, joins us to explore …
The Hero of New Orleans. Old Hickory. General. President of the United States. Andrew Jackson held and embodied all of these titles and nicknames.
…
When you think about George Washington, what image comes to mind?
Washington the general?
Washington the president?
Perhaps, Washington the gentleman farmer of Mount Vernon?
But did you know that George Washington loved …
What was everyday life like for average men and women in early America?
Listeners ask this question more than any other question and today we …
Benjamin Franklin’s life spanned almost the entire 18th century.
Between his birth on January 17, 1706 and his death on April 17, 1790, Franklin lived well-traveled and accomplished life.
Michael D. Hattem, research …
You may know the stereotype of the “busibody New Englander,” the person who knows all about their neighbors’ private affairs.
This stereotype comes from the New England town-church ideal: The idea that ministers and …
Can you name the battle that took place between the United States Army and the Miami Confederacy on November 4, 1791?
It's a trick question. You …
What can maps tell us about the past?
How do maps affect the way we view events such as the American Revolution?
The Norman B. Leventhal Map …
A “little short of madness.” That is how Thomas Jefferson responded when two delegates from New York approached him with the idea to build the Erie Canal in January 1809.
Jefferson’s comment did not discourage New …
What do George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln have in common?
They all grew-up in blended or stepfamilies.
Lisa Wilson, the …
What drove George Washington to become a Patriot during the American Revolution?
How did he overcome the ill-trained and inexperienced troops, …
Do you know who George Whitefield was?
George Whitefield stood as one of the most visible figures in British North America between the 1740s and 1770. He was a central figure in the trans-Atlantic revivalist movement …
In this bonus episode, we explore a listener requested topic of colonial inns and taverns by investigating the history of the oldest inn still in …
What can John Hancock’s suit tell you about the man who wore it?
The clothing a person wears tells you a lot about them: Whether they are rich or …
Have you ever wondered what happens when four historians get together to talk about early American history?
In this episode, we chat with three young and promising historians of early America: Michael Hattem, Roy Rogers…
Have you heard the saying that behind every great man stands a great woman?
Vivian Bruce Conger, the Robert Ryan Professor in the Humanities at …
Do you know that John Hancock was a smuggler?
Smuggling presented a large problem for the imperial governments of Great Britain and France during the …
Have you ever wondered about how early American men, women, and slaves worshipped?
Religion played a large role in why some Europeans settled in …
Have you ever wondered where colonial Americans purchased their food?
Although many colonial Americans lived in rural areas or on farms where they …
Do you know who authored the Declaration of Independence?
If you answered “Thomas Jefferson,” you would be wrong. Jefferson merely wrote the first …
Parlez-vous Français?
Do you speak French?
Believe it or not in the 1790s many Americans spoke French. They may not have spoken the French language, …
The United States claimed victory in the War of 1812, but did you know that the British nearly won the war by promising freedom to escaped slaves in …
In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue as part of the great European quest to find new routes and shortcuts to the spice islands and …
Did you know that Russian activities in North America caused the Spanish to colonize California?
When we think of North America in 1776, our minds …
We tend to view gay marriage as a cultural and legal development of the 21st century.
But did you know that some early Americans lived openly in …
Did you know that Americans undertook their first trade mission to China in February 1784?
In fact, a mercantile partnership led by Robert Morris sent the Empress of China, a 360 ton ship to Canton, China one month and …
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania plays host to many historic sites associated with our early American history: Carpenters Hall, Independence Hall, and the …
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 …
“’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house/ Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse./ The stockings were hung by the …
The Middle Passage forced millions of African men, women, and children to migrate across the Atlantic Ocean, but did you know that there existed an even more deadly voyage for slaves?
For many Africans the journey into …
The United States declared independence from Great Britain in July 1776, but the King and Parliament of Great Britain did not recognize this …
Arrr, so ye like pirates do ye?
Did ye know that as much as 33% of pirate crews were made up of captured seamen, not pirates?
We’ll be talking about …
You likely know the names of George and Martha Washington, John and Abigail Adams, and James and Dolley Madison, as the names of a few of the …
Did you know that most biographies about the founders of the United States reveal more about the Americans who wrote the biographies than about the true character of the founders themselves?
Benjamin Franklin founded the Library Company of Philadelphia in 1731. Today, you can visit his library and its amazing collections, which begs the …
Have you ever walked through a museum and wondered why its staff chose to feature the artifacts you saw?
Cornelia King, Chief of Reference at the Library Company of Philadelphia discusses “That’s So Gay: Outing Early …
Dd you know that Ben Franklin founded the first successful lending library in North America?
With James N. Green, Librarian at the Library Company of …
Host Liz Covart welcomes you to Ben Franklin's World: A Podcast About Early American History. Liz describes the show and reveals what what you can expect to discover in future episodes.
Show Notes: …
Are you the creator of this podcast?
and pick the featured episodes for your show.
Connect with listeners
Podcasters use the RadioPublic listener relationship platform to build lasting connections with fans
Yes, let's begin connectingFind new listeners
Understand your audience
Engage your fanbase
Make money