
Ben Franklin's World
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 help shed light on important people and events in early American history. It is produced by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Latest episodes

Feb 5, 2019 • 59min
224 Aquatic Culture in Early America
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 so many different peoples and cultures together? How did this large intermixing of people and cultures impact the development of colonial America? Kevin Dawson, an Associate Professor of History at the University of California-Merced and author of Undercurrents of Power: Aquatic Culture in the African Diaspora, joins us to explore answers to these questions with an investigation of the African Diaspora and African and African American aquatic culture. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/048 Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute Institute for Thomas Paine Studies Follow the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies on Twitter (@TheITPS) Complementary Episodes Episode 104: Andrew Lipman, The Saltwater Frontier: Europeans & Native Americans on the Northeastern Coast Bonus: Lonnie Bunch, History & Historians in the Public Episode 166: Freedom and the American Revolution Episode 174: Thomas Apel, Yellow Fever in the Early American Republic Episode 200: Everyday Life in Early America Episode 206: Katharine Gerbner, Christian Slavery Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Join the Ben Franklin's World Community Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App *Books purchased through this link will help support the production of Ben Franklin's World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 29, 2019 • 1h 9min
223 A Native American History of the Ohio River Valley & Great Lakes Region
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 variety of crops and its support of a wide variety of small fur-bearing animals for the fur trade. Susan Sleeper-Smith, a Professor of History at Michigan State University and author of Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest: Indian Women and the Ohio River Valley, 1690-1792, helps us explore this unique region and the important roles it played in the early American past. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/223 Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute Institute for Thomas Paine Studies Follow the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies on Twitter (@TheITPS) Complementary Episodes Episode 029: Colin Calloway, The Native American Defeat of the First American Army Episode 051: Catherine Cangany, Frontier Seaport: A History of Early Detroit Episode 064: Brett Rushforth, Native American Slavery in New France Episode 088: Michael McDonnell, The History of History Writing Episode 102: William Nester, George Rogers Clark & the Fight for the Illinois Country Episode 162: Dunmore’s New World Episode 184: David Silverman, Thundersticks: Firearms and the Violent Transformation of Native America Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Join the Ben Franklin's World Community Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App *Books purchased through this link will help support the production of Ben Franklin's World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 22, 2019 • 1h 12min
222 The Early History of Washington, D.C.
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 place to build a national city, a place that would not only serve as the seat of government for the nation, but also as an economic, cultural, and intellectual hub. Still in 1790, the United States Congress passed the Residence Act and mandated that it would establish a new, permanent capital along the banks of the Potomac River. Why? Adam Costanzo, a Professional Assistant Professor of History at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi and author of George Washington’s Washington: Visions for the National Capital in the Early American Republic, joins us to consider questions of the national capital’s location and construction. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/222 Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute Audible 30-Day Free Trial Complementary Episodes Episode 016: Alan Taylor, The Internal Enemy Episode 061: Edward Larson, George Washington in Retirement Episode 078: Rachel Shelden, Washington Brotherhood: Politics, Social Life, and the Coming of the Civil War Episode 099: Gautham Rao, Birth of the American Tax Man Episode 113: Brian Murphy, Building the Empire State Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Join the Ben Franklin's World Community Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App *Books purchased through this link will help support the production of Ben Franklin's World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 15, 2019 • 56min
221 The Culinary Adventures of Benjamin Franklin
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, author, and cook, joins us to explore the culinary tastes and habits of Benjamin Franklin and colonial British Americans with details from her book Stirring the Pot with Benjamin Franklin: A Founding Father’s Culinary Adventures. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/221 Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute OI Books (Use promo code 01DAH40 to save 40 percent)
Denver Meet Up Saturday, January 19, 3:30pm at Prost Brewing Complementary Episodes Episode 019: Kenneth Turino, The Colonial Boston Marketplace Episode 022: Vivian Bruce Conger, Deborah Read Franklin & Sally Franklin Bache Episode 044: Adam Shprintzen, The Vegetarian Crusade Episode 135: Julie Holcomb, Moral Commerce: The Tranatlantic Boycott of the Slave Labor Economy Episode 169: Thomas S. Kidd, The Religious Life of Benjamin Franklin Episode 207: Nick Bunker, Young Benjamin Franklin Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Join the Ben Franklin's World Community Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App *Books purchased through this link will help support the production of Ben Franklin's World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 8, 2019 • 1h 16min
220 New England Indians, Colonists, & the Origins of American Slavery
Did you know that one of the earliest practices of slavery by English colonists originated in New England? In fact, Massachusetts issued the very first slave code in English America in 1641. Why did New Englanders turn to slavery and become the first in English America to codify its practice? Margaret Ellen Newell, a professor of history at The Ohio State University and the author of Brethren By Nature: New England Indians, Colonists, and the Origins of American Slavery, joins us to investigate these questions and issues. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/220 Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute OI Books (Use promo code 01DAH40 to save 40 percent) Denver Meet Up Saturday, January 19, 3:30pm at Prost Brewing Complementary Episodes Episode 064: Brett Rushforth, Native American Slavery in New France Episode 083: Jared Hardesty, Unfreedom: Slavery in Colonial Boston Episode 139: Andrés Reséndez, The Other Slavery Episode 170: Wendy Warren, New England Bound Episode 191: Lisa Brooks, A New History of King Philip’s War Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Join the Ben Franklin's World Community Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App *Books purchased through this link will help support the production of Ben Franklin's World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 1, 2019 • 53min
219 Taverns in Early America
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 offered local communities a form of poor relief. And they functioned as public spaces where men could gather to discuss news, organize movements, and to drink and play cards. Adrian Covert, author of Taverns of the American Revolution, helps us explore taverns and the many roles they played in early American life. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/219 Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute OI Books (Use promo code 01DAH40 to save 40 percent) Denver Meet Up Saturday, January 19, 3:30pm at Prost Brewing Complementary Episodes Bonus: Longfellow’s Wayside Inn Episode 112: The Tea Crisis of 1773 Episode 160: The Politics of Tea Episode 161: Smuggling and the American Revolution Episode 187: Kenneth Cohen, Sport in Early America Episode 200: Everyday Life in Early America Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Join the Ben Franklin's World Community Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App *Books purchased through this link will help support the production of Ben Franklin's World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 25, 2018 • 43min
218 How the Dutch Brough Us Santa, Presents, & Treats
Have you ever wondered where the Christmas traditions of stockings, presents, and cookies come from? What about jolly, old Saint Nicholas? Who was he and why do we often call him Santa Claus? Peter G. Rose, culinary historian of Dutch foodways in North America and author of Delicious December: How the Dutch Brought Us Santa, Presents, and Treats joins us to discuss the origins of Santa Claus and edible goodies such as cookies in the United States. This episode originally posted as Episode 009. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/218 Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute Chicago 2019 Meetup Complementary Episodes Episode 035: Michael Lord, Historic Hudson Valley & Washington Irving Episode 121: Wim Klooster, The Dutch Moment in the 17th-Century Atlantic World Episode 161: Smuggling and the American Revolution Episode 185: Joyce Goodfriend, Who Should Rule at Home? Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Join the Ben Franklin's World Community Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App *Books purchased through this link will help support the production of Ben Franklin's World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 18, 2018 • 51min
217 Slavery and Freedom in Early Maryland
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 from slavery to freedom? We explore the life of Charity Folks, an enslaved woman from Maryland who gained her freedom in the late-18th century. Our guide through Charity’s life is Jessica Millward, an Associate Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine and author of Finding Charity’s Folk: Enslaved and Free Black Women in Maryland. This episode originally posted as Episode 089. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/217 Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute Chicago 2019 Meetup Complementary Episodes Episode 070: Jennifer Morgan, How Historians Research Episode 083: Jared Hardesty, Unfreedom: Slavery in Colonial Boston Episode 084: Zara Anishanslin, How Historians Read Historical Sources Episode 176: Daina Ramey Berry, Price For Their Pound of Flesh Episode 212: Erica Dunbar, Research Biography Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Join the Ben Franklin's World Community Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App *Books purchased through this link will help support the production of Ben Franklin's World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 11, 2018 • 45min
216 A History of Stepfamilies in Early America
What do George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln have in common? They all grew-up in blended or stepfamilies. Lisa Wilson, the Charles J. MacCurdy Professor of American History at Connecticut College and author of A History of Stepfamilies in Early America, takes us through the creation and interactions of blended and stepfamilies in early America. This episode originally posted as Episode 027. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/216 Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute Chicago 2019 Meetup Complementary Episodes Episode 150: Woody Holton, Abigail Adams Episode 175: Daniel Epstein, House Divided: The Revolution in Ben Franklin’s House Episode 183: Douglas Bradburn, Mount Vernon Episode 207: Nick Bunker, Young Benjamin Franklin Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Join the Ben Franklin's World Community Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App *Books purchased through this link will help support the production of Ben Franklin's World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 4, 2018 • 54min
215 A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America
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 same-sex married couples? Rachel Hope Cleves, a Professor of History at the University of Victoria in British Columbia and author of Charity and Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America, reveals the story of Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, women who lived as a married couple in Weybridge, Vermont between 1807 and 1851. This episode originally posted as Episode 013. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/215 Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute Chicago 2019 Meetup Complementary Episodes Episode 004: Thomas Foster, Sex and the Founding Fathers Episode 027: Lisa Wilson, A History of Stepfamilies in Early America Episode 032: Michelle Marchetti Coughlin, One Colonial Woman’s World Episode 120: Marcia Zug, A History of Mail Order Brides in Early America Episode 175: Daniel Epstein, House Divided: The Revolution in Ben Franklin’s House Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Join the Ben Franklin's World Community Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App *Books purchased through this link will help support the production of Ben Franklin's World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices