Ben Franklin's World

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 National Football League game and more than 30,000 fans attend each Major League Baseball game. This is to say nothing of the millions of fans who watch these sports on television or listen to them on the radio. When did America become a place filled with sports nuts? When did the business of professional sports become a thing in the United States? Early American history has answers for us as does Kenneth Cohen, a curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the author of They Will Their Game: Sporting Culture and the Making of the American Republic. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/187   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute Audible.com (30-Day Free Trial and 1 Free Audiobook)     Complementary Episodes Episode 135: Julie Holcomb, Moral Commerce: The Transatlantic Boycott of the Slave Labor Economy Episode 136: Jennifer Van Horn, Material Culture and the Making of America Episode 140: Tamara Thornton, Nathaniel Bowditch: 19th-Century Man of Business, Science, and the Sea Episode 144: Robert Parkinson, The Common Cause of the American Revolution   Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page 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

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 to the Mississippi River and from Hudson Bay and the Gulf of St. Lawrence south to Florida. Plus, it also included islands in the Caribbean. How exactly would Great Britain, centered on a small island over 3,000 miles away, govern this new, expanded North American empire? Max Edelson, an Associate Professor of History at the University of Virginia and author of The New Map of Empire: How Britain Imagined America Before Independence, helps us explore this question by taking us on an investigation of the Board of Trade and its General Survey of North America. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/186   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute American Baroque (Use promo code 01DAH40 to save 40 percent)   Complementary Episodes Bonus: Mapping America’s War for Independence Episode 151: Defining the American Revolution Episode 152: Origins of the American Revolution Episode 162: Dunmore’s New World: The British Empire and the American Revolution Episode 177: Martin Brückner, The Social Life of Maps in America   Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page 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

Who should determine our culture and the morals our society follows? Culture, or the intellectual achievements, attitudes, and behaviors of our particular places and social groups, is all around us. It impacts how we think and act as members of families, local communities, states, and nations. Culture is important. So how do we establish culture? Who sets the unwritten social rules and ideas that we adopt and live by? Joyce Goodfriend, a professor of history at the University of Denver and author of Who Should Rule at Home? Confronting the Elite in British New York City, helps us investigate these questions by taking us through the history of early New York City and how its culture evolved between 1664 and 1776. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/185   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute Listener Survey   Complementary Episodes Episode 009: Peter G. Rose, How the Dutch Brought Us Santa, Presents, and Treats Episode 020: Kyle T. Bulthuis, Four Steeples Over the City Streets Episode 104: Andrew Lipman, The Saltwater Frontier: Europeans & Native Americans on the Northeastern Coast Episode 121: Wim Klooster, The Dutch Moment in the 17th-Century Atlantic World Episode 159: The Revolutionary Economy Episode 161: Smuggling and the American Revolution Episode 182: Douglas Winiarski, The Great Awakening in New England   Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page 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

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 American peoples, Native American peoples and colonists, colonists from one empire versus colonists from another empire, settlers from one state quarreling with settlers from another state, and in the 19th century, we also see strife between Americans, Canadians, and Mexicans. Today, we’re going to explore some of the causes of the violent conflict that took place in early America by looking specifically at Native America and the ways Native Americans used guns to shape their lives and the course of North American colonial and indigenous history. Our guide for this exploration is David J. Silverman, a professor of history at George Washington University and the author of Thundersticks: Firearms and the Violent Transformation of Native America. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/184   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute BFWorld Listener Survey   Complementary Episodes Episode 064: Brett Rushforth: Native American Slavery in New France Episode 104: Andrew Lipman, The Saltwater Frontier: Europeans and Native Americans along the Northeastern Coast Episode 163: The American Revolution in North America Episode 171: Jessica Stern, Native Americans, British Colonists, and Trade in North America   Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page 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

George Washington played three very important public roles during his lifetime. He served as the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, the President of the Constitutional Convention, and as the first President of the United States. In addition to these important public roles, Washington also played a role that was very important to him. He served as a farmer and agricultural innovator. Douglas Bradburn, the CEO and President of George Washington’s Mount Vernon, joins us so we can explore the history of Washington’s storied estate and his agricultural practices. Plus, we’ll also discover all that Mount Vernon has to offer us as a historic site. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/183   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute Listener Survey   Complementary Episodes Episode 033: Douglas Bradburn, George Washington & His Library Episode 060: David Preston, Braddock’s Defeat Episode 061: Edward Larson, George Washington in Retirement Episode 077: Rinker Buck, The Oregon Trail Episode 103: Sara Bon-Harper, James Monroe & His Highland Estate Episode 137: Erica Dunbar, The Washingtons’ Runaway Slave Ona Judge     Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 asked its people to question the fundamental assumptions of their religion: What did it mean to be a Puritan? What did it mean to be a Protestant Christian? Douglas Winiarski, a Professor of American Studies and Religious Studies at the University of Richmond and the author of the Bancroft prize-winning book, Darkness Falls on the Land of Light: Experiencing Religious Awakenings in Eighteenth-Century New England, helps us explore the religious landscape of New England during the 18th century and how New Englanders answered these powerful questions during the extraordinary period known as the Great Awakening. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/182   Listener Meet up Las Vegas Meet up: Saturday April 21, 4pm, Wyndham Grand Desert Hotel Lobby   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute Listener Survey BFWorld Amazon Alexa Skill OI Reader--Bonus Content and Sample Chapters from Darkness Falls on the Land of Light   Complementary Episodes Episode 025: Jessica Parr, Inventing George Whitefield Episode 073: Mark Noll, The Bible in Early America Episode 135: Julie Holcomb, Moral Commerce: The Transatlantic Boycott of the Slave Labor Economy Episode 166: Freedom and the American Revolution Episode 169: Thomas Kidd, The Religious Life of Benjamin Franklin   Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page 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

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 against their neighbors? Did political beliefs really drive them to support one side of the imperial conflict over the other? In this episode, we explore answers to these questions about how and why Americans chose to support the sides they did during the American Revolution, by looking at the lives of two young soldiers from Connecticut: Moses Dunbar and Nathan Hale. Taking us through the lives, politics, and decisions of these young men is Virginia DeJohn Anderson, a professor of history at the University of Colorado-Boulder and author of The Martyr and the Traitor: Nathan Hale, Moses Dunbar, and the American Revolution. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/181   Listener Meet ups Sacramento Meet up: Saturday April 14, 4pm, Firestone Public House Las Vegas Meet up: Saturday April 21, 4pm, Wyndham Grand Desert Hotel Lobby   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute Listener Survey Ben Franklin’s World Amazon Alexa Skill   Complementary Episodes Bonus: J.L. Bell, The Boston Stamp Act Riots Episode 112: Mary Beth Norton, The Tea Crisis of 1773 Episode 123: Revolutionary Allegiances Episode 129: J.L. Bell, The Road to Concord, 1775 Episode 130: Paul Revere’s Ride Through History Episode 152: Bernard Bailyn, Origins of the American Revolution Episode 172: Kenneth Daigler, American Intelligence in the Revolutionary War   Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page 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

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 government, and the first Secretary of the Treasury. What Hamilton’s legacy doesn’t tell us is that he also fought for states rights and championed civil liberties for all Americans, even those Americans who had supported the British during the American Revolution. Kate Elizabeth Brown, an Assistant Professor of History and Political Science at Huntington University in Indiana and author of Alexander Hamilton and the Development of American Law, joins us to explore more about the Alexander Hamilton we don’t know, the Hamilton who helped develop American law. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/180   Listener Meet ups Sacramento Meet up: Saturday April 14, 4pm, Firestone Public House Las Vegas Meet up: Saturday April 21, 4pm, Wyndham Grand Desert Hotel Lobby   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute Listener Survey BFWorld Amazon Alexa Skill   Complementary Episodes Episode 057: Max Edling, War, Money, and the American State Episode 098: Gautham Rao, Birth of the American Tax Man Episode 113: Brian Murphy, Building the Empire State Episode 179: George Van Cleve, The Articles of Confederation     Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page 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

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 Falls on the Land of Light is the story of how ordinary New Englanders living through extraordinary times ended up giving birth to today’s evangelical movement. Doug performed a close reading of letters, diaries, and testimonies to write this book and his outstanding scholarship in this book was recognized with a 2018 Bancroft Prize. Download the FREE OI Reader app for Bonus Content and Sample Chapters from Darkness Falls on the Land of Light   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute   Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page 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

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 Confederation had to deal with war, economic depression, infighting between the states, trouble in the west, foreign meddling, and domestic insurrection. It’s a critical period where no one knew whether the United States would survive as an independent nation. George William Van Cleve, a researcher in law and history at the University of Seattle Law School and author of We Have Not A Government: The Articles of Confederation and the Road to the Constitution, takes us into the Confederation period so we can discover more about the Articles of Confederation, the government it established, and the problems that government confronted. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/179 *Correction: After production we noticed that in her second question to George, Liz noted the Articles of Confederation has a history that begins in 1787. Liz misspoke. The Second Continental Congress drafted the Articles of Confederation in 1777, ratified them in 1781, and they remained the active constitution of the United States until 1789, when the Constitution of 1787 went into effect on March 4, 1789.   Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute Georgian Papers Programme Citizen Transcriber Sign Up   Complementary Episodes Episode 018: Danielle Allen, Our Declaration Episode 062: Carol Berkin, The Bill of Rights Episode 107: Mary Sarah Bilder, Madison’s Hand: Revising the Constitutional Convention Episode 119: Steven Pincus: The Heart of the Declaration Episode 141: Drafting the Declaration of Independence Episode 143: Michael Klarman, The Making of the United States Constitution Episode 155: Pauline Maier’s American Revolution     Helpful Show Links Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page 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