
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

Apr 4, 2017 • 50min
128 American Revolutions: A Continental History
Historians often portray the American Revolution as an orderly, if violent, event that moved from British colonists’ high-minded ideas about freedom to American independence from Great Britain and the ratification of the Constitution of 1787. But was the American Revolution an orderly event that took place only between Great Britain and her North American colonists? Was it really about high-minded ideas? Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Alan Taylor joins us to explore the American Revolution as a Continental event with details from his book, American Revolutions: A Continental History. 1750-1804. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/128 Sponsor Links DelanceyPlace.com "The U.S. Helps the Rebels in Panama" Complementary Episodes Episode 014: Claudio Saunt, West of the Revolution Episode 016: Alan Taylor, The Internal Enemy Episode 029: Colin Calloway, The Victory with No Name Episode 037: Kathleen DuVal: Independence Lost Episode 123: Revolutionary Allegiances Bonus: Why Historians Study History 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

Mar 28, 2017 • 58min
127 American Enlightenments
In many ways, the Enlightenment gave birth to the United States. Enlightened ideas informed protests over imperial governance and taxation and over whether there should be an American bishop. If we want to understand early America, we need to understand the Enlightenment. Caroline Winterer, a Professor of History at Stanford University and author of American Enlightenments: Pursuing Happiness in the Age of Reason, takes us through her ideas about the Enlightenment and how it influenced early America. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/127 Sponsor Links DelanceyPlace.com “The Hostility Between Christians and Deists” Complementary Episodes Bonus: Why Historians Study History Episode 085: George Goodwin, Benjamin Franklin in London Episode 088: Michael McDonnell: The History of History Writing Episode 096: Nicholas Guyatt, The Origins of Racial Segregation in the United States Episode 109: John Dixon, The American Enlightenment & Cadwallader Colden Episode 117: Annette Gordon-Reed, The Life & Ideas of Thomas Jefferson 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

Mar 21, 2017 • 49min
126 The Reintegration of American Loyalists
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 nation. Rebecca Brannon, an Associate Professor of History at James Madison University and author of From Revolution to Reunion: The Reintegration of South Carolina Loyalists, joins us to explore what happened to the loyalists who stayed. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/126 Sponsor Links Delanceyplace.com "Not One, But Ninety Declarations of Independence" Complementary Episodes Episode 037: Kathleen DuVal, Independence Lost Episode 046: John Ferling: Whirlwind: The American Revolution & the War That Won It Episode 085: Bonnie Huskins, American Loyalists in Canada Episode 118: Christy Clark-Pujara, The Business of Slavery in Rhode Island Episode 123: Revolutionary Allegiances 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

Mar 14, 2017 • 40min
125 Death, Suicide, and Slavery in British North America
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? Terri Snyder, a Professor of American Studies at California State University, Fullerton and author of The Power to Die: Slavery and Suicide in British North America, helps us answer these questions, and more, as she takes us on an exploration of slavery and suicide in British North America. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/125 Sponsor Links Delanceyplace.com Excerpt from Slavery's Capitalism Complementary Episodes Episode 008: Greg O’Malley, Final Passages the Intercolonial Slave Trade Episode 064: Brett Rushforth, Native American Slavery in New France Episode 070: Jennifer Morgan, How Historians Research Episode 079: Jim Horn, What is a Historic Source? (Colonial Jamestown) Episode 089: Jessica Millward, Slavery & Freedom in Early Maryland 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

Mar 7, 2017 • 56min
124 Making the Haitian Revolution in Early America
What did the American Revolution mean and achieve? What sort of liberty and freedom did independence grant Americans and which Americans should receive them? Americans grappled with these questions soon after the American Revolution. They debated these issues during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, in the first congresses, and as they followed events in revolutionary France and Haiti during the 1790s and early 1800s. James Alexander Dun, an Assistant Professor of History at Princeton University and author of Dangerous Neighbors: Making the Haitian Revolution in Early America, joins us to explore the ways the Haitian Revolution shaped how Americans viewed their own revolution. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/124 Sponsor Links Delanceyplace.com Excerpt from 10 Feb 2017: "How New Amsterdam Became New York" Complementary Episodes Episode 007: Sara Georgini, John Adams & the Adams Papers Documentary Project Episode 016: Alan Taylor, The Internal Enemy Episode 017: François Furstenberg, When the United States Spoke French Episode 052: Ronald A. Johnson, Early United States-Haitian Relations Episode 123: Revolutionary Allegiances 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

Feb 28, 2017 • 1h 36min
123: Revolutionary Allegiances (Doing History Rev)
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 Revolution. An observation that leads us to wonder: How many Americans supported the Patriot cause? In this episode we speak with four scholars to explore the complexities of political allegiance during the American Revolution. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/123 About the Series The mission of episodes in the Doing History: To the Revolution series is to ask not just “what is the history of the American Revolution?” but “what are the histories of the American Revolution?” Episodes in this series will air beginning in Fall 2017. The Doing History series is part of a partnership between Ben Franklin’s World and the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. Be sure to check out Doing History season 1: Doing History: How Historians Work. Bonus Content Episode Bibliography OI Reader Complementary Episodes Episode 007: Sara Georgini, John Adams and the Adams Papers Editorial Project Episode 014: Claudio Saunt, West of the American Revolution Episode 016: Alan Taylor, The Internal Enemy Episode 018: Danielle Allen, Our Declaration Episode 025: Jessica Parr, The Invention of George Whitefield Episode 037: Kathleen DuVal, Independence Lost Episode 085: Bonnie Huskins, American Loyalists in Canada Episode 088: Michael McDonnell, The History of History Writing Episode 112: Mary Beth Norton, The Tea Crisis of 1773 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

Feb 21, 2017 • 49min
122 The Men Who Lost America
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 is why we need an expert to guide us through the intricacies of whether we should look at the war as an American victory, a British defeat, or in some other light. Andrew O’Shaughnessy, author of The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire, joins us to explore British viewpoints of the American War for Independence. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/122 Georgian Papers Programme Georgian Papers Programme Draft of a message of abdication from George III to the Parliament Sponsor Links Cornell University Press Critical Edition of Cadwallader Colden’s The History of Five Indian Nations Episode 109: John Dixon, The Enlightenment of Cadwallader Colden Complementary Episodes Episode 026: Robert Middlekauff, George Washington’s Revolution Episode 046: John Ferling, Whirlwind: The American Revolution & the War That Won It Episode 112: Mary Beth Norton, The Tea Crisis of 1773 Episode 119: Steve Pincus, The Heart of the Declaration Bonus: Stamp Act Helpful Show Links Help Support Ben Franklin's World Crowdfunding Campaign 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

Feb 14, 2017 • 41min
121 The Dutch Moment in the 17th-Century Atlantic World
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 “moment" in which they influenced European colonization and development of the Atlantic World. Wim Klooster, a Professor of History at Clark University and author of The Dutch Moment: War, Trade, and Settlement in the Seventeenth Century Atlantic World, guides us through Dutch contributions to the Atlantic World. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/121 Sponsor Links Cornell University Press Joyce D. Goodfriend, Who Should Rule at Home? Complementary Episodes Episode 008: Greg O'Malley, Final Passages: The Intercolonial Slave Trade of British America Episode 021: Eugene Tesdahl, Smuggling in Colonial America & Living History Episode 049: Malcolm Gaskill, How the English Became American Episode 051: Catherine Cangany, Frontier Seaport: A History of Early Detroit Episode 064: Brett Rushforth, Native American Slavery in New France Episode 079: James Horn, What is a Historical Source? (Colonial Jamestown) Helpful Show Links Help Support Ben Franklin's World Crowdfunding Campaign 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

Feb 7, 2017 • 53min
120 A History of Mail Order Brides in Early America
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 Louisiana were men. But how do you build and sustain societies and spread European culture—in essence, fulfill the promises of a colonial program—without women? You can’t. Which is why Marcia Zug, a Professor of Law at the University of South Carolina Law School and author of Buying a Bride: An Engaging History of Mail Order Matches, joins us to explore one of the solutions that England and France used to build their North American colonies: mail order bride programs. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/120 Sponsor Links Cornell University Press Brian Rouleau, With Sails Whitening Every Sea Complementary Episodes Episode 036: Abby Swingen, Competing Visions of Empire Episode 049: Malcolm Gaskill, How the English Became American Episode 064: Brett Rushforth, Native American Slavery in New France Episode 079: James Horn, What is a Historical Source? (Colonial Jamestown) Episode 108: Ann Little, The Many Captivities of Esther Wheelwright Helpful Show Links Help Support Ben Franklin's World Crowdfunding Campaign 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

Jan 31, 2017 • 56min
119 The Heart of the Declaration
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 to be, free and independent States…” The Second Continental Congress adopted Lee’s motion and on June 11, 1776, it appointed a committee to draft a declaration of independence. Today, Steve Pincus, the Bradford Durfee Professor of History at Yale University and author of The Heart of the Declaration: The Founders’ Case for an Activist Government, leads us on an investigation of the Declaration of Independence and the context in which the founders drafted it. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/119 Episode Sponsor Links Cornell University Press Julie Fisher and David Silverman, Ninigret, Sachem of the Niantics and Narragansetts Helpful Show Links Help Support Ben Franklin's World Crowdfunding Campaign 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 Complementary Episodes Episode 018: Danielle Allen, Our Declaration Episode 062: Carol Berkin, The Bill of Rights Episode 113: Brian Murphy, Building the Empire State (Political Economy) Episode 117: Annette Gordon-Reed, The Life and Ideas of Thomas Jefferson *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