Matthew Skic from the Museum of the American Revolution and I talk about their exhibit Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia . 9-year old James Forten heard the Declaration of Independence read in July of 1776, and never forgot its promise of liberty and equality. At the age of 14 he signed aboard a privateer, was captured, taken to New York where a British officer offered to release him and send him to England. He refused rather than betray his country. Back in Philadelphia after th...
May 14, 2024•41 min•Season 5Ep. 20
A successful military campaign requires the collection of information and the denial of like information to your enemy. George Washington at the head of a nascent army, without such skills, relied heavily upon many clever and entrepreneurial men. To help us shine a light on the murky world of secret communications, Damien Cregeau , scholar and frequent contributor to the Journal of the American Revolution talks with us about espionage in the American War for Independence. Tell us what you think!...
May 07, 2024•44 min•Season 5Ep. 19
Do you think partisan intrigue and accusations of foreign meddling are new things? We talk with Tyson Reeder, author of Serpent in Eden: Foreign Meddling and Partisan Politics in James Madison's America, about how threat of foreign influence propelled Madison's thoughts on forming a stronger union, and how Federalists and Republicans tried to secure their own advantage by accusing each other of foreign entanglements. What was the destructive symbiosis between the two political sides, and did Mad...
Apr 30, 2024•44 min•Season 5Ep. 18
A story from the 19th century told that British soldiers marched off the surrender ground at Yorktown to the tune of "The World Turned Upside Down." Whether true or not is beside the point. The world may indeed have seemed upside down. To help us come to grips with the myriad of ways in which life in the British Atlantic world changed, we talk with historian J ames Patrick Ambuske, producer and narrator for the " Worlds Turned Upside Down " podcast, a production of R2 Studios at the Rosenzweig C...
Apr 23, 2024•37 min•Season 5Ep. 17
Birthplace of American Independence--Ipswich, Massachusetts? In 1687, when King James II tried to take away the power of people in Massachusetts towns to govern themselves, Reverend John Wise of Ipswich lead the town into resistance--leading to his arrest, and the arrest of town leaders. But they stood together--and in an unrelated development, Parliament sent King James packing off to France. When Parliament in the 1760s again tried to assert control, Ipswich stood together, and reminded other ...
Apr 17, 2024•42 min•Season 5Ep. 16
Congress has bestowed on National Mall Liberty Fund DC the honor of establishing a memorial in Washington’s Monumental Core to tens of thousands of African American solders, sailors, marines, patriots and liberty seekers of the Revolutionary War. In preparation for the design and construction of such a memorial, the National Mall Liberty Fund has been working to document the histories and stories of these valiant soldiers. We talk with Maurice Barboza, the Executive Director of the National Mall...
Apr 09, 2024•37 min•Season 5Ep. 15
November 5, 1774, at Fort Gowe r on the Ohio River, Virginia militiamen vowed that their" Love of Liberty, and Attachment to the real Interests and just Rights of America outweigh every other Consideration," and resolved to use "every Power within us for the Defence of American Liberty, and for the Support of her just Rights and Privileges; not in any precipitate, riotous, or tumultous Manner, but when regularly called forth by the unanimous Voice of our Countrymen." We talk with Chris Matheny, ...
Apr 02, 2024•44 min•Season 5Ep. 14
South Carolina's impact on the outcome of the war as well as the founding of the new nation cannot be overstated. We turn to Walter Edgar , retired George Washington Distinguished Professor of History at the University of South Carolina, host of the popular podcast, “ South Carolina from A to Z .” and author of the must-read volume Partisans and Redcoats: The Southern Campaign that Turned the Tide of the American Revolution to untangle the complicated story of the Revolution at its most violent ...
Mar 26, 2024•43 min•Season 5Ep. 13
Did you know that the generation that declared independence from Great Britain were closer to the Mayflower generation than we are to the Independence generation? 150 years after the landing of the Mayflower with 102 passengers on the tip of Cape Cod, their descendants were leading 13 Colonies in a spirited and armed defense of the rights and liberties of mankind. Now, 250 years later we talk with Mark Schmidt, Executive Director of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, on the lasting im...
Mar 19, 2024•42 min•Season 5Ep. 12
George Rogers Clark conquered the Northwest. Or did he? We talk with Larry Nelson, historian of Ohio, co-author (with David Curtis Skaggs) of The Sixty Years War for the Great Lakes 1754-1814 , about the Northwest Territory in the Revolution, and a book about Alexander McKee . This area, larger than the existing 13 colonies, was contested by the Native People who lived in it, the British, Spanish, French, and Americans. Clark could invade it, could win it, but could not keep it. The Revolutionar...
Mar 12, 2024•37 min•Season 5Ep. 11
She was a wife, mother, confidant, and a social and political advisor during one of the most tumultuous periods of American history. Despite never being elected to an office, in recognition of her power of influence and sagacity her portrait now hangs permanently in the Senate Chamber of the Massachusetts General Court. Few women in the period of the American Revolution and early Republic left behind such a voluminous correspondence as Abigail Adams. As her husband John got further involved in t...
Mar 05, 2024•44 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Richard Brookhiser has been writing about American politics for half a century, though he has refreshed himself by writing a dozen books about the founding period, beginning with Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington , with additional books on Gouverneur Morri s, James Madison , the Adamses , Alexander Hamilton , and Abraham Lincoln, "the Founders' Son." We talk with him about the political ideas of the founding generation, and how they were viewed in their day-- his next book is on t...
Feb 27, 2024•41 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Henry Knox, Boston book-seller and emerging patriot, in 1774 married Lucy Flucker, daughter of the Provincial Secretary and leading loyalist. Lucy's family would leave with the loyalist evacuation in March 1776, forced out by the cannon Henry brought from Ticonderoga. Lucy would never see them again. She and Henry would exchange more than 500 letters over the course of their married life, letters which Philip Hamilton has used for this window into the Revolutionary world. The Revolutionary War L...
Feb 20, 2024•41 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Phillis Wheatley's poetry continues to inspire and to challenge us. Poets Artress Bethany White and Danielle Legros Georges brought together twenty contemporary Black women poets to reinterpret, or reimagine, Phillis Wheatley Peters' poems. Today, in addition to Artress and Danielle, we are joined by two of the poets, Florence Ladd and Yalie Saweda Kamara . Their collection Wheatley at 250: : Black Women Poets Re-Imagine the Verse of Phillis Wheatley Peters , a poetic conversation among past, pr...
Feb 13, 2024•42 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Liberty Poles were central to the Revolution, as Patriots raised them to symbolize their resistance, and British soldiers tore them down. Americans in the 1790s revived the custom of Liberty Poles, in opposition to the policies of the Washington and Adams administrations. We talk with Shira Lurie, author of . The American Liberty Pole: Popular Politics and the Struggle for Democracy in the Early Republic, about these symbols of liberty and the contentious politics in the Revolution era. Tell us ...
Feb 06, 2024•36 min•Season 5Ep. 6
The American Revolution began along the waterfront. We talk with Christopher Magra, author of two books on different aspects of the maritime war: The Fisherman's Cause delves into the role of Massachusetts' cod fishery in the years before the war. and the transformation of fishing vessels into warships; and Poseidon's Curse e shows how Britain's impressment of sailors into the Royal Navy brought on resistance from American sailors and fishermen. Tell us what you think! Send us a text message!...
Jan 30, 2024•44 min•Season 5Ep. 5
The history of the American Revolution is peppered with the stories of women who perform acts of heroism in service to the cause of Liberty. Women such as Mary Ludwig Hays, Margaret Corbin & Deborah Sampson are among the many heralded for their service. Many more women served as information gatherers for General Washington, and today, Aly Riley, auther of "She Spies; Women of the Revolution" will join us to discuss the role of women in the spy rings of General Washington. Tell us what you th...
Jan 23, 2024•32 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Why are there so few—if any—good movies about the Revolution? Maybe because the right people with the right passion have not made them. Mark O'Rourke is a veteran of the U.S. Army, and an attorney, and has now launched a new mission—producing a film about :1777: Saratoga, the Turning Point of the War .. We talk with Mark O'Rourke about the battle of Saratoga, and the film he hopes to have made in time for the battle's 250th anniversary in October 2027, and how you can help get this story to the ...
Jan 16, 2024•40 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Franklin and Washington loom large for civic virtue and disinterested patriotism, and Madison warned that good and wise statesmen would not always be at the helm, because many of their contemporaries were self-interested schemers and outright liars. We hear from Timothy Hemmis and David Head editors of A Republic of Scoundrels, which introduces us to the schemers, intriguers, and adventurers—such as Aaron Burr, Mathew Lyon, Benedict Arnold, James Wilkinson—who also helped create the new nation. ...
Jan 09, 2024•35 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Maritime insurers not only assessed risk--they built markets and the new nation. During times of war and peace they formed a vital communication and information network. Their capital also helped to finance the war and the development of the American republic. We talk about their world with Hannah Farber, historian of the Revolution and early Republic, and her award-winning book Underwriters of the United States: How Insurance Shaped the American Founding. Tell us what you think! Send us a text ...
Jan 02, 2024•40 min
The rebellion nearly ended in December 1776, with Washington's army beaten in New York and chased across New Jersey, which the enemy then garrisoned with Hessian troops in Trenton to keep an eye on Washington's dwindling forces across the Delaware. Washington now had fewer than 3000 men, and their enlistments would expire at the end of the year. In this moment of crisis, Washington devised a plan. "There is a natural firmness in some minds," Thomas Paine wrote, "which cannot be unlocked by trifl...
Dec 26, 2023•36 min•Season 4Ep. 52
Benedict Arnold remains one of the most controversial actors in the history of the American Revolution. His being an undeniable hero of the early years of the conflict made his later betrayal of the American cause all the more shocking. We talk with Jack Kelly about his new book, God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America's Most Hated Man. Tell us what you think! Send us a text message!...
Dec 19, 2023•37 min•Season 4Ep. 49
With only 4 days to go until the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, we talk with Evan O'Brien, Creative Manager of the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museu m on the weekend of events, the culmination of two years of commemorations and the beginning of the Revolution's 250th. A lot going on between the Tea Party Ships & Museum and Revolutionary Spaces. If you cannot join us in person on December 16, you can livestream the Tea Party on December 1 6 here, at https://www.december16.org ! T...
Dec 12, 2023•40 min•Season 4Ep. 48
Two unlikely tourists traveled through the Hudson Valley and New England in the early summer of 1791, wanting to study the region's flora and fauna as well as the Native American languages. Or were Thomas Jefferson and James Madison on a political mission? We talk with Louis P. Masur, cultural historian, who has written books about Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, photography, baseball, and rock and roll, and is now writing a book about Jefferson and Madison's exploration of this distant coun...
Dec 05, 2023•35 min•Season 4Ep. 47
Jarheads, Devil Dogs, and Leathernecks are all nicknames that have been used to describe members of the United States Marine Corps. However, their esprit de corps and valor stand as their most iconic and reliable qualities. Many are unaware how The Corps got their start during the American Revolution as a valuable multi-faceted and innovative fighting force equally comfortable in sea fights and land engagements. Join Professor Robert Allison (Suffolk University Department of History, Language &a...
Nov 28, 2023•42 min•Season 4Ep. 46
During his audience with King George III after becoming the first Minister from the United States to the Court of St. James, John Adams said "I have the Honor to assure your Majesty of their unanimous Disposition and Desire to cultivate the most friendly and liberal Intercourse between your Majesty’s Subjects and their Citizens." Adams' assurance has stood the test of time, in no small part due to the many able Ambassadors, Consuls and Diplomats who have represented the United Kingdom in the Uni...
Nov 21, 2023•39 min•Season 4Ep. 45
Matthew Wilding is the Director of Education & Interpretation at Revolutionary Spaces, the caretaker for two of Boston's most historic buildings, the Old State House and Old South Meeting House. We talk about their new interpretive ventures--plays, immersive games, walking tours, and exhibits, and about public history in Boston. Matt Wilding discusses new ways to interpret history, including immersive games and comics, such as the "Free Hands" series he has created based on the Golden Age of...
Nov 14, 2023•39 min•Season 4Ep. 44
The allure of America with all of its possibilities brought many people to its shores during the Colonial period. Jewish congregations in Savannah, Charleston, Philadelphia, New York, and Newport formed small but important parts of American society. We talk with Professor Jonathan Sarna, the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University about the impact Jews had on American independence--as soldiers and officers, and as merchants and financiers--and abo...
Nov 07, 2023•41 min•Season 4Ep. 43
The Epic Revolutionary Saga is a planned 7-volume series of novels following Max (Scottie dog), Liz (a French cat) and a coterie of animal friends through the American Revolution. Along the way they meet the central characters on both sides--the Patrick Henry (the Voice), George Washington (the Sword), Thomas Jefferson (the Pen), along with the Marquis de Lafayette, Colonel Banastre Tarleton, and a host of others in the founding of the United States. We talk with author Jenny L. Cote, creator of...
Oct 31, 2023•37 min•Season 4Ep. 42
In her new book "Battle Green Vietnam," Elise Lemire examines what must be the most controversial anti-war march ever. On Memorial Day weekend in 1971, 400 Vietnam Veterans engaged in "Operation POW" during which the Veterans marched from Concord Bridge to Bunker Hill. Join Professor Robert Allison (Suffolk University Department of Language, History & Global Culture) in conversation with Elise Lemire, Professor of Literature at Purchase College, SUNY. https://www.battlegreenvietnam.com/ Tell...
Oct 24, 2023•37 min•Season 4Ep. 41
