Ben Franklin's World

How and when did doctors become respected professionals in American society? The answer lies in early Americans’ fascination with delirium tremens, or alcoholic insanity, and the Temperance Movement of the early-to-mid 19th century. Matthew Osborn, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and author of Rum Maniacs: Alcoholic Insanity in the Early Republic, leads us...

“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 Boston riots, and the American Revolution with J.L. Bell, proprietor of Boston1775.net. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/stampact Ask the Historian Learn more about your ad c...

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 a Republican presidential candidate or a reporter mentions the birth of the ‘Grand Old Party’ in 1854 and its association with Lincoln. We explore the history of the Republican Party with Heather Cox Richardson, Professor of History at Boston College...

Did Canada almost join the American Revolution? In September 1775, Major-General Philip Schuyler launched the Patriot’s invasion into Canada. The Patriots hoped to end the threat of a British invasion from the north by occupying Canada and bringing the colony into the American Revolution. Did the Patriots’ plans work? Today, we discuss Canada and how the American Revolution played out there with B...

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 Highness the President?” Kathleen Bartoloni-Tuazon, author of For Fear of an Elective King, leads us on an exploration of the presidential title controversy of 1789, the first controversy to wrack the United States Congress. Show Notes: http://www.benfrankli...

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 Revolution: Monarchy and the American Founding. We explore the royalist revolution and how it affected the American Revolution with Eric Nelson, Professor of Government at Harvard University. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/039   Helpful Show Lin...

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 continue to influence and inspire the governments of English-speaking countries around the world, including the United States and Canada. We explore Magna Carta and its long legacy wi...

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 scholars of the American Revolution. General John Burgoyne’s surrender to the Continental Army on October 17, 1777 demonstrated to France that the American had what it took to defeat the British Army and France entered the war on the behalf of the United...

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 explore the views of a British imperial officer, such as the King of England, or a colonist who lived in one of the North American or Caribbean colonies. In today’s episode, Abigail Swingen, professor of history at Texas Tech University and author of C...

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 of Hermione-Lafayette in America build an exact replica of the French frigate that brought Lafayette to the United States? These are just some of the questions that Miles Young, President of the Friends of Hermione-Lafayette in America, will answer i...

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 life of Washington Irving, his home, Sunnyside, and the historic Hudson Valley region that he immortalized in stories such as Diedrich Knickerbocker’s History of New York, “The...

The Hero of New Orleans. Old Hickory. General. President of the United States. Andrew Jackson held and embodied all of these titles and nicknames.  During his lifetime, Jackson served as one of the most popular presidents and yet, today we remember him as a controversial figure given his views on slavery, Native Americans, and banks. Mark R. Cheathem, professor of history at Cumberland University...

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 to read? In this episode, we chat with Douglas Bradburn, the Founding Director of the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington, which serves as the George...

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 continue to try to answer it. Michelle Marchetti Coughlin, author of One Colonial Woman's World: The Life and Writings of Mehetabel Chandler Coit, joins us to explore the life of an average woman who lived in early New England. Show Notes: http://www.benfran...

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 assistant for the Papers of Benjamin Franklin documentary editing project, leads us on an exploration of the life and deeds of Benjamin Franklin. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinswo...

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 congregants of the town church had a responsibility to maintain civic and moral order in their town. Shelby M. Balik, Assistant Professor of History at Metropolitan State University o...

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 can’t name the battle because the victory has no name. Colin Calloway, Professor of History and Native American History at Dartmouth College, joins us to discuss how American settlement in the Ohio Valley led to The Victory with No Name: The Native Americ...

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 Center at the Boston Public Library has a new, traveling exhibition called We Are One: Mapping America’s Road from Revolution to Independence, which seeks to help us change the way we look at and explore the tumultuous events that led thirteen colonies to br...

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 Yorkers. On January 4, 1817, New York State began building a 363-mile long canal to link the Hudson River and Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes and the Midwest. Janice Fontanella, sit...

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, leads us on an exploration of blended and stepfamilies in early America. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/027  ...

What drove George Washington to become a Patriot during the American Revolution? How did he overcome the ill-trained and inexperienced troops, inadequate pay, and supply problems that plagued the Continental Army to win the War for American Independence? Robert Middlekauff, professor emeritus of colonial and early United States history at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals the answers...

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 and a man whose legacy remains influential to evangelical Christians today. Historian Jessica Parr, author of Inventing George Whitefield: Race, Revivalism, and the Making of a Religi...

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 operation: Longfellow’s Wayside Inn.  The Wayside Inn served as the inspiration for Henry Wadsworth Longfellows poetry collection "Tales of a Wayside Inn," in which you will find his poem "The Landlord's Tale," better known as "The Midnight Ride of Paul...

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 poor, what kind of work they do, what colors they like, and what they value. We know that John Hancock was a wealthy merchant and prominent politician, but did you know that his suit reveals even more about his life and personality than the documents and...

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, and Ken Owen. All three scholars discuss history at the Junto Blog, A Group Blog on Early American History and as regular panelists on the JuntoCast, a monthly podcast about Early...