Ben Franklin's World

Have you heard the saying that behind every great man stands a great woman? Vivian Bruce Conger, the Robert Ryan Professor in the Humanities at Ithaca College, joins us to explore the two great women that Benjamin Franklin had standing behind and beside him: his wife, Deborah Read Franklin, and his daughter, Sally Franklin Bache. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/022 Helpful Show Links...

Do you know that John Hancock was a smuggler? Smuggling presented a large problem for the imperial governments of Great Britain and France during the colonial period. Eugene Tesdahl, an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, joins us to discuss the early American business of smuggling and his involvement with living history as a French and Indian War-era re-enac...

Have you ever wondered about how early American men, women, and slaves worshipped? Religion played a large role in why some Europeans settled in British North America.  The Puritans of New England, the German Protestants of the Mid-Atlantic region, and the Catholics of Maryland all migrated to North America to worship freely, to name but a few religious groups in colonial North America. Kyle T. Bu...

Have you ever wondered where colonial Americans purchased their food? Although many colonial Americans lived in rural areas or on farms where they could grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs, graze their livestock, or hunt wild game, many others lived in early American cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston. Where did these colonial city-dwellers get their food? Kenneth Turino, the Manager...

Do you know who authored the Declaration of Independence? If you answered “Thomas Jefferson,” you would be wrong. Jefferson merely wrote the first draft of a document others created. In this episode, Danielle Allen, a Professor at Harvard University and author of Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality, leads us on an exploration of the Declaration of I...

Parlez-vous Français?  Do you speak French? Believe it or not in the 1790s many Americans spoke French. They may not have spoken the French language, but they understood and embraced French culture, art, and culinary traditions.  Early Americans experimented with and adopted many forms of French culture as they sought to define their new identity as Americans. François Furstenberg, Associate Profe...

The United States claimed victory in the War of 1812, but did you know that the British nearly won the war by promising freedom to escaped slaves in Virginia and Maryland? Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Alan Taylor, author of The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832, reveals how Virginia’s “Internal Enemy” almost cost the United States its second war for independence. Show Notes:...

In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue as part of the great European quest to find new routes and shortcuts to the spice islands and territories of Asia. Spain and Portugal led this quest during the 15th and 16th centuries and their race to access the Asian spice trade caused Columbus to sail unwittingly into the Caribbean and North America.  Columbus’ “discovery” caused European peop...

Did you know that Russian activities in North America caused the Spanish to colonize California? When we think of North America in 1776, our minds take us to the Atlantic seaboard where inhabitants in thirteen colonies fought Great Britain for independence. However, as the American Revolution and its War for Independence raged, events occurred elsewhere in North America that would have important i...

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 in same-sex marriages? Rachel Hope Cleves, an Associate Professor of History at the University of Victoria in British Columbia and author of Charity & Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America, will reveal the story of Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, wo...

Did you know that Americans undertook their first trade mission to China in February 1784? In fact, a mercantile partnership led by Robert Morris sent the Empress of China, a 360 ton ship to Canton, China one month and eight days after the Congress of the United States ratified the Treaty of Paris, 1783. Why did these merchants look so far east to secure a profitable trade? And why did they attemp...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania plays host to many historic sites associated with our early American history: Carpenters Hall, Independence Hall, and the Betsy Ross House represent just a few of this city's historic holdings. But have you ever heard about, or visited, The Woodlands? The Woodlands and its founder/developer, William Hamilton played an important role in the architectural and botanical dev...

What about the British Redcoats? When we discuss the military history of the American War for Independence, we tend to focus on specific battles or details about the men who served in George Washington’s Continental Army.  Rarely do we take the opportunity to ask questions about the approximately 50,000 men who served in the British Army that opposed them. Don N. Hagist, independent scholar and au...

 “’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house/ Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse./ The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,/ In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.” Undoubtedly, you have heard, or read, this first stanza of Clement Moore’s famous “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (1822) poem, but have you ever wondered about the traditions and saint contain...

The Middle Passage forced millions of African men, women, and children to migrate across the Atlantic Ocean, but did you know that there existed an even more deadly voyage for slaves? For many Africans the journey into slavery did not end with their arrival at a Caribbean entrepôt such as Barbados or Jamaica.  After their transatlantic journey, many captives had to embark on a second, deadlier voy...

The United States declared independence from Great Britain in July 1776, but the King and Parliament of Great Britain did not recognize this independence until April 9, 1784.  On June 1, 1785, King George III received his first diplomat from the United States.  Do you know what happened when His Majesty came face-to-face with John Adams? The Papers of John Adams reveal much about his meeting with...

Arrr, so ye like pirates do ye? Did ye know that as much as 33% of pirate crews were made up of captured seamen, not pirates? We’ll be talking about the “Golden Age” of pirates in this here episode of Ben Franklin’s World with historian and pirate expert Gregory N. Flemming, author of the new book At the Point of a Cutlass: The Pirate Capture, Bold Escape, and Lonely Exile of Philip Ashton.  Show...

You likely know the names of George and Martha Washington, John and Abigail Adams, and James and Dolley Madison, as the names of a few of the founding mothers and fathers of the United States.  You may have heard of some of their deeds and political accomplishments. But did you know that all of these couples endured tragic and sometimes frequent episodes with illness and disease? Do you know what...

Did you know that most biographies about the founders of the United States reveal more about the Americans who wrote the biographies than about the true character of the founders themselves? Thomas A. Foster, Professor of History at DePaul University, joins us to discuss his latest book Sex and the Founding Fathers: The American Quest for a Relatable Past, an exploration of how Americans have imag...

Benjamin Franklin founded the Library Company of Philadelphia in 1731. Today, you can visit his library and its amazing collections, which begs the question: How has the Library Company managed to stay open, and remain relevant, for over 283 years? Richard S. Newman, Director of the Library Company of Philadelphia discusses past and present efforts of the Library Company to serve the public at lar...

Have you ever walked through a museum and wondered why its staff chose to feature the artifacts you saw? Cornelia King, Chief of Reference at the Library Company of Philadelphia discusses “That’s So Gay: Outing Early America,” an exhibition that she curated for the Library Company. In addition to providing us with information about the history of gay men and women in early America, Connie gives us...

Dd you know that Ben Franklin founded the first successful lending library in North America? With James N. Green, Librarian at the Library Company of Philadelphia, we explores the role Franklin played in the founding of the Library Company of Philadelphia, the history of libraries in colonial North America, and the Junto, Franklin’s sociability and improvement club for Philadelphia tradesmen. Show...

Host Liz Covart welcomes you to Ben Franklin's World: A Podcast About Early American History. Liz describes the show and reveals what what you can expect to discover in future episodes.  Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/000 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices