Ben Franklin's World
726 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 988 ratingsThis 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.
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Episodes
349 Nancy Rubin Stuart, The Women Behind Benjamin Franklin
January 17, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 59.7 MBThere are a lot of books about Benjamin Franklin. They tell us about his youth and accomplishments in business, politics, and diplomacy. They tell us about his serious interest in electricity and science, and about his philanthropic work. But only a handful of these books tell us about Benjamin Franklin as a man. What did Benjamin Franklin think about and experience when it came to his private, lived life? Nancy Rubin Stuart, an award-winning historian and journalist and author of Poor Ric...
349 The Women Behind Benjamin Franklin
January 17, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 59.7 MBThere are a lot of books about Benjamin Franklin. They tell us about his youth and accomplishments in business, politics, and diplomacy. They tell us about his serious interest in electricity and science, and about his philanthropic work. But only a handful of these books tell us about Benjamin Franklin as a man. What did Benjamin Franklin think about and experience when it came to his private, lived life? Nancy Rubin Stuart, an award-winning historian and journalist and author of Poor Ric...
348 Ricardo Herrera, Valley Forge
January 03, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 60.5 MBOn December 19, 1777, George Washington marched his Continental Army into its winter encampment at Valley Forge. In school we learned this was a hard, cold winter that saw the soldiers so ill-supplied they chewed on the leather of their shoes. But is this what really happened at Valley Forge? Were soldiers idle, wallowing in their misery? Ricardo Herrera, a historian of American military history and a visiting professor in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army W...
348 Valley Forge
January 03, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 60.5 MBOn December 19, 1777, George Washington marched his Continental Army into its winter encampment at Valley Forge. In school we learned this was a hard, cold winter that saw the soldiers so ill-supplied they chewed on the leather of their shoes. But is this what really happened at Valley Forge? Were soldiers idle, wallowing in their misery? Ricardo Herrera, a historian of American military history and a visiting professor in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army W...
Bonus: Craft in Early America
December 30, 2022 06:00 - 7 minutes - 9.33 MBThank you for being a subscriber! How did early Americans create all of the the things they needed and wanted in life? We re-visit with Glenn Adamson to answer more of your questions about trade and crafts work in Early America. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/292
347 African and African American Music
December 20, 2022 06:00 - 57 minutes - 52.7 MBIt’s impossible to overstate the importance of African and African American music to the United States’ musical traditions. Steven Lewis, a Curator of Music and Performing Arts at the Smithsonian, notes that “African American influences are so fundamental to American music there would be no American music without them.” Jon Beebe, a Jazz pianist, professional musician, and an interpretive ranger at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, leads us on an exploration of how and why Afr...
347 Jon Beebe, African and African American Music
December 20, 2022 06:00 - 57 minutes - 52.7 MBIt’s impossible to overstate the importance of African and African American music to the United States’ musical traditions. Steven Lewis, a Curator of Music and Performing Arts at the Smithsonian, notes that “African American influences are so fundamental to American music there would be no American music without them.” Jon Beebe, a Jazz pianist, professional musician, and an interpretive ranger at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, leads us on an exploration of how and why Afr...
346 Music and Politics in the Early United States
December 13, 2022 06:00 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MBHow did everyday Americans in the early United States use and enjoy music? How did they create and circulate new songs and musical lyrics? Our five-episode series about music in early America continues in this fourth episode about music and politics in the early United States. Billy Coleman, an Assistant Teaching Professor of History at the University of Missouri and author of the book Harnessing Harmony: Music, Power, and Politics in the United States, 1788-1865, joins us to investigate...
346 Billy Coleman, Music and Politics in the Early United States
December 13, 2022 06:00 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MBHow did everyday Americans in the early United States use and enjoy music? How did they create and circulate new songs and musical lyrics? Our five-episode series about music in early America continues in this fourth episode about music and politics in the early United States. Billy Coleman, an Assistant Teaching Professor of History at the University of Missouri and author of the book Harnessing Harmony: Music, Power, and Politics in the United States, 1788-1865, joins us to investigate...
345 Glenda Goodman, Amateur Musicians in the Early United States
December 06, 2022 06:00 - 47 minutes - 44.1 MBOur study of music in Early America continues with this third episode in our five-episode series. Our last two episodes (Episode 343 and Episode 344) helped us better understand the musical landscapes of Native North America around 1492 and colonial British America before 1776. In this episode, we jump forward in time to the early days of the United States. Glenda Goodman, an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of the book Cultivated by Hand: Ama...
345 Amateur Musicians in the Early United States
December 06, 2022 06:00 - 47 minutes - 44.1 MBOur study of music in Early America continues with this third episode in our five-episode series. Our last two episodes (Episode 343 and Episode 344) helped us better understand the musical landscapes of Native North America around 1492 and colonial British America before 1776. In this episode, we jump forward in time to the early days of the United States. Glenda Goodman, an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of the book Cultivated by Hand: Ama...
344 David Hildebrand, Music in British North America
November 29, 2022 06:00 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MBOur 5-episode series about music in Early America continues with this second episode that seeks to answer your questions about music in Early America. David Hildebrand is a musicologist and an expert on early American music. His research specialty is in Anglo-American music, and he joins us to answer your questions. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/344 Join Ben Franklin's World! Subscribe and help us bring history right to your ears! Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute ...
344 Music in British North America
November 29, 2022 06:00 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MBOur 5-episode series about music in Early America continues with this second episode that seeks to answer your questions about music in Early America. David Hildebrand is a musicologist and an expert on early American music. His research specialty is in Anglo-American music, and he joins us to answer your questions. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/344 Join Ben Franklin's World! Subscribe and help us bring history right to your ears! Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute ...
343 Chad Hamill, Music and Song in Native North America
November 22, 2022 06:00 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MBWhat was music like in Early America? How did different early Americans—Native Americans, African Americans, and White Americans—integrate and use music in their daily lives? Your questions about music inspired this 5-episode series about music in Early America. Our exploration begins with music in Native America. Chad Hamill, a Professor of Applied Indigenous Studies at Northern Arizona University, is an ethnomusicologist who studies Native American and Indigenous music. He will guide u...
343 Music and Song in Native North America
November 22, 2022 06:00 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MBWhat was music like in Early America? How did different early Americans—Native Americans, African Americans, and White Americans—integrate and use music in their daily lives? Your questions about music inspired this 5-episode series about music in Early America. Our exploration begins with music in Native America. Chad Hamill, a Professor of Applied Indigenous Studies at Northern Arizona University, is an ethnomusicologist who studies Native American and Indigenous music. He will guide u...
342 The Great Power of Small Native Nations
November 08, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 66.2 MBDid you know that small Native American nations had the power to dictate the terms of French colonization in the Gulf South region? Elizabeth Ellis, an Assistant Professor of History at Princeton University and a citizen of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, joins us on an exploration of the uncovered and recovered histories of the more than 40 distinct and small Native nations who called the Gulf South region home during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Ellis is the author ...
342 Elizabeth Ellis, The Great Power of Small Native Nations
November 08, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 66.2 MBDid you know that small Native American nations had the power to dictate the terms of French colonization in the Gulf South region? Elizabeth Ellis, an Assistant Professor of History at Princeton University and a citizen of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, joins us on an exploration of the uncovered and recovered histories of the more than 40 distinct and small Native nations who called the Gulf South region home during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Ellis is the author ...
341 Mairi Cowan, Possession and Exorcism in New France
October 25, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 56 MBPrepare for tricks, treats, and time travel! In honor of Halloween, we’re traveling back to the mid-seventeenth century to investigate a case of demonic possession and the practice of exorcism in New France. Mairi Cowan, an Associate Professor of History at the University of Toronto, Mississauga, joins us to investigate the life of a young French woman named Barbe Hallay and her demonic possession. Cowan is the author of The Possession of Barbe Hallay: Diabolical Arts and Daily Life in Ear...
341 Possession and Exorcism in New France
October 25, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 56 MBPrepare for tricks, treats, and time travel! In honor of Halloween, we’re traveling back to the mid-seventeenth century to investigate a case of demonic possession and the practice of exorcism in New France. Mairi Cowan, an Associate Professor of History at the University of Toronto, Mississauga, joins us to investigate the life of a young French woman named Barbe Hallay and her demonic possession. Cowan is the author of The Possession of Barbe Hallay: Diabolical Arts and Daily Life in Ear...
340: Prisoners of War and the War of 1812
October 11, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 70.3 MBThe War of 1812 is an under-known conflict in United States history. It’s not a war that many Americans think about or dwell upon. And it was not a war that the United States can claim it clearly won. Nicholas Guyatt, a Professor of North American History at the University of Cambridge, joins us to investigate the War of 1812 and the experiences of American prisoners of war using details from his book, The Hated Cage: An American Tragedy in Britain’s Most Terrifying Prison. Show Notes: h...
340: Nicholas Guyatt, Prisoners of War and the War of 1812
October 11, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 70.3 MBThe War of 1812 is an under-known conflict in United States history. It’s not a war that many Americans think about or dwell upon. And it was not a war that the United States can claim it clearly won. Nicholas Guyatt, a Professor of North American History at the University of Cambridge, joins us to investigate the War of 1812 and the experiences of American prisoners of war using details from his book, The Hated Cage: An American Tragedy in Britain’s Most Terrifying Prison. Show Notes: h...
339 Women and the Constitutional Moment of 1787
September 27, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 68.4 MBBetween May 25 and September 17, 1787, delegates from each of the United States’ thirteen states assembled in Philadelphia for an event we now call the Constitutional Convention. What do we know about the moment of the United States Constitution’s creation? What was happening around the Convention, and what issues were Americans discussing and debating as the Convention’s delegates met? Mary Sarah Bilder, an award-winning historian and the Founders Professor of Law at Boston College Law ...
339 Mary Sarah Bilder, Women and the Constitutional Moment of 1787
September 27, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 68.4 MBBetween May 25 and September 17, 1787, delegates from each of the United States’ thirteen states assembled in Philadelphia for an event we now call the Constitutional Convention. What do we know about the moment of the United States Constitution’s creation? What was happening around the Convention, and what issues were Americans discussing and debating as the Convention’s delegates met? Mary Sarah Bilder, an award-winning historian and the Founders Professor of Law at Boston College Law ...
338 The Early History of the United States Senate
September 13, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 73 MBOn September 17, 1787, thirty-nine delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the United States Constitution and submitted it to the states for ratification. In honor of Constitution Day, we join three historians from the Senate Historical Office to investigate Article 1 of the Constitution and its creation of the United States Senate. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/338 Join Ben Franklin's World! Subscribe and help us bring history right to your ears! Sponsor L...
337 Dael Norwood, Early America's Trade with China
August 30, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 55.7 MBWhat made trade with China so important to the new United States that one of Americans’ first acts after securing the United States’ independence was to establish a trade with China and other Southeast Asian countries? Deal Norwood, an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Delaware, joins us to explore the lure of trade with China with details from his book, Trading Freedom: How Trade with China Defined Early America. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/337 Join...
337 Early America's Trade with China
August 30, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 55.7 MBWhat made trade with China so important to the new United States that one of Americans’ first acts after securing the United States’ independence was to establish a trade with China and other Southeast Asian countries? Deal Norwood, an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Delaware, joins us to explore the lure of trade with China with details from his book, Trading Freedom: How Trade with China Defined Early America. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/337 Join...
336 Vanessa Holden, Surviving the Southampton Rebellion
August 16, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 68.7 MBWhat did it take to stage a successful slave uprising? Over the course of the early republic, we see a few violent slave uprisings in the United States. A particularly brutal rebellion took place in Louisiana in January 1811. Another violent rebellion took place in Southampton County, Virginia in August 1831. Neither of these rebellions led to the abolishment of slavery, but they did lead to the death of many enslaved people and their enslavers. Vanessa Holden, an Associate Professor of ...
336 Surviving the Southampton Rebellion
August 16, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 68.7 MBWhat did it take to stage a successful slave uprising? Over the course of the early republic, we see a few violent slave uprisings in the United States. A particularly brutal rebellion took place in Louisiana in January 1811. Another violent rebellion took place in Southampton County, Virginia in August 1831. Neither of these rebellions led to the abolishment of slavery, but they did lead to the death of many enslaved people and their enslavers. Vanessa Holden, an Associate Professor of ...
335 Andrew Porwancher, The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton
August 02, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 64.5 MBAlexander Hamilton played important roles in the founding of the United States. He served in the Continental Army, helped frame the United States Constitution, and helped place the United States on a secure economic footing with his work as the first Secretary of the Treasury. But how did Hamilton come to know so much about the economic systems that could help the new United States build a strong economic footing? Why did Hamilton work for and believe that the new United States should be...
335 The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton
August 02, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 64.5 MBAlexander Hamilton played important roles in the founding of the United States. He served in the Continental Army, helped frame the United States Constitution, and helped place the United States on a secure economic footing with his work as the first Secretary of the Treasury. But how did Hamilton come to know so much about the economic systems that could help the new United States build a strong economic footing? Why did Hamilton work for and believe that the new United States should be...
334 Brandon Bayne, Missions & Mission Building in New Spain
July 19, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 60.2 MBSpanish explorers and colonists visited, settled, and claimed territory in 42 of the United States’ 50 states. So what does the history of Early America look like from a Spanish point of view? Brandon Bayne, an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and author of the book Missions Begin with Blood, joins us to investigate some of the religious aspects of Spanish colonization. Specifically, the work of Spanish missionaries. Show Notes: htt...
334 Missions & Mission Building in New Spain
July 19, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 60.2 MBSpanish explorers and colonists visited, settled, and claimed territory in 42 of the United States’ 50 states. So what does the history of Early America look like from a Spanish point of view? Brandon Bayne, an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and author of the book Missions Begin with Blood, joins us to investigate some of the religious aspects of Spanish colonization. Specifically, the work of Spanish missionaries. Show Notes: htt...
333 Experiences of Revolution: Disruptions in Yorktown
July 05, 2022 05:00 - 59 minutes - 54.3 MBWhat was everyday life like during the American War for Independence? Our Fourth of July series continues with an investigation of how the American War for Independence impacted those who remained on the home front. As episode 332 explored how the war impacted the lives of people who lived in urban Philadelphia, this episode investigates how the war impacted the lives of people who lived in the more rural setting of Yorktown, Virginia. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/333 ...
332 Experiences of Revolution: Occupied Philadelphia
June 28, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 60.6 MBWhat was everyday life like during the American War for Independence? In honor of the Fourth of July, we’ll investigate answers to this question by exploring the histories of occupied Philadelphia and Yorktown, and how civilians, those left on the home front in both of those places, experienced the war and its armies. These episodes will allow us to see how the war impacted those who remained at home. They will also allow us to better understand the messy confusion and uncertainty America...
331 The Discovery of the Williamsburg Bray School
June 21, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 79.1 MBIn a town as old as Williamsburg, Virginia, which was established in 1638, it’s often the case that historic buildings with interesting pasts stand unnoticed and in plain sight. Such was the case for the building that once housed Williamsburg’s Bray School. A school founded by a group of Anglican clergymen with the express purpose of educating Black children in the ways of the Anglican faith. It was an education that included reading, possibly writing, and the Book of Common Prayer. In h...
330 Brad Jones, Loyalism in the British Atlantic World
June 07, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 64.4 MBWe’ll never know for certain how many Americans supported the American Revolution, remained loyal to the British Crown and Parliament, or tried to find a middle way as someone who was disaffected from either loyalty. But we can know about the different ideologies that drove people to support the Revolution, to remain loyal to crown and parliament, or to become disaffected from both sides. Brad Jones, Professor of History at California State University, Fresno and author of the book, Resis...
330 Loyalism in the British Atlantic World
June 07, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 64.4 MBWe’ll never know for certain how many Americans supported the American Revolution, remained loyal to the British Crown and Parliament, or tried to find a middle way as someone who was disaffected from either loyalty. But we can know about the different ideologies that drove people to support the Revolution, to remain loyal to crown and parliament, or to become disaffected from both sides. Brad Jones, Professor of History at California State University, Fresno and author of the book, Resis...
329 Freemasonry in Early America
May 24, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 60 MBThis is an episode you’ve been waiting for! Mark Tabbert, the Director of Archives and Exhibits at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association and the author of Almanac of American Freemasonry and A Deserving Brother: George Washington and Freemasonry, joins us so we can investigate and better understand Freemasonry and its role in Early America. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/329 Join Ben Franklin's World! Subscribe and help us bring history right to yo...
329 Mark Tabbert, Freemasonry in Early America
May 24, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 60 MBThis is an episode you’ve been waiting for! Mark Tabbert, the Director of Archives and Exhibits at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association and the author of Almanac of American Freemasonry and A Deserving Brother: George Washington and Freemasonry, joins us so we can investigate and better understand Freemasonry and its role in Early America. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/329 Join Ben Franklin's World! Subscribe and help us bring history right to yo...
328 Warren Milteer Jr., Free People of Color in Early America
May 10, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 62.7 MBWe know from our explorations of early America that not all Americans were treated equally or enjoyed the freedoms and liberties other Americans enjoyed. Warren Milteer Jr., an Assistant Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the author of North Carolina’s Free People of Color and Beyond Slavery’s Shadow, joins us to explore the lives and experiences of free people of color, men and women who ranked somewhere in the middle or middle bottom of early Ameri...
328 Free People of Color in Early America
May 10, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 62.7 MBWe know from our explorations of early America that not all Americans were treated equally or enjoyed the freedoms and liberties other Americans enjoyed. Warren Milteer Jr., an Assistant Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the author of North Carolina’s Free People of Color and Beyond Slavery’s Shadow, joins us to explore the lives and experiences of free people of color, men and women who ranked somewhere in the middle or middle bottom of early Ameri...
327 Benjamin Franklin: A Film by Ken Burns
April 26, 2022 05:00 - 57 minutes - 52.4 MBHow do we know what we know about Benjamin Franklin? We know historians, museum curators, and archivists rely on historical documents and objects to find and learn information about the past. But how does a documentary filmmaker present what they know about history through video? David Schmidt works as a senior producer at Florentine Films where he worked alongside Ken Burns to produce a 2-episode documentary about the life of Benjamin Franklin. The documentary is called Benjamin Franklin ...
327 David Schmidt, Benjamin Franklin: A Film by Ken Burns
April 26, 2022 05:00 - 57 minutes - 52.4 MBHow do we know what we know about Benjamin Franklin? We know historians, museum curators, and archivists rely on historical documents and objects to find and learn information about the past. But how does a documentary filmmaker present what they know about history through video? David Schmidt works as a senior producer at Florentine Films where he worked alongside Ken Burns to produce a 2-episode documentary about the life of Benjamin Franklin. The documentary is called Benjamin Franklin ...
327 Maureen Connors Santelli, The Greek Revolution in Early America
April 12, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 59.8 MBWith Ukrainian sovereignty and democracy under attack, Americans have been wondering: Should our government be doing more than placing economic sanctions on Russia? Should I, as U.S. military veteran, travel to Ukraine and offer to fight in their army? What would official U.S. military involvement mean for the politics of Europe and in our age of nuclear weapons? While the situation in Ukraine is new and novel, Americans’ desire to assist other nations seeking to create or preserve their d...
326 The Greek Revolution in Early America
April 12, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 59.8 MBWith Ukrainian sovereignty and democracy under attack, Americans have been wondering: Should our government be doing more than placing economic sanctions on Russia? Should I, as U.S. military veteran, travel to Ukraine and offer to fight in their army? What would official U.S. military involvement mean for the politics of Europe and in our age of nuclear weapons? While the situation in Ukraine is new and novel, Americans’ desire to assist other nations seeking to create or preserve their d...
325 Woody Holton, Everyday People of the American Revolution
March 29, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 71.2 MBWhat do we know about the American Revolution? Why is it important that we see the Revolution as a political event, a war, a time of social and economic reform, and as a time of violence and upheaval? Woody Holton, a Professor of History at the University of South Carolina and the author of Liberty is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution, joins us to explore and discuss answers to these questions so that we can better see and understand the American Revolution as a whole ev...
325 Everyday People of the American Revolution
March 29, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 71.2 MBWhat do we know about the American Revolution? Why is it important that we see the Revolution as a political event, a war, a time of social and economic reform, and as a time of violence and upheaval? Woody Holton, a Professor of History at the University of South Carolina and the author of Liberty is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution, joins us to explore and discuss answers to these questions so that we can better see and understand the American Revolution as a whole ev...
324 New Netherland and Slavery
March 15, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 60.5 MBAfter Henry Hudson’s 1609-voyage along the river that now bears his name, Dutch traders began to visit and trade at the area they called New Netherland. In 1614, the Dutch established a trading post near present-day Albany, New York. In 1624, the Dutch West India Company built the settlement of New Amsterdam. How did the colony of New Netherland take shape? In what ways did the Dutch West India Company and private individuals use enslaved labor to develop the colony? Andrea Mosterman, an...
324 Andrea Mosterman, New Netherland and Slavery
March 15, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 60.5 MBAfter Henry Hudson’s 1609-voyage along the river that now bears his name, Dutch traders began to visit and trade at the area they called New Netherland. In 1614, the Dutch established a trading post near present-day Albany, New York. In 1624, the Dutch West India Company built the settlement of New Amsterdam. How did the colony of New Netherland take shape? In what ways did the Dutch West India Company and private individuals use enslaved labor to develop the colony? Andrea Mosterman, an...
323 American Expansion and the Political Economy of Plunder
March 01, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 76 MBIn the Treaty of Paris, 1783, Great Britain ceded to the United States all lands east of the Mississippi River and between the southern borders of Canada and Georgia. How would the United States take advantage of its new boundaries and incorporate these lands within its governance? Answering this question presented a quandary for the young United States. The lands it sought to claim by right of treaty belonged to Indigenous peoples. Michael Witgen, a Professor of History at Columbia Univ...