Ben Franklin's World

Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence contained 28 grievances against King George III — not 27. The final grievance, the one Congress cut before signing, accused the British king of waging cruel war against human nature by trafficking enslaved Africans across the Atlantic, forcing slavery onto unwilling American colonists, and then inciting those same enslaved people to rise up and kill their enslavers. Did King George III and the British monarchy actually bear responsibility for slavery in the 13 colonies? Or was Jefferson's grievance a strategic sleight of hand — an attempt to pin a uniquely American system onto the crown he wanted to escape? Historian Brooke Newman, author of The Crown's Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery, joins us to find out. She traces the British monarchy's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade from Queen Elizabeth I through King George III, examines what Jefferson got right and what he got wrong, and delivers her verdict on one of the most explosive what-ifs in United States history. Brooke's Website | Book |Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/440 EPISODE OUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:01:24 Episode Welcome and Jefferson's Cut Grievance00:03:15 Guest Introduction: Brooke Newman00:04:58 Jefferson's Claim and Brooke's Research Origins00:09:28 Timeline of Monarchies and Terminology00:12:03 England Enters the Slave Trade under Elizabeth I00:17:41 Crown Investments and Royal African Company00:30:15 Colonies Structured for Slavery00:37:02 Logistics of the Slave Trade by Revolution00:47:01 King George III's Views on Slavery00:52:20 Virginia's 1772 Slave Trade Ban and Royal Veto00:57:35 Dunmore's Proclamation: Not a Royal Act01:01:17 Was George III to Blame? Jefferson's Strategy01:04:26 Time Warp: If George III Abolished Slavery01:10:56 ConclusionRECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft🎧 Episode 206: Christian Slavery🎧 Episode 351: Wealth and Slavery in New Netherland🎧 Episode 360: Slavery & Freedom in Massachusetts🎧 Episode 394: The Pursuit of Happiness🎧 Episode 438: The American Revolution and the Fate of the WorldSUPPORT OUR WORK🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s WorldREQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 liz@benfranklinsworld.comWHEN YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener Community🌍 Join the History Explorers ClubTAKE THE QUIZ🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes)👉 https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/quizLISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music🛜 PandoraCONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s WebsiteSAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify*Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the American Revolution was never just an American story? Historian Ronald Angelo Johnson helps us uncover the deep connections between the American and Haitian Revolutions to reveal how both revolutions emerged from the same Atlantic imperial struggle for empire, racialized power, and war. Using details from his book Entangled Alliances, Ron will guide us from the Treaty of Paris in 1763 to the Siege of Savannah in 1779, where hundreds of Black soldiers from French Saint Domingue landed on Georgia’s shores—not as enslaved laborers, but as uniformed volunteers ready to fight for American Independence. Ron's Website | Book |Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/433 EPISODE OUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:01:08 Episode Overview00:04:50 The Treaty of Paris 1763 and its Impact00:09:09 Consequences of the Seven Years' War for Saint Domingue00:18:39 Saint Domingue Society Post-Seven Years' War00:24:32 French Imperial Reaction vs. Local Resentment00:28:36 Circulation of News Between British North America & Saint Domingue00:39:22 France's Strategy to Assist American Revolutionaries00:50:42 Reception of the Chasseurs Volontaires Regiment in Georgia00:54:42 Re-evaluating the American Revolution00:57:32 Time Warp01:05:38 ConclusionRECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 052: Diplomacy in Black and White🎧 Episode 151: Defining the American Revolution🎧 Episode 228: The Boston Massacre (King Street Riot)🎧 Episode 325: The Everyday People of the American Revolution🎧 Episode 361: The Fourth of July in 2026🎧 Episode 421: Loyalism & Revolution in Georgia🎧 Episode 432: How France & Spain Helped Win the American RevolutionSUPPORT OUR WORK🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s WorldREQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 liz@benfranklinsworld.comWHEN YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener Community🌍 Join the History Explorers ClubTAKE THE QUIZ🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes)👉 https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/quizLISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music🛜 PandoraCONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s WebsiteSAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify*Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The American Revolution wasn’t just a colonial rebellion; it was a global conflict shaped by European rivalries and high-stakes diplomacy. Without the help of foreign allies like France and Spain, the United States might never have won its independence. Historian John Ferling joins us to explore the international dimensions of the Revolutionary War. Drawing from his new book Shots Heard Round the World, Ferling reveals how secret aid, political gambles, and naval power from Europe (especially France) influenced the outcome of the war, and nearly derailed it. John’s Website | Book |Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/432 EPISODE OUTLINE00:01:06 Introduction00:01:52 Why European Powers Intervened00:08:02 International Interest in the American Revolution00:14:20 French Reaction to the Outbreak of War00:19:28 Initiation of Foreign Aid00:23:46 British Expectations of a Quick Victory00:25:35 Saratoga as a Turning Point00:31:46 French Naval and Military Support00:37:36 Spain's Ambitions and Entry into the War00:42:55 Britain's War Fatigue and Missed Opportunities00:51:31 Outcomes for France and Spain00:54:53 Time Warp00:59:20 ConclusionRECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 046: The American Revolution and the War that Won It🎧 Episode 112: The Tea Crisis of 1773🎧 Episode 122: The Men Who Lost America🎧 Episode 208: Turning Points of the American Revolution🎧 Episode 313: The Marquis de Lafayette🎧 Episode 421: Loyalism & Revolution in GeorgiaSUPPORT OUR WORK🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s WorldREQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 liz@benfranklinsworld.comWHEN YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener Community🌍 Join the History Explorers ClubTAKE THE QUIZ🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes)👉 https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/quizLISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music🛜 PandoraCONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s WebsiteSAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify*Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense turned a colonial rebellion into a full-blown revolution. But how did one pamphlet move so many minds in 1776—and why does it still matter 250 years later? To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Common Sense, historian and Director of the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies at Iona University, Nora Slonimsky, joins us to explore Paine’s life, the pamphlet’s explosive impact, and what this revolutionary text still teaches us about democracy, communication, and civic life. ITPS Website Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/403 EPISODE OUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:01:06 Thomas Pain's Early Life and Influences00:05:53 The Institute for Thomas Paine Studies00:07:51 Thomas Paine as an English Excise Man00:13:34 Paine's Ideas for Reform of the British Government00:19:27 Reception of Paine's First Pamphlet00:21:48 Paine's Intellectual Life in England00:27:30 Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin00:31:44 Paine's Migration to Philadelphia00:35:55 Paine's View of the American Revolution00:39:15 The Story of Common Sense00:50:34 Measuring the Reach of Common Sense00:59:34 The Legacy of Common Sense and Thomas Paine01:02:54 Time Warp01:05:02 Commemorating the 250th Anniversary of Common Sense01:08:17 ConclusionRECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 127: American Enlightenments🎧 Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft🎧 Episode 144: The Common Cause🎧 Episode 156: The Power of the Press in the American Revolution🎧 Episode 243: Revolutionary Print Networks🎧 Episode 394: The Pursuit of HappinessSUPPORT OUR WORK🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s WorldREQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 liz@benfranklinsworld.comWHEN YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener Community🌍 Join the History Explorers ClubTAKE THE QUIZ🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes)👉 https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/quizLISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music🛜 PandoraCONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s WebsiteSAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify*Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Benjamin Rush was one of early America’s most fascinating figures. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a leading Philadelphia physician, and a thinker who believed that a healthy body was the foundation of a healthy republic. In this episode, historian Sarah Naramore, author of Benjamin Rush, Civic Health and Human Illness in the Early American Republic, introduces us to Rush as both doctor and political philosopher. We’ll explore: How Rush developed an “American system” of medicine His groundbreaking ideas on mental health and addiction And why he believed the human body modeled the ideal form of government. Rush may be what Sarah calls a “B-list Founding Father,” but his influence on early American science, politics, and public health was anything but minor. Sarah’s Website | Book |Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/430 EPISODE OUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:01:06 Episode Introduction00:04:48 Who Was Benjamin Rush00:13:52 Benjamin Rush's Medical Practice00:17:01 The American System of Medicine00:22:30 Rush's Ideas about Civic Health00:29:07 Rush's Approach to Mental Health00:33:53 Rush's Views on Addiction00:48:00 Rush's Legacy00:52:13 Time Warp00:55:00 ConclusionRECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 174: Yellow Fever in the Early American Republic🎧 Episode 193: Partisans: The Friendship & Rivalry of Adams & Jefferson🎧 Episode 263: The Medical Imagination🎧 Episode 279: Benjamin Rush, Founding Father🎧 Episode 301: From Inoculation to Vaccination, Part 1🎧 Episode 302: From Inoculation to Vaccination, Part 2SUPPORT OUR WORK🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s WorldREQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 liz@benfranklinsworld.comWHEN YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener Community🌍 Join the History Explorers ClubLISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music🛜 PandoraCONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s WebsiteSAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify*Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Think the Boston Tea Party made America a coffee-drinking nation? Historian Michelle McDonald reveals the truth: colonists were already choosing coffee over tea because it was cheaper. Michelle Craig McDonald, the Librarian/Director of the Library & Museum at the American Philosophical Society and author of Coffee Nation: How One Commodity Transformed the Early United States, explains how coffee shaped American identity long before the Revolution. You'll hear about Revolutionary-era women storming a Boston warehouse to seize hoarded coffee and sell it at regulated prices. You'll discover why Parliament protected coffee while taxing tea. And you'll learn how enslaved Caribbean laborers made America's favorite beverage possible. From colonial coffee houses to debates about caffeine addiction in the early republic, discover how one imported commodity became distinctly American. Michelle's Website | Book |Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/429 EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:20 Meet our Guest 00:04:35 Coffee vs. Tea in Early America 00:06:50 Coffeehouses and How Coffee Was Served 00:08:04 Medical Concerns About Coffee 00:09:12 Coffee Production 00:12:35 Attempts to Grow Coffee in North America 00:14:04 The Use of Enslaved Labor in Coffee Cultivation 00:19:50 The Early American Market for Coffee 00:22:21 Early American Coffee Connoisseurs 00:29:57 Early American Coffeehouses 00:34:48 Coffee and the American Revolution 00:36:40 The Boston Coffee Riot, 1777 00:42:48 Coffee in the Early Republic 00:45:00 Coffee and the Haitian Revolution 00:47:53 Early Republic Attempts to Grow Coffee 00:50:55 Early Republic Coffee Culture 00:53:56 Time Warp 00:58:31 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 160: The Politics of Tea🎧 Episode 161: Smuggling and the American Revolution🎧 Episode 288: Smugglers & Patriots in the 18th-Century Atlantic World🎧 Episode 294: 1774, The Long Year of American Revolution🎧 Episode 319: Cuba: An Early American History🎧 Episode 401: Tea, Boycotts, & Revolution SUPPORT OUR WORK🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s WorldREQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 liz@benfranklinsworld.comWHEN YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener Community🌍 Join the History Explorers ClubLISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music🛜 PandoraCONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s WebsiteSAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify*Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we look ahead to the 250th anniversary—the semiquincentennial—of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, communities and commissions across the United States are asking big questions: How should we commemorate this historic milestone? What’s the right balance between celebration and education? And how can this moment bring people together across political divides, generational gaps, and complex histories? To explore these questions, I’ve invited my friend, colleague, and Clio Digital Media co-founder Karin Wulf to guest host a special conversation with two people who are leading the way: Gregg Amore, Chair of the Rhode Island 250 Commission, and Carly Fiorina, Chair of the Virginia 250 Commission. Together, they reveal how their states are planning commemorative programs that center civic engagement, local storytelling, and inclusive history—and how the 250th can be more than a moment. It can be a spark. Karin’s Website | Book |Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/427 EPISODE OUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:01:10 Welcome & Episode Overview00:04:45 Guest Introductions00:07:32 Virginia & Rhode Island's Commemorative Plans00:11:21 State Efforts and Collaborations00:16:32 Engaging Young People00:20:11 Educational Initiatives00:22:13 Ken Burns's The American Revolution00:24:30 Navigating the Political Climate00:32:05 Reflections on the Bicentennial00:35:00 Challenges to Achieving Commemorative Goals00:42:51 Conclusion and Future Opportunities00:46:53 Final ThoughtsRECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 250: Virginia, 1619🎧 Episode 373: The Gaspee Affair🎧 Episode 417: Roger Williams, Rogue Puritan🎧 Episode 416: Lineage: Genealogy in Early America🎧 Episode 424: Dunmore's Proclamation & the American Revolution in Virginia🎧 Episode 425: Ken Burns's The American RevolutionSUPPORT OUR WORK🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s WorldREQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 liz@benfranklinsworld.comWHEN YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener Community🌍 Join the History Explorers ClubLISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music🛜 PandoraCONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s WebsiteSAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify*Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Thanksgiving approaches, many Americans are gathering to reflect on gratitude, family—and of course—food. It's the time of year when we may think about the so-called "First Thanksgiving" and imagine scenes of Pilgrims and Native peoples gathering in Massachusetts to share in the bounty of their fall harvests. But how much do we really know about the food systems and agricultural knowledge of Indigenous peoples of North America? In what ways were the Wampanoag people able to contribute to this harvest celebration—and what have we gotten wrong about their story? Michael Wise, Associate Professor of History at the University of North Texas and author of Native Foods: Agriculture, Indigeneity, and Settler Colonialism in American History, joins us to challenge four persistent myths about Indigenous food practices. Discover how Native communities shaped and stewarded the land and its agriculture long before European colonists arrived—and why this history matters more than we might think. Michael’s Website | Book |Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/426 EPISODE OUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:01:10 Episode Introduction00:03:43 Guest Introduction00:04:30 Myths about Indigenous Agriculture00:11:29 Indigenous and European Gender Roles00:15:56 Wampanoag Agriculture00:17:29 Wampanoag Corn Cultivation00:25:59 Wampanoag Cuisine00:27:52 Indigenous Disspossession in New England00:32:58 Cherokee Agriculture00:37:13 The Cherokee Hunter Myth00:40:53 The Origin of the Myths about Native American Agriculture00:45:40 Future Projects00:47:13 Closing Thoughts & Resources RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 131: Thomas Jefferson's Empire of Liberty🎧 Episode 189: The Little Ice Age🎧 Episode 278: Polygamy: An Early American History🎧 Episode 290: The World of the Wampanoag, Pt 1🎧 Episode 291: The World of the Wampanoag, Pt 2🎧 Episode 323: American Expansion and the Political Economy of Plunder SUPPORT OUR WORK🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s World REQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 liz@benfranklinsworld.com WHEN YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter👩‍💻 BFW Listener Community🌍 The History Explorers Club LISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music🛜 Pandora CONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s Website SAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify*Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. = Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices