Ben Franklin's World

Ben Franklin's World

A Podcast About Early American History

Episode 251: Cameron Strang, Frontiers of Science

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What did early Americans think about science? And how did they pursue and develop their knowledge of it? Cameron Strang, an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Nevada, Reno and author of Frontiers of Science: Imperialism and Natural Knowledge in the Gulf South Borderlands, 1500-1850, joins us to investigate the early American world of science and how early Americans developed their scientific knowledge.   Listen … [Read more...]

Episode 250: Virginia, 1619

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2019 marks the 400th anniversary of two important events in American history: The creation of the first representative assembly in English North America and the arrival of the first African people in English North America. Why were these Virginia-based events significant and how have they impacted American history? Cassandra Newby-Alexander, a scholar of African American and American History and the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at … [Read more...]

Episode 246: BFW Road Trip: Montréal, Château Ramezay

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Did Canada almost join the American Revolution? Bruno Paul Stenson, a historian and musicologist with the Château de Ramezay historic site in Montréal, joins us to discuss how the American Revolution played out in Canada. This episode originally posted as Episode 041.   Listen Now   About the Show Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history. It is a show for people who love history and for those … [Read more...]

Episode 244: Kimberly Alexander, Shoe Stories from Early America

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There’s an old saying that tells us we should walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. It’s a reminder that we should practice empathy and try to understand people before we cast judgement. As it happens, this expression is right on the mark because it seems when we use shoes as historical objects, we can learn a LOT about people and their everyday lives and actions. Kimberly Alexander, museum specialist, lecturer at the University of New … [Read more...]

Episode 243: Joseph Adelman, Revolutionary Print Networks

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For the American Revolution to be successful, it needed ideas people could embrace and methods for spreading those ideas. It also needed ways for revolutionaries to coordinate across colonial lines. How did revolutionaries develop and spread their ideas? How did they communicate and coordinate plans of action? Joseph Adelman, an Assistant Professor of History at Framingham State University and author of Revolutionary Networks: The Business … [Read more...]

Episode 242: David Young, A History of Early Delaware

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Delaware may be the second smallest state in the United States, but it has a BIG, rich history that can tell us much about the history of early America. David Young, the Executive Director of the Delaware Historical Society, joins us to explore the early American history of Delaware from its Native American inhabitants through its emergence as the first state in the United States.   Listen Now   About the Show Ben … [Read more...]

Episode 241: Molly Warsh, Pearls & the Nature of the Spanish Empire

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In 1492, Christopher Columbus’ voyage across the Atlantic linked Europe, the Americas, and the Caribbean. As Columbus’ sponsor, Spain became the first European power to use the peoples, resources, and lands of the Americas and Caribbean as the basis for its Atlantic Empire. How did this empire function and what wealth was Spain able to extract from these peoples and lands? Molly Warsh, an Associate Professor of History at the University of … [Read more...]

Episode 239: Joseph Adelman, Post & Travel in Early America

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How did the postal system work in Early America? How did people send mail across the North American colonies and the British Empire? You sent these questions for Episode 200: Everyday Life in Early America. You also said you wanted to know more about transportation in early America. Joseph Adelman, an Assistant Professor of History at Framingham State University and author of Revolutionary Networks: The Business and Politics of Printing, … [Read more...]

Episode 236: Daniel Livesay, Mixed-Race Britons & the Atlantic Family

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Who do we count as family? If a relative was born in a foreign place and one of their parents was of a different race? Would they count as family? Eighteenth-century Britons asked themselves these questions. As we might suspect, their answers varied by time and whether they lived in Great Britain, North America, or the Caribbean. Daniel Livesay, an Associate Professor of History at Claremont McKenna College in California, helps us … [Read more...]

Episode 235: Jenny Hale Pulsipher, A 17th-Century Native American Life

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What does early America look like if we view it through Native American eyes? Jenny Hale Pulsipher, an Associate Professor of History at Brigham Young University, is a scholar who enjoys investigating the many answers to this question. And today, she introduces us to a Nipmuc Indian named John Wompas and how he experienced a critical time in early American history, the period between the 1650s and 1680s.   Listen Now … [Read more...]

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