Ben Franklin's World

Ben Franklin's World

A Podcast About Early American History

Episode 199: Coll Thrush, Indigenous London: Native Travelers at the Heart of Empire

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When we explore the history of early America, we often look at people who lived in North America. But what about the people who lived and worked in European metropoles? What about Native Americans? Today, we explore early American history through a slightly different lens, a lens that allows us to see interactions that occurred between Native American peoples and English men and women who lived in London. Our guide for this exploration … [Read more...]

Episode 198: Andrew Lipman, The Saltwater Frontier: Native Americans and Colonists on the Northeastern Coast

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When we think of Native Americans, many of us think of inland dwellers. People adept at navigating forests and rivers and the skilled hunters and horsemen who lived and hunted on the American Plains. But did you know that Native Americans were seafaring mariners too? Andrew Lipman, an Assistant Professor of History at Barnard College, Columbia University and author of , leads us on an exploration of the northeastern coastline and of the … [Read more...]

Episode 197: Brett Rushforth, Native American Slavery in New France

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When we think about early American slavery, our minds evoke images of plantations where enslaved men and women were forced to labor in agricultural fields and inside the homes of wealthy Americans. These images depict the practice of chattel slavery; a practice where early Americans treated slaves as property that they could buy, sell, trade, and use as they would real estate and draught animals. But, did you know that some early Americans … [Read more...]

Episode 196: Alejandra Dubcovsky, Information & Communication in the Early American South

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We live in an age of information. The internet provides us with 24/7 access to all types of information—news, how-to articles, sports scores, entertainment news, and congressional votes. But what do we do with all of this knowledge? How do we sift through and interpret it all? We are not the first people to ponder these questions. Alejandra Dubcovsky, an Assistant Professor at Yale University and author of , takes us through the early … [Read more...]

Episode 195: Old Newgate Prison & Copper Mine

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In 1705 a group of colonists in Simsbury, Connecticut founded a copper mine, which the Connecticut General Assembly purchased and turned into a prison in 1773. How did an old copper mine function as a prison? Morgan Bengel, a Museum Assistant at the Old Newgate Prison and Copper Mine, a Connecticut State Historic Site, helps us investigate both the history of early American mining and the history of early American prisons by taking us on a … [Read more...]

Episode 194: Longfellow House- Washington’s Headquarters, NHS

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As part of its mission, the National Park Service seeks to protect and preserve places saved by the American people so that all may experience the heritage of the United States. These places include those with historical significance. Supervisory Park Ranger Garrett Cloer joins us to explore the Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site so we can discover more about the Siege of Boston (1775-76), the birth of the … [Read more...]

Episode 193: Partisans, The Friendship & Rivalry of Adams & Jefferson

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John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Two drafters and signers of the Declaration of Independence, two diplomats who served the United States abroad in Europe, and two men who went on to serve as vice president and president of the United States. Both men left indelible marks on American society. Adams and Jefferson are two founders who captivate the attention of and greatly interest Americans today, so in honor of the 242nd anniversary of the … [Read more...]

Episode 192: Brian Regal, The Secret History of the New Jersey Devil

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The Jersey Devil is a monster legend that originated in New Jersey’s early American past. How and why did this legend emerge? And, what can it tell us about New Jersey’s past? Brian Regal, an Associate Professor of History at Kean University and the co-author of , takes us into New Jersey’s past by taking us through the origins of the New Jersey Devil story. Listen Now About the Show Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early … [Read more...]

Episode 191: Lisa Brooks, A New History of King Philip’s War

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King Philip’s War is an event that appears over and over again in books about colonial America. So when you have an event that has been as studied as King Philip’s War has been, is there anything new that we can learn about it by re-examining it in our own time? Lisa Brooks, an Associate Professor of English and American Studies at Amherst College believes the answer to this question is “yes.” And today, she’s going to help us re-examine … [Read more...]

Episode 190: Jennifer Goloboy, Origins of the American Middle Class

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As many as 70 percent of Americans consider themselves to be members of the middle class. But if you consider income as a qualifier for membership, only about 50 percent of Americans qualify for membership. So what does it mean to be middle class and why do so many Americans want to be members of it? Jennifer Goloboy, an independent scholar based in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the author of , helps us explore the origins of the American … [Read more...]

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