Early American History

Life and Revolution in Boston, Grenada

September 4, 2019 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

What can a family history tell us about revolutionary and early republic America?

What can the letters of a wife and mother tell us about life in the Caribbean during the Age of Revolutions?

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, we join Susan Clair Imbarrato, a Professor of English at Minnesota State University Moorhead and author of Sarah Gray Cary from Boston to Grenada: Shifting Fortunes of an American Family, 1753-1825 (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018), to discover more about the letters of Sarah Gray Cart and what they reveal about how she and her family experienced the American Revolution on the island of Grenada. [Read more…] about Life and Revolution in Boston, Grenada

The Highland Soldier in North America

August 28, 2019 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

Much of early American history comprises stories of empire and how different Native, European, and Euro-American nations vied for control of North American territory, resources, and people. [Read more…] about The Highland Soldier in North America

Frontiers of Science in Early America

August 21, 2019 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

What did early Americans think about science? And how did they pursue and develop their knowledge of it?

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, 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 (Published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture and the University of North Carolina Press, 2018) joins us to investigate the early American world of science and how early Americans developed their scientific knowledge. [Read more…] about Frontiers of Science in Early America

Virginia In 1619 (Ben Franklin’s World Podcast)

August 14, 2019 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

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?

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Cassandra Newby-Alexander, a scholar of African American and American History and the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Norfolk State University, helps us find answers. [Read more…] about Virginia In 1619 (Ben Franklin’s World Podcast)

BFW Road Trip: Charlottesville, VA, James Monroe’s Highland

August 7, 2019 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

Between 1789 and 1825, five men would serve as President of the United States. Four of them hailed from Virginia.

Many of us know details about the lives and presidencies of Washington, Jefferson, and Madison. But what do we know about the life and presidency of the fourth Virginia president, James Monroe?

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Sara Bon-Harper, Executive Director of James Monroe’s Highland, joins us to explore the public and private life of James Monroe. [Read more…] about BFW Road Trip: Charlottesville, VA, James Monroe’s Highland

BFW Road Trip: Washington, D.C., NMAAHC

July 31, 2019 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

Not all historians publish their findings about history in books and articles. Some historians convey knowledge about history to the public in public spaces and in public ways.

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Lonnie Bunch, the Founding Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of how historians do history for the public. [Read more…] about BFW Road Trip: Washington, D.C., NMAAHC

A Visit To Schoharie Crossing (Liz Covart Podacst)

July 24, 2019 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

A “little short of madness.” That is how Thomas Jefferson responded when two delegates from New York approached him with the idea to build the Erie Canal in January 1809.

Jefferson’s comment did not discourage New Yorkers. On January 4, 1817, New York State began building a 363-mile long canal to link the Hudson River and Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes and the Midwest. [Read more…] about A Visit To Schoharie Crossing (Liz Covart Podacst)

Road Trip: Montréal, Château Ramezay

July 17, 2019 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

Did Canada almost join the American Revolution?

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, 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. [Read more…] about Road Trip: Montréal, Château Ramezay

Celebrating the Fourth: Some History

July 10, 2019 by Liz Covart 1 Comment

It wasn’t always fireworks on the fourth.

John Adams predicted Americans would celebrate the Second of July, the day Congress voted in favor of independence, “with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of the Continent to the other.” He got the date wrong, but he was right about the festivities in commemoration of Independence Day. And yet July Fourth events have changed a great deal since 1776. [Read more…] about Celebrating the Fourth: Some History

Shoe Stories from Early America

July 3, 2019 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

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.

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Kimberly Alexander, museum specialist, lecturer at the University of New Hampshire, and author of Treasures Afoot: Shoe Stories from the Georgian Era (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018), joins us to help us better understand shoes and what they can tell us about the everyday lives of early Americans. [Read more…] about Shoe Stories from Early America