Early American History

How the Dutch Brought Us Santa, Presents, and Treats

January 2, 2019 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

Have you ever wondered where the Christmas traditions of stockings, presents, and cookies come from?

What about jolly, old Saint Nicholas? Who was he and why do we often call him Santa Claus?

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World: A Podcast About Early American History Peter G. Rose, culinary historian of Dutch foodways in North America and author of Delicious December: How the Dutch Brought Us Santa, Presents, and Treats (SUNY Press, 2014) joins us to discuss the origins of Santa Claus and edible goodies such as cookies in the United States. You can listen to the podcast here: www.benfranklinsworld.com/218

Slavery and Freedom in Early Maryland

December 26, 2018 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

How do you uncover the life of an enslaved person who left no paper trail?

What can the everyday life of an enslaved person tell us about slavery, how it was practiced, and how some enslaved people made the transition from slavery to freedom?

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World: A Podcast About Early American History we explore the life of Charity Folks, an enslaved woman from Maryland who gained her freedom in the late-18th century.

A History of Stepfamilies in Early America

December 19, 2018 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

What do George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln have in common?

They all grew-up in blended or stepfamilies.

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World: A Podcast About Early American History Lisa Wilson, the Charles J. MacCurdy Professor of American History at Connecticut College and author of A History of Stepfamilies in Early America (University of North Carolina Press, 2014), takes us through the creation and interactions of blended and stepfamilies in early America. You can listen to the podcast here: www.benfranklinsworld.com/216

Charity & Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America

December 12, 2018 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

We tend to view gay marriage as a cultural and legal development of the 21st century.

But did you know that some early Americans lived openly as same-sex married couples? [Read more…] about Charity & Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America

Skepticism & American Faith

December 5, 2018 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

Was the early United States a “Christian nation?” Did most of its citizenry accept God and the Bible as the moral authority that bound them together as one nation?

Scholars have taken a binary stance on these questions. Some argue that early America was a thoroughly religious place and that even those who didn’t attend church were on the same basic page as those who did. While others argue early America boasted an increasingly secularized society.

Researching Biography: Runaway Slave Ona Judge

November 21, 2018 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

How do historians and biographers reconstruct the lives of people from the past?

Good biographies rely on telling the lives of people using practiced historical methods of thorough archival research and the sound interrogation of historical sources. But what does this practice of historical methods look like?

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World: A Podcast About Early American History, the final episode in the Omohundro Institute’s Doing History series about biography, Erica Dunbar, the Charles and Mary Beard Professor of History at Rutgers University and author of Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave Ona Judge (Simon & Schuster, 2017), takes us into the archives to show us how she recovered the life of Ona Judge. You can listen to the podcast here: www.benfranklinsworld.com/212

Considering Biography In Early American History

October 31, 2018 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

Biography. Since the earliest days of the United States, and even before the thirteen colonies came together to forge a nation, Americans have been interested in biography. But why?

What is it about the lives of others that makes the past so interesting and fun to explore?

This episode of Ben Franklin’s World: A Podcast About Early American History marks the start of the Omohundro Institute’s four-episode Doing History series about biography. This series will take us behind-the-scenes of biography and how historians and biographers reconstruct the lives of people from the past. You can listen to the podcast here: www.benfranklinsworld.com/209