Ben Franklin's World

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HISTORY
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This is a multiple award-winning podcast about early American history. It’s a show for people who love history and who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world. Each episode features conversations with professional historians who help shed light on important people and events in early American history. It is produced by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

2 DAYS AGO

403 Re-Evaluating John Adams' Presidency

Did you know that John Adams, not George Washington, solidified the precedents of the executive branch and the presidency? Lindsay Chervinsky, an award-winning presidential historian and the Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library, has written a book Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents that Forged the Republic. She joins us to investigate the presidency of the United States’ second president, John Adams. Lindsay’s Website | Book | Instagram Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/403 RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 Episode 040: For Fear of an Elected King 🎧 Episode 117: The Life and Ideas of Thomas Jefferson 🎧 Episode 188: The Alien & Sedition Acts of 1798 🎧 Episode 193: Partisans: The Friendship & Rivalry of Adams and Jefferson 🎧 Episode 203: Alexander Hamilton 🎧 Episode 279: The Cabinet: Creation of An American Institution REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 Topic Request Form 📫 liz@benfranklinsworld.com WHEN YOU'RE READY 🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener Community on Facebook LISTEN 🎧 🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music 🛜 Pandora CONNECT 🦋 Liz on BlueSky 👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn 🛜 Liz’s Website SPONSORS 💼 Colonial Williamsburg Foundation SAY THANKS 💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 💚 Leave a rating on Spotify

1h 6m
JAN 21 · BONUS

BFW Revisited: The Cabinet: Creation of an American Institution

January 20th, marked Inauguration Day in the United States, the day a new president and his administration takes office. So it seems a fitting time for us to revisit a conversation we had in 2020 about the creation of the Executive Branch, and more specifically, the creation of the president’s cabinet. Lindsay Chervinsky is an award-winning presidential historian and the Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library. In 2020, she published her first book called The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/279 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Complementary Episodes Episode 040: Kathleen Bartoloni-Tuazon, For Fear of an Elected King Episode 137: Erica Dunbar, The Washington’s Runaway Slave, Ona Judge Episode 193: Partisans: The Friendship and Rivalry of John Adams & Thomas Jefferson Episode 202: The Early History of the United States Congress Episode 203: Joanne Freeman: Alexander Hamilton Episode 265: Lindsay Chervinsky, An Early History of the White House Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter

1h 10m
JAN 14

402 Clocks, Watches, and Life in Early America

Do you know what time it is? In early America, this question wasn’t as simple to answer as it is today. Urban dwellers in cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston often wondered about the time—but few owned their own watches or clocks. So, how did they keep track of the hours? In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of early American timekeeping. Bob Frishman, a horologist—a specialist in clocks and watches—and a scholar of horology, joins us to explore how timepieces and their makers shaped community life and craftsmanship in the 18th century. Along the way, we’ll uncover the remarkable story of Edward Duffield, a Philadelphia clockmaker who wasn’t just a master craftsman but also a close friend and neighbor of Benjamin Franklin. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/402 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Colonial Williamsburg Email Lists Complementary Episodes Episode 149: Benjamin Franklin in London Episode 175: The Revolution in Ben Franklin’s House Episode 207: Young Benjamin Franklin Episode 244: Shoe Stories from Early America Episode 292: Craft in Early America Episode 301: From Inoculation to Vaccination, Pt 1 Episode 302: From Inoculation to Vaccination, Pt 2 Episode 332: Occupied Philadelphia Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter

1h 4m
JAN 7 · BONUS

BFW Revisited: The Politics of Tea

To close out our mini-series on Tea in early America, we’re going to revisit Episode 160: The Politics of Tea. This episode was part of our Doing History: To the Revolution series with the Omohundro Institute in 2017. In this episode, we’ll revisit how early Americans went from attending tea parties to holding the Boston Tea Party. We’ll also explore more in depth information about how tea became a central part of many early Americans’ lives. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/160 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Complementary Episodes Episode 112: The Tea Crisis of 1773 Episode 229: The Townshend Moment Episode 401: Tea, Boycotts, and Revolution Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter

1h 28m
12/31/2024

401 Tea, Boycotts, and Revolution

During the early days of the American Revolution, British Americans attempted to sway their fellow Britons with consumer politics. In 1768 and 1769, they organized a non-consumption movement of British goods to protest the Townshend Duties. In 1774, they arranged a non-importation and non-exportation movement to protest the Tea Act and Coercive Acts. Why did the colonists protest the Tea Act and Coercive Acts? Why did they chose to protest those acts with the consumer politics of a non-importation/non-exportation program? James Fichter, the author of Tea: Consumption, Politics, and Revolution, 1773-1776, joins us to explore the Tea Crisis of 1773 and the resulting non-importation/non-exportation movement the colonists organized after Parliament passed the Coercive Acts. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/401 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Colonial Williamsburg Newsletters Complementary Episodes Episode 112: The Tea Crisis of 1773 Episode 160: The Politics of Tea Episode 228: The Boston Massacre Episode 229: The Townshend Moment Episode 296: The Boston Massacre: A Family History Episode 337: Early America’s Trade with China Episode 375: Misinformation Nation Episode 390: The Objects of Revolution Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter

59 min
12/24/2024 · BONUS

BFW Revisited: The Tea Crisis of 1773

In Episode 401, we’ll be exploring the Tea Crisis and how it led to the non-importation/non-exportation movement of 1774-1776. Our guest historian, James Fichter, references the work of Mary Beth Norton and her “The Seventh Tea Ship” article from The William and Mary Quarterly. In this BFW Revisited episode, we’ll travel back to December 2016, when we spoke with Mary Beth Norton about her article and the Tea Crisis of 1773. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/112 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Complementary Episodes Episode 135: Moral Commerce: The Transatlantic Boycott of the Slave Labor Economy Episode 160: The Politics of Tea Episode 228: The Boston Massacre Episode 229: The Townshend Moment Episode 337: Early America's Trade with China Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter

43 min
12/17/2024

400 Ben Franklin's world

How do historians define Ben Franklin’s “world?” What historical event, person, or place in the era of Ben Franklin do they wish you knew about? In celebration of the 400th episode of Ben Franklin’s World, we posed these questions to more than 20 scholars. What do they think? Join the celebration and discover more about the world Ben Franklin lived in. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/400 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Complementary Episodes Episode 114: Karin Wulf, The History of the Genealogy Episode 285: Elections & Voting in the Early Republic Episode 300: Vast Early America Episode 389: Indigenous Justice in Early America Episode 393: Politics and Political Culture in the Early American Republic Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter

43 min
12/10/2024 · BONUS

BFW Revisited: The Nat Turner Revolt

In our last episode, Episode 399, we discussed Denmark Vesey’s revolt and the way biblical texts and scripture enabled Vesey to organize what would have been the largest slave revolt in United States history if the revolt had not been thwarted before Vesey could put it into action. Early American history is filled with revolts against enslavers that were thwarted and never made it past the planning stage. But, one uprising that did move beyond planning and into action was the Southampton Rebellion or Nat Turner’s Revolt in August 1831. In this BFW Revisited episode, Episode 133, which was released in May 2017, we met with Patrick Breen, an Associate Professor of History at Providence College. Patrick joined us to investigate Nat Turner’s Revolt with details from his book The Land Shall Be Deluged in Blood: A New History of the Nat Turner Revolt. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/133 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Complementary Episodes Episode 016: The Internal Enemy Episode 083: Slavery in Colonial Boston Episode 091: Rumors, Legends, and Hoaxes in Early America Episode 124: Making the Haitian Revolution Episode 125: Death, Suicide, and Slavery in British North America Episode 336: Suviving the Southampton Rebellion Episode 399: Denmark Vesey's Revolt Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter

57 min

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Elizabeth Covart

Host

4.4

out of 5

1,483 Ratings

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11/27/2024

Nova72!!

I’m a teenager and I get bored sooooo easily, but surprisingly, this didn’t. Not only was I able to learn more abt this, but I was also feeling entertained. If ur someone who has to study abt this topic and don’t find it interesting, listen to this!!! 🤩
So enjoyable!

10/22/2024

Haileelynn

I love this podcast! I have learned so much about my favorite time period and beyond. Great topics! Something for everyone!
American History

11/26/2024

Goy Orbison

Hi Could you do an occasional episode on colonial American history instead of Indians? K thanks
Wonderful!

09/20/2024

mrglenn52

I was seeking a pod cast with historical content and found you. Such a vast array of topics that are enlightening and verifiable. Please continue to share these insights.

This is a multiple award-winning podcast about early American history. It’s a show for people who love history and who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world. Each episode features conversations with professional historians who help shed light on important people and events in early American history. It is produced by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.