When we think of early American champions of religious liberty, one name often rises above the rest: Roger Williams.

Williams is widely remembered as the founder of Rhode Island and a strong advocate for the separation of church and state. But what kind of man turns down a prestigious ministerial position in Boston, only to be banished– and then builds an entirely new colony grounded in radical ideas?

Today, we attempt to answer that question by investigating the life and legacy of Roger Williams, a nonconformist among religious nonconformists.

To help guide us on our investigation of Williams’ life, we’re joined by three co-editors of the documentary collection Reading Roger Williams: Rogue Puritans, Indigenous Nations, and the Founding of America: Linford Fisher, an Associate Professor of History at Brown University, Sheila McIntyre, a Professor of History at the State University of New York, Potsdam, and Julie Fisher, a scholar of Native American history.

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

This episode features three guests:

Sheila McIntyre is a Professor of History at the State University of New York, Potsdam, and the editor of The Correspondence of John Cotton, Jr., 1640-1699.

Julie Fisher is a scholar of early America and Native American History, and the co-author of Ninigret, Sachem of the Niantics and Narragansetts.

Together, they have co-edited Reading Roger Williams: Rogue Puritans, Indigenous Nations, and the Founding of America, a one-volume work of Roger Williams’ writings.

During our exploration, Lin, Sheila, and Julie reveal the religious convictions that drove Roger Williams to migrate to and then break away from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Roger Williams’ collaborations and relationships with Indigenous leaders. And, details about the founding of Rhode Island, a colony where church and state were formally separated and religious liberty was extended farther than anywhere else in early North America.

In your opinion, what impact do you think Roger Williams and his work and life had on shaping the Revolution’s ideas about religious freedom and its pursuit? Sheila, would you like to start?

Episode 118: The Business of Slavery in Rhode Island

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The post Episode 417: Roger Williams, Rogue Puritan appeared first on Ben Franklin's World.

Have you ever wondered why genealogy captivates so many people?

Whether it’s tracing a family tree back generations or holding on to stories told around the dinner table, genealogy offers a powerful sense of connection—a connection that can shape identities, claims of property, and even arguments for freedom.

But genealogy isn’t just a modern-day hobby. In early America, genealogy was a deeply consequential practice with social, political, and legal implications.

Karin Wulf, a Professor of History and the Eighth Director and Librarian of the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University, joins us to explore the ways early Americans were interested in their family histories with details from her book Lineage: Genealogy and the Power of Connection in Early America.

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Karin Wulf is a Professor of History and the Eighth Director and Librarian of the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. She’s a co-founder of Clio Digital Media, the nonprofit organization where we produce Ben Franklin’s World. Her research expertise is in how gender and family intersect with political ideas, practices, and structures in early British America. She joins us to explore early American practices of genealogy with details from her book Lineage: Genealogy and the Power of Connection in Early America.

During our exploration, Karin reveals how early Americans understood and practiced genealogy, including vernacular genealogy and oral traditions. The role genealogy played in shaping early American ideas about family, freedom, and authority. And, why genealogy mattered across lines of race, class, and gender in a society that was increasingly organized around patriarchal and legal structures.

In your opinion, what role or roles do you think genealogy and family history have played in the creation and the continuation of the American Revolution and the new United States?

Episode 114: The History of Genealogy

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Ben Franklin’s World is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. To advertise on Ben Franklin's World contact [email protected].

The post Episode 416: Karin Wulf, Lineage: Genealogy in Early America appeared first on Ben Franklin's World.

When you picture the Declaration of Independence, what comes to mind?

Most people envision a single, iconic document–parchment, signatures, maybe even a scene from National Treasure. But what if I told you, the Declaration of Independence isn’t just one document, but many documents? And that each version of the Declaration tells a different story–a story not just about American independence, but about the people who printed, read, preserved, and even re-wrote the Declaration?

Emily Sneff is one of the leading experts on the Declaration of Independence. She has spent more than a decade researching the Declaration’s origins, and its different copies. She’s the former research manager of the Declaration Resources Project at Harvard, a consulting curator for Revolution 250 exhibits at the Museum of the American Revolution and the American Philosophical Society, and I’m proud to say, she’s is one of our former interns here at Ben Franklin’s World.

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Emily Sneff is a historian of early America and a leading expert on the Declaration of Independence. She’s a consulting curator for museum exhibitions planned for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration in 2026 at the Museum of the American Revolution, the American Philosophical Society, and Historic Trappe, which is in Pennsylvania. She’s also worked behind the scenes here at Ben Franklin’s World, first in helping us plan for Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft, and later as our very first Omohundro Institute intern.

During our exploration of the Declaration of Independence, Emily reveals why there isn’t one definitive copy of the Declaration of Independence and why it matters. How people in 1776 engaged with the Declaration, from public readings to personal annotations on copies of the document. And, how generations of Americans—from abolitionists to suffragists—have interpreted the Declaration’s promise of equality and liberty.

In your opinion, what might have happened if Congress had declared independence earlier in 1776 or later in 1776? So what if independence had not been declared in July 1776?  

Episode 018: Our Declaration

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The post Episode 415: Emily Sneff, The Many Declarations of Independence appeared first on Ben Franklin's World.

How do we uncover queer lives from the distant past, especially in an era when language and records often erased or obscured them?

What did queerness look like in early America, and how might it have intersected with power, religion, and empire on the eve of the American Revolution?

John McCurdy, a Professor of History and Philosophy at Eastern Michigan University and the author of Vicious and Immoral: Homosexuality, the American Revolution, and the Trials of Robert Newburgh, joins us to explore these questions through the remarkable story of British Army Chaplain Robert Newburgh.

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

John McCurdy is a Professor of History and Philosophy at Eastern Michigan University. His research expertise is in the fields of Colonial and Revolutionary America, gender, and LGTBQ+ history. He is the author of three books, including Quarters: The Accommodation of the British Army and the Coming of the American Revolution, and, most recently, Vicious and Immoral: Homosexuality, the American Revolution, and the Trials of Robert Newburgh.

Drawing on court records, correspondence, and military archives, John helps us investigate how eighteenth-century Britons understood and policed same-sex behavior. Why Robert Newburgh’s sexuality and character became central to his military service. And, what Robert Newburgh’s story reveals about the British Empire’s treatment of queerness—and about the historical challenges of naming and recovering LGBTQIA+ lives in the past.

In your opinion, what do you think we should focus on in our 250th anniversary commemoration of the American Revolution?

Episode 002: “That’s So Gay” Exhibit, Library Company

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The post Episode 414: John McCurdy: Robert Newburgh’s Trials: Queerness & Reputation in Revolutionary America appeared first on Ben Franklin's World.

June 17, 2025, marks the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, the first full-scale battle of what would become the American War for Independence.

Although technically a British victory, Bunker Hill proved that colonial soldiers could hold their own against the might of the British Empire. New England militiamen inflicted 1,054 casualties on the British, 50 percent of the British force. The New Englanders sustained 411 casualties that day, including the man who stood at the heart of this battle: Dr. Joseph Warren.

Who was Dr. Joseph Warren, and why did he risk his life in the first major battle of the Revolutionary War?

What drove this physician, political thinker, and revolutionary leader to become the face of the American Revolution in Boston?

Christian Di Spigna, Executive Director of the Dr. Joseph Warren Foundation, joins us to explore these questions and commemorate this important anniversary with details from his book, Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution’s Lost Hero.

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Christian Di Spigna received his degree in history from Columbia University. He is the Executive Director of the Dr. Joseph Warren Foundation, serves on the board of the Charlestown Historical Society, and is a member of the Bunker Hill Monument Association. He has dedicated nearly three decades to the study of Dr. Joseph Warren and the American Revolution in Boston. He’s also the author of Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution’s Lost Hero.

During our exploration, Christian reveals: How Joseph Warren’s humble beginning shaped his revolutionary ideals. Why Joseph Warren’s relationship with both Loyalists and Revolutionaries made him a crucial bridge between divided political views. And, what Joseph Warren’s leadership during the critical “60-Day Period” between Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill tells us about his enduring legacy.

In your opinion, what might have happened if Warren had not shown up for the Battle of Bunker Hill, or if he had shown up and lived? How might the American Revolution, the new nation, and Warren’s legacy be different if he had lived beyond June 17, 1775?

Episode 130: Paul Revere’s Ride Through History

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The post Episode 413: Dr. Joseph Warren & the Battle of Bunker Hill appeared first on Ben Franklin's World.

The winter of 1740-1741 was exceptionally cold in North America. And as Benjamin Franklin looked around his house and neighborhood, he saw a problem in need of fixing: energy going to waste as people consumed wood to keep their homes warm.

How did Franklin’s stove save energy? What does it reveal about wood, trees, and attempts to control the climate? And how can that help us understand how humans relate to their environment?

Joyce Chaplin, a historian of early America and the environment, and an expert on Benjamin Franklin, joins us to discuss how Franklin’s stoves help us understand climate change with details from her new book, The Franklin Stove.

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Joyce Chaplin is a professor at Harvard University and a renowned scholar of early America, science, and climate. She’s the author or editor of ten books, including The First Scientific American, Round about the Earth, and The Franklin Stove.

Building on the research in her new book, Joyce explores how a frigid winter pushed Franklin to invent a new way to distribute heat in indoor spaces.

In your opinion, how does thinking about Franklin's stove and climate change help us understand the American Revolution?

Episode 015: Joyce E. Chaplin, Round About the Earth: Circumnavigation from Magellan to Orbit

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The post Episode 412: Joyce Chaplin, The Franklin Stove appeared first on Ben Franklin's World.

Two hundred fifty years ago, in May 1775, delegates from thirteen British North American colonies gathered in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress.

Why was Philadelphia chosen as the seat of Congress? What made the city a critical hub for revolutionary ideas, commerce, and culture? And how has Philadelphia’s early history shaped the broader narrative of American Independence?

Paul Kahan, a historian of American political, economic, and urban history, joins us to explore Philadelphia’s early American history with details from his book, Philadelphia: A Narrative History, the first comprehensive history book about Philadelphia in over 40 years.

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Paul Kahan is a historian with expertise in United States political, economic, and diplomatic history. He’s the author of seven books, including Eastern State Penitentiary: A History, and, most recently, Philadelphia: A Narrative History.

Using details from his book, Paul reveals how Philadelphia’s colonial and revolutionary past made the city the cultural, intellectual, and political capital of early America. Why Philadelphia’s diversity, geography, and economic power made it ideal for convening the Second Continental Congress. And, how William Penn’s plans for a tolerant, organized, and profitable city collided with the realities of urban growth and revolutionary change.

 In your opinion, what was Philadelphia's most significant contribution to the American Revolution and its war for independence?

Episode 153: Governments of the American Revolution

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The post Episode 411: Paul Kahan, Philadelphia: An Early History appeared first on Ben Franklin's World.

When did people begin seeking anonymous advice for their most profound personal dilemmas?

What can the answers to their early questions tell us about the emotional lives of people in the past?

We’re traveling back in time to 1690s England to explore the world’s first personal advice column, The Athenian Mercury. This two-sided broadsheet publication invited readers to send in questions about anything–from science and religion to love and marriage– and its creators, a small group of Londoners who dubbed themselves the “Athenian Society,” answered these queries with a surprising blend of wit, morality, and insight.

Joining us for this investigation is Mary Beth Norton, the Mary Donlon Alger Professor Emerita at Cornell University and an award-winning historian who is a trailblazer in the field of early American women's history. She's also the author of “I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer”: Letters on Love & Marriage from the World's First Personal Advice Column.

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Mary Beth Norton is the Mary Donlon Alger Professor Emerita at Cornell University. She’s an award-winning historian who has served as the President of the American Historical Association, she’s also a pioneer in the field of women’s history. She joins us today to explore love, marriage, and courtship through her book, “I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer: Letters on Love & Marriage from the World's First Personal Advice Column.

During our exploration, Mary Beth reveals why the 1690s were ripe for the invention of a personal advice column. What readers’ anonymous questions tell us about gender, love, marriage, and courtship in the late seventeenth century. And, how the Athenians’ seventeenth-century advice echoes many of the same concerns we still write to columnists about today.

In your opinion, what might have happened if the world’s first personal advice column had originated in British North America instead of in England? What differences might we have seen in this hypothetical American version?

Episode 094: Founding Friendships

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The post Episode 410: Mary Beth Norton, The World’s First Personal Advice Column appeared first on Ben Franklin's World.

April 19, 2025 marked the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord—the moment the American Revolution turned from protest to war.

What do we really know about that fateful day? How did the people of Concord prepare for what they faced in April 1775?

David Wood, the longtime curator of the Concord Museum and the author of Eyewitness to Revolution: The American Revolution in the Concord Museum, joins us to explore answers to these questions.

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

David Wood has been the Curator of the Concord Museum since 1985. Since then, he has developed a deep knowledge of the museum’s collections, Concord history, and interpretive methods. He has overseen the development of 40 temporary exhibitions and the Concord Museum’s NEH-funded permanent exhibition, Why Concord? He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and publications, including Eyewitness to Revolution: The American Revolution in the Concord Museum, a book that parallels the museum’s April 19, 1775 galleries.

During our exploration of April 19, 1775, David reveals how the people of Concord prepared—quietly and carefully—for war, months before April 1775. Why the British Army marched on Concord on April 19, 1775, and the resistance it met with at Lexington and Concord. And, the significance of the material culture—like a lantern from Old North Church—preserved in the Concord Museum’s vast April 19 collection.

In your opinion, what might have happened if the British had not marched for Concord on April 19th, 1775? How do you think the course of the American Revolution might have been different? 

Episode 112: The Tea Crisis of 1773

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The post Episode 409: The Battles of Lexington & Concord, 1775 appeared first on Ben Franklin's World.

The American Revolution was more than just a series of events that unfolded between 1763 and 1783, the American Revolution is our national origin story– one we’ve passed down, shaped, and reshaped for the last 250 years.

But what do we really mean when we talk about “the Revolution?” Whose Revolution are we remembering? And how has the meaning of 1776 shifted from generation to generation?

Michael Hattem, a scholar of the American Revolution and historical memory, joins us to discuss the American Revolution and its memory, drawing on details from his new book, The Memory of ‘76: The Revolution in American History.

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Michael Hattem is a scholar of the American Revolution and historical memory. You may remember Michael from Episode 307, where we discussed his first book, Past and Prologue. In this episode, we join Michael to investigate the history of our memories of the Revolution drawing on details from his new book, The Memory of ‘76: The Revolution in American History.

During our investigation, Michael reveals why the American Revolution has long been a source of both unity and division in American life. How figures like Thomas Jefferson have actively shaped the public's memories of the Revolution for personal gain. And, how different Americans— from Civil War-era Confederates to 1970s bicentennial activists— have reinterpreted 1776 to reflect their own needs, identities, and aspirations.

In your opinion, what do you think we should focus on in our 250th anniversary commemoration of the American Revolution?

Episode 145: Mercy Otis Warren

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The post Episode 408: Michael Hattem, The Memory of 1776 appeared first on Ben Franklin's World.