In The American Revolution and the Fate of the World, historian Richard Bell explores how the struggle for American independence reverberated far beyond the thirteen colonies—reshaping politics, empires, and ideas of liberty around the globe. Bell reveals how revolutionaries from Boston to Bengal, Paris to Port-au-Prince, drew inspiration and warning from the events of 1776. The American Revolution became a test case for freedom in an age of empire. Looking at the stories of individuals caught up in its ferment, Bell shows how the Revolution reshaped the world. 

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Host Professor Robert Allison welcomes Dr. Kathryn P. Viens, public historian and scholar, to explore how local histories have shaped Americans’ understanding of patriotism and the Revolution from the nineteenth century to today. Drawing from her essay “Mobs or the Martial Ideal? The Mutable Definition of Patriotism in Local Historical Narratives,” published in the online journal Remembering the American Revolution at 250, Viens discusses how community-based histories—often written by nineteenth-century antiquarians—both preserved and reframed the Revolution’s memory.

Together, Allison and Viens delve into the evolution of civic identity, how shifting cultural values influenced interpretations of the Revolution, and why local stories remain essential to the broader national narrative. This episode invites listeners to reconsider how patriotism has been defined, remembered, and reinterpreted in the generations since America’s founding.

https://journals.h-net.org/.../2025_Viens_mobs_martial_ideal

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In listening to James Otis, Jr.'s arguments against the Writs of Assistance in 1761, John Adams remarked that it was there that American Independence was born.  There is no question of Otis' erudition or passion for liberty, but while he fought for the rights of his country, he was also fighting a personal battle for his mental health.  We talk with Gerald Holland, aurhor of a new biography of Otis,  Lucy Pollock, Kate LaPine, and Paul Piwko as they discuss the new  online exhibit. Patriot, Hero, and Distracted Person. a collaboration  between Revolutionary Spaces and the National Museum of Mental Health Project on the life and struggles of James Otis, Jr.

https://www.nmmhproject.org/jamesotisjr

https://revolutionaryspaces.org/

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What does it cost to stay loyal when a world is breaking apart? Historian Greg Brooking  explores the life and legacy of Sir James Wright, Georgia’s last royal governor, and the turbulent path from Crown colony to revolutionary state in his new book, From Empire to Revolution:  Sir James Wright and the Price of Loyalty in Georgia. In this conversation he digs into loyalty and dissent, political power and personal risk, and how events in the southern colonies reshaped the course of the American Revolution. Join us for a sharp, story-rich look at Georgia’s revolution—and the people who gambled everything on their principles.

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Emily Sneff, author of When the Declaration of Independence Was News explores how the Declaration spread across the colonies and the wider world—not as a sacred founding text, but as breaking news.  Her book traces how printers, sailors, and town criers turned Congress’s resolution into headlines that shaped the very idea of independence.   Historian of the Declaration of Independence, Emily Sneff is of the curators of the new exhibit, "Declaration's Journey, at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, and writes the newsletter Declaration Stories sharing her research on the Declaration of Independence, its  global echoes in newspapers and pamphlets,  how revolutionary ideas went viral in the 18th century—and how that moment still defines what it means to announce freedom today.

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Join host Professor Robert Allison as he speaks with historian and author Edward Andrews about his new book, Newport Gardner’s Anthem: A Story of Slavery, Struggle, and Survival in Revolutionary America. Together, they explore the remarkable life of Newport Gardner—born Occramer Marycoo in Africa, enslaved in Newport, and later freed to become a composer, community leader, and founder of one of America’s first Black churches. This story is a powerful look at how music, faith, and freedom intertwined in America’s first Black communities.

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 Donna Curtin, Executive Director of Pilgrim Hall Museum, the oldest continuously operating public museum in America, tells us about the surprising links between Plymouth’s Pilgrims and the Revolution. They spotlight the bold voices of James and Mercy Otis Warren, and explore Pilgrim Hall’s Revolutionary collections that connect 17th-century ideals to the fight for independence.

On October 11, they are hosting a performance of "Revolutionary Voices:  Plymouth Debates Liberty & Loyalists," a play drawn from the town records on the debates over Independence.

Tickets for the "Plymouth Voices" play can be purchased HERE!

Website for Pilgrim Hall is Here!

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We are just months away from the 250th Anniversary of Henry Knox's Noble Train.  Join Professor Robert Allison in conversation with Revolution 250 Executive Director Jonathan Lane as we review the history of the Knox Trail and discuss plans for the coming commemorations.

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Due to a technical difficulty this morning we are offering a "Revolution 250 Re-Podcast."  Today's podcast will be from December 7, 2021 on the epic biography of King George III by Andrew Roberts, the Bonnie and Tom McCloskey Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.  In this podcast, Professor Allison and Professor Roberts discuss the many remarkable qualities of George III as a monarch which are overshadowed by the events of the American Revolution.  It is worth noting that since the original airing of this podcast in 2021, Professsor Roberts has been elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom as Baron Roberts of Belgravia for his voluminous work in history.

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Johnson Hall, designed in 1763 by noted colonial architect Peter Harrison, was the grand estate of Sir William Johnson, the influential British Superintendent of Indian Affairs in New York. From this stately home, Johnson shaped alliances that helped keep many Indigenous nations aligned with the Crown during the struggle for American independence. Today, the Johnson Hall is preserved as a New York State Historic Site, offering a window into the complex relationships between empire, Native peoples, and the Revolution.

Join Professor Robert Allison in conversation with Ian Mumpton, Interpretive Programs Assistant at Johnson Hall, as they explore Johnson’s legacy, the role of diplomacy and cultural exchange on the frontier, and how this landmark continues to tell stories of power, conflict, and negotiation on the eve of the Revolution. 

https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/johnsonhall/details.aspx

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