Ruthanne Paulson and Deborah Potee have created a musical, "Oh, That Dreadful Tea," designed to allow kids to experience the thrill of performing and telling the story of the Boston Tea Party through song and drama.  Their musical is designed to make this pivotal event more memorable and impactful for elementary and middle school students. Find out more in our conversation! 

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2024 marks the bicentennial of the return of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States. In 1824, President James Monroe invited Lafayette, the last surviving Major General of the Revolution,  to be the guest of the nation as a way to celebrate the nation’s 50th anniversary. Lafayette's arrival in New York inspired four days and nights of continuous celebration—a response replicated throughout the country, as what started out as a 3 month tour turned into a 13-month marathon as Lafayette visited each of the 24 United States. We discuss the tour with Elizabeth Reese, a public historian and author of Marquis de Lafayette Returns: A Tour of America's National Capital Region.  Elizabeth Reese is also deeply involved with plans for the bicentennial of Lafayette's visit being planned by the American Friends of Lafayette--see if he is coming to your town!

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Since 1889 the Sons of the American Revolution have been working to preserve the memories of those who fought and supported the American Revolution.  While the national headquarters is in Louisville, Kentucky, there are over 550 chapters world-wide, dedicated to commemorating the service and sacrifice of the men and women who fought to establish an independent United States of America.  Join Revolution 250 Executive Director in conversation with T. Brooks Lyles, current Registrar General and former Historian General of the SAR on the work of the Sons of the American Revolution and their plans for a new museum and educational center at the national headquarters.

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In the summer of 1787, 55 delegates assembled at Philadelphia to write a new Constitution for the new United States of America.  The document that was finally agreed upon on September 15, 1787 was not without controversy.  The completed document was filled with compromises, particularly around how representation would be calculated, and lacked a Bill of Rights.  Join Professor Robert Allison & Revolution 250 Executive Director Jonathan Lane in conversation with Professor Carol Berkin, Baruch Presidential Professor emerita at the City University of New York on her book A Brilliant Solution; Inventing the American Constitution.

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Agents, double-agents, spies, secret messages, codes, cyphers are the words that evoke the world of intelligence gathering, a necessary tool for the success of any army.  George Washington knew better than anyone the value of knowing what your enemy's plans were and to prevent them, if at all possible, from learning your  own plans.  Amazingly there are still many sites associated with the Culper Spy Ring that you can visit.  Bill Bleyer, journalist and historian, tells us about his book, George Washington's Long Island Spy Ring:  A History and Tour Guide. 

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"Listen my children, and you shall hear, of the midnight ride of Paul Revere."  With this one line, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ensured the legacy of 18th-century Boston silversmith, mechanic and entrepreneur, Paul Revere.  The poem, published in January of 1861 in the Atlantic Monthly magazine was simply entitled "Paul Revere's Ride," and purports to detail the ride of Paul Revere to warn Middlesex county farmers and minute men about the approach of Regular Army soldiers to capture a cache of weapons and supplies hidden in Concord, Massachusetts.  However, that dramatic ride was just one of dozens of rides that Paul Revere was hired to do on behalf of the people of Massachusetts.  Join Professor Bob Allison in conversation with Tegan Kehoe, the Research and Adult Programs Director of the historic Paul Revere House on the many rides of Paul Revere.

https://www.paulreverehouse.org/

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The "Whiskey Rebellion," as Alexander Hamilton called it, was the first major test of the new government's power to control its territory.  The Whiskey Tax of 1791 taxed smaller producers of whiskey, and required all stills to be registered.  The response of farmers in the west--many of them veterans of the Revolution--was at times violent, and President Washington responded by leading an army of 13,000 men--mocked at the "watermelon army"-- to subdue the rebellion.  We talk about this story with Brady Crytzer, author of The Whiskey Rebellion; A Distilled History of an American Crisis.

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We see him as the artist who gave us the iconic imagery of our nation's founding.  He saw himself as a historian.  John Trumbull, soldier, spy, and artist was the son of a Connecticut Governor, a scion of the first-families of New England.  Join Professor Robert Allison in conversation with award-winning author Richard Brookhiser on his book Glorious Lessons; John Trumbull, the Painter of the American Revolution.

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Mount Vernon's historical status was secured by George Washington's ownership, but its full history cannot be told without examining the other people who lived here. Sarah Johnson, first living enslaved at Mount Vernon and later emancipated, saw the change in Mount Vernon from family home to national treasure.  We discuss this story with Scott E. Casper, author of  Sarah Johnson's Mount Vernon: The Forgotten History of an American Shrine.    And we also discuss Scott Casper's favorite place, the American Antiquarian Society and its amazing collections and programs.  

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Ben and William Frank became part of the Second Rhode Island Regiment in 1777.  AFter figinting in the Battle of Rhode Island, Ben switched sides, joined with the British, and wound up in Nova Scotia after the war.  His descendant Shirley Green, a Toledo police officer and now director of the Toledo Police Museum, wrote about the Frank Brothers in her terrific book,  Revolutionary Blacks: Discovering the Frank Brothers, Freeborn Men of Color, Soldiers of Independence.  We talk with her about the Frank brothers and their story. 

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