The Blue Collar Scholar

After early successes, the American Continental Army faced nearly a whole year (1777) of defeat and retreat, including the fall of Philadelphia to British forces, necessitating the Second Continental Congress' move from what was then the national capital. Despite these being "the times that try men's souls," the British were unable to force an American surrender. And the Americans were able to secure a couple of incredible victories, at Trenton (NJ) and Saratoga (NY).

This episode explores the women who appear in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. As it turns out, female characters only really factor into the narratives of Exodus and Numbers. This episode explores those characters, especially Miriam, the prophetess and sister of Moses. We will also take a look at a short list of laws that deal directly with women's issues.

This is the episode upon which this semester turns (in our The American Revolution class). All that we have discussed thus far has led the Founding Fathers up to the point where declaring independence from Great Britain was the only move that made sense. In this episode, we will go through each word of the Declaration, discuss the non-war-related aspects of the Second Continental Congress' business, and end with the adoption of the Articles of Confederation, which we will discuss in detail later this spring.

In May 2023, I was a guest on my friend Aaron & his sister Rori's pop culture podcast "Trying to Like It." In this episode, we select five bands from any point in history to headline our summer music festivals. If you enjoy this episode, consider liking and subscribing to "Trying to Like It" on Apple Podcasts, Simplecast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast distributor.

The timeframe of Genesis 12-50 is often referred to as the Age of the Patriarchs. Well, let's flip the script. We're here to talk about the ladies whose stories are vital to understanding the patriarchs. Some are heroes, some are villains. Some are triumphant, while others suffered under oppressors. But all of these ladies' stories deserve to be told.

The American Revolution was a process that went on for decades. In the midst of the evolving political revolution, a war broke out. The British government was not interested in letting their colonies be self-governed, rebellious, or independent. So, when the "redcoats" rolled out of Boston to capture rebellious legislators and colonial weapons stashes in Concord, Massachusetts, the "minutemen" responded. With actual bullets flying, the American Revolutionary War began. This episode of the podcast looks at the developments that led up to the Battle of Lexington and Concord, through the events that followed, such as the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and the Siege of Boston.

Note: In the episode, I mistakenly credit the phrase "the shot heard 'round the world" to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The phrase comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Concord Hymn."

In this episode, we look at the women who appear in the text of Genesis 1-11. These chapters cover over a thousand years of narrative history, giving minimal details and skipping many details as this section lays out a trim and streamlined foundation for the line of Abraham, whose family story is the origin story of the Jewish people.

It took a while for the American colonists to begin thinking of themselves as colonies that could bond together to resist British imperial policy, let alone rallying together for the purpose of independence. But, before we can get to July 4, 1776, we have to understand all of the British policies and American reactions that built momentum that would eventually become the American Revolution. This episode covers such things as the Stamp Act, the Tea Act, the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, the Intolerable Acts, etc.

The prophet Jeremiah makes several references to a "Queen of Heaven" that was being worshipped by some Jews of his generation. God, through Jeremiah, condemns this blatant act of polytheism. But this raises two questions: Who or what is this "Queen of Heaven?" And why was the attraction to worship her so powerful in a culture that was supposed to be devotedly monotheistic? Note: Roman Catholics sometimes use the term "Queen of Heaven" as an honorific title for Mary, the virgin mother of Christ. For obvious chronological reasons, Jeremiah was not referring to her. This episode will explore the ancient Near East's polytheistic roots of the Queen of Heaven.

Why and how did England plant its flag on the Eastern Seaboard of North America? What was the purpose of the 13 colonies? Were the colonies established for different reasons and purposes? What role did religion, business, and war play? We will explore these and other similar topics that lay a foundation of British colonization of the East Coast of North America.