Episode 039: Eric Nelson, The Royalist Revolution

by Liz CovartJuly 21, 2015

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The American Revolution was a revolution against Parliament not a king.

This is the idea offered by Eric Nelson in his new book The Royalist Revolution: Monarchy and the American Founding.

Today, we explore the Royalist Revolution and how it affected the politics of the American Revolution with Eric Nelson.

About the Show

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.

Each episode features a conversation with an historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Eric Nelson, the Robert M. Beren Professor of Government at Harvard University and author of The Royalist Revolution: Monarchy and the American Founding, joins us to discuss a new interpretation of the American Revolution: The American Revolution was a revolution against Parliament, not King George III.

During our conversation, Eric helps us brush up on our English constitutional history so we can better understand what the royalist revolution was and how it came about. He also leads us on an exploration of how Great Britain governed its 13 British North American colonies and why some colonists argued that King George III should have more power to govern them, not less.

What You’ll Discover

How Eric Nelson came to write about the American Revolution as a revolt against Parliament, not King George III
The English Constitution and the powers it delegated to Parliament and the Monarch in the 18th century
Overview of the English Civil Wars
Overview of how the 17th-century English government worked
How the powers of Charles II differed from those of his father, Charles I, and grandfather, James II
Royal vs. proprietary colonies
The evolution of the different colonies and their governance
How Great Britain governed its North American colonies
The king’s “negative voice”
Why and how some colonists argued that the king was a better representative of the people than Parliament
Political ideology of 18th-century Whigs and Royalists
Why some colonists preferred the idea that the king, not Parliament should govern the colonies
How Royalist ideas about a strong executive figured into debates about the U.S. Constitution
Origins of the pro-legislature narrative of the American Revolution
How revolutionaries remembered the American Revolution
Overview of the Presidential Title Controversy