Episode 189: Sam White, The Little Ice Age

by Holly WhiteJune 5, 2018

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We’re living in a period of climate change. Our Earth has been getting warmer since the mid-19th century.

So how will humans adapt to and endure this period of global warming? Will they adapt to it and endure?

It turns out the people of early America also lived through a period of climate change and their experiences may hold some answers for us.

Sam White, an Associate Professor at The Ohio State University and author of A Cold Welcome: The Little Ice Age and Europe’s Encounter, joins us to explore the Little Ice Age and how it impacted initial European exploration and colonization of North America.

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 a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.

Ben Franklin’s World is a production of the Omohundro Institute.

Episode Summary

Sam White , an Associate Professor at The Ohio State University and author of A Cold Welcome: The Little Ice Age and Europe’s Encounter, joins us to explore the Little Ice Age and how it impacted initial European exploration and colonization of North America.

During our investigation of the Little Ice Age, Sam reveals what the Little Ice Age was and when it took place; Evidence historians, climatologists, and glaciologists use to study the Little Ice Age and its impact; And details about how the people of early America experienced the Little Ice Age.

What You’ll Discover

Big History
The Little Ice Age
Temperatures of the Little Ice Age
Weather during the Little Ice Age
Causes of the climate change between 1300 and 1850
Historical evidence of the Little Ice Age as a period
How Europeans understood climate and weather
Spanish attempts to settle Florida in the 16th century
Florida’s weather during the 1500s
Hurricanes during the Little Ice Age
North American food supply during the Little Ice Age
Native American-European relations
Spanish exploration and settlement of New Mexico
Weather and violence
Winter in colonial Canada
Scurvy and Continental America
Why Europeans had a hard time adapting to North America

Links to People, Places, and Publications

Sam White
A Cold Welcome: The Little Ice Age and Europe’s Encounter
Karen Kupperman, Indians and English: Facing Off in Early America
Karen Kupperman, The Jamestown Project
Karen Kupperman, Roanoke: The Abandoned Colony
Boston History Camp
Boston Meet Up: July 8, 10am Meet at the corner of Park Street and Tremont Street on Boston Common
Cleveland Meet Up: Saturday July 21
Send Liz your questions about early American history for Episode 200

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Time Warp Question

In your opinion, what might have happened if the Spanish, English, and French colonists who confronted North America during the Little Ice Age had better understood the climate change of the period and how to adapt to it? How would the history of North America be different? 