The American Revolution is embedded in the American character. It’s an event that can tell us who we are, how we came to be who we are, and how we can strive to be who we want to be as a nation and people.
Rick Atkinson, a three-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, a journalist who has worked at The Washington Post, and the author of The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777, joins us to explore how the War for Independence has impacted and shaped the American character.
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
In this episode, Rick Atkinson, a three-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, a journalist who has worked as a reporter, foreign correspondent, and senior editor at The Washington Post, and the author of The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777, joins us to explore how the War for Independence has impacted and shaped the American character.
During our exploration, Rick reveals why it’s important for us to view the American Revolution through both British and American perspectives; The scarcity the American and British armies experienced during the war; And, the violence and devastation wrought by the War for Independence and what that violence and devastation can tell us about the American character.
What You’ll Discover
- The title of Rick’s book, The British Are Coming
- The Georgian Papers Programme
- King George III and his papers
- How knowing King George III changes how we view the Revolution
- Seeing the American Revolution through both British and American perspectives
- The American Revolution as a civil war
- The violence of the Revolution
- Scarcity of materials during the War for Independence
- Devastation in the War for Independence
- Battle of Bunker Hill
- Benjamin and William Franklin
- How officers kept soldiers in the fight
- The Turtle
- War and technology
- The Battles of Trenton and Princeton, 1776-1777
- What Rick wants us to know about the American Revolution
Links to People, Places, and Publications
- Rick Atkinson
- RevolutionTrilogy.com
- RickAtkinsonBooks.com
- The British Are Coming
- New-York Historical Society
- Georgian Papers Programme
- Library of the Society of the Cincinnati
Sponsor Links
Support Ben Franklin's World
Complementary Episodes
- Episode 122: Andrew O’Shaughnessy, The Men Who Lost America
- Episode 123: Revolutionary Allegiances
- Episode 128: Alan Taylor, American Revolutions: A Continental History
- Episode 130: Paul Revere’s Ride Through History
- Episode 158: The Revolutionaries’ Army
- Episode 175: The War in Benjamin Franklin's House
Time Warp Question
In your opinion, what might have happened if the British Army had been better supplied? How would the War for American Independence have been different If the British Army had had all the supplies it needed to wage war?
Questions, Comments, Suggestions
Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion?
Get in Touch! Send me an e-mail, tweet, or leave a comment.
Listen!
Enjoy the Podcast?
Why Not Listen regularly through one of these apps?
|Ratings & Reviews
If you enjoy this podcast, please give it a rating and review.
Positive ratings and reviews help bring Ben Franklin's World to the attention of other history lovers who may not be aware of our show
Click here to rate & review on iTunes | Click here to rate & review on Stitcher