The British North American colonies formed some of the most democratic governments in the world. But that doesn't mean that all early Americans were treated equally or allowed to participate in representative government. Who could vote in Early...
A “little short of madness.” That is how Thomas Jefferson responded when two delegates from New York approached him with the idea to build the Erie Canal in January 1809. Jefferson’s comment did not discourage New Yorkers. On January 4, 1817, New...
What did British imperial officials in London and their North America-based representatives make of the American Revolution? In this episode, we explore the American Revolution through the eyes of John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, a British imperial...
After seven, long years of occupation, Americans found New York City in shambles after the British evacuation on November 25, 1783. Ten to twenty-five percent of the city had burned in 1776. The British used just about every building that remained...
When we think of Native Americans, many of us think of inland dwellers. People adept at navigating forests and rivers and the skilled hunters and horsemen who lived and hunted on the American Plains. But did you know that Native Americans were...
Did you know that when James Madison proposed the Bill of Rights, it consisted of 36 amendments and that the House of Representatives did not want to consider or debate Madison's proposed Constitutional amendments? Today, we explore the Bill of...
Washington Irving was an historian and writer. Some historians and biographers have called him the first great American author. Today, Michael Lord, Director of Education at Historic Hudson Valley, joins us to explore the life of Washington Irving...
Did you know that John Hancock was a smuggler? Smuggling presented a large problem for the imperial governments of Great Britain and France during the colonial period. Dr. Eugene Tesdahl, an Assistant Professor of History at the University of...