This is a multiple award-winning podcast about early American history. It’s a show for people who love history and who want to know more about the historical pe...
Do you know what time it is? In early America, this question wasn’t as simple to answer as it is today. Urban dwellers in cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston often wondered about the time—but few owned their own watches or clocks. So, how did they keep track of the hours? In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of early American timekeeping. Bob Frishman, a horologist—a specialist in clocks and watches—and a scholar of horology, joins us to explore how timepieces and their makers shaped community life and craftsmanship in the 18th century. Along the way, we’ll uncover the remarkable story of Edward Duffield, a Philadelphia clockmaker who wasn’t just a master craftsman but also a close friend and neighbor of Benjamin Franklin. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/402 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Colonial Williamsburg Email Lists Complementary Episodes Episode 149: Benjamin Franklin in London Episode 175: The Revolution in Ben Franklin’s House Episode 207: Young Benjamin Franklin Episode 244: Shoe Stories from Early America Episode 292: Craft in Early America Episode 301: From Inoculation to Vaccination, Pt 1 Episode 302: From Inoculation to Vaccination, Pt 2 Episode 332: Occupied Philadelphia Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter
--------
1:03:41
BFW Revisited: The Politics of Tea
To close out our mini-series on Tea in early America, we’re going to revisit Episode 160: The Politics of Tea. This episode was part of our Doing History: To the Revolution series with the Omohundro Institute in 2017. In this episode, we’ll revisit how early Americans went from attending tea parties to holding the Boston Tea Party. We’ll also explore more in depth information about how tea became a central part of many early Americans’ lives. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/160 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Complementary Episodes Episode 112: The Tea Crisis of 1773 Episode 229: The Townshend Moment Episode 401: Tea, Boycotts, and Revolution Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter
--------
1:27:31
401 Tea, Boycotts, and Revolution
During the early days of the American Revolution, British Americans attempted to sway their fellow Britons with consumer politics. In 1768 and 1769, they organized a non-consumption movement of British goods to protest the Townshend Duties. In 1774, they arranged a non-importation and non-exportation movement to protest the Tea Act and Coercive Acts. Why did the colonists protest the Tea Act and Coercive Acts? Why did they chose to protest those acts with the consumer politics of a non-importation/non-exportation program? James Fichter, the author of Tea: Consumption, Politics, and Revolution, 1773-1776, joins us to explore the Tea Crisis of 1773 and the resulting non-importation/non-exportation movement the colonists organized after Parliament passed the Coercive Acts. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/401 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Colonial Williamsburg Newsletters Complementary Episodes Episode 112: The Tea Crisis of 1773 Episode 160: The Politics of Tea Episode 228: The Boston Massacre Episode 229: The Townshend Moment Episode 296: The Boston Massacre: A Family History Episode 337: Early America’s Trade with China Episode 375: Misinformation Nation Episode 390: The Objects of Revolution Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter
--------
58:59
BFW Revisited: The Tea Crisis of 1773
In Episode 401, we’ll be exploring the Tea Crisis and how it led to the non-importation/non-exportation movement of 1774-1776. Our guest historian, James Fichter, references the work of Mary Beth Norton and her “The Seventh Tea Ship” article from The William and Mary Quarterly. In this BFW Revisited episode, we’ll travel back to December 2016, when we spoke with Mary Beth Norton about her article and the Tea Crisis of 1773. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/112 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Complementary Episodes Episode 135: Moral Commerce: The Transatlantic Boycott of the Slave Labor Economy Episode 160: The Politics of Tea Episode 228: The Boston Massacre Episode 229: The Townshend Moment Episode 337: Early America's Trade with China Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter
--------
43:27
400 Ben Franklin's world
How do historians define Ben Franklin’s “world?” What historical event, person, or place in the era of Ben Franklin do they wish you knew about? In celebration of the 400th episode of Ben Franklin’s World, we posed these questions to more than 20 scholars. What do they think? Join the celebration and discover more about the world Ben Franklin lived in. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/400 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Complementary Episodes Episode 114: Karin Wulf, The History of the Genealogy Episode 285: Elections & Voting in the Early Republic Episode 300: Vast Early America Episode 389: Indigenous Justice in Early America Episode 393: Politics and Political Culture in the Early American Republic Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter
This is a multiple award-winning podcast about early American history. It’s a show for people who love history and who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.
Each episode features conversations with professional historians who help shed light on important people and events in early American history. It is produced by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.