Ben Franklin’s World
By Joseph M. Adelman June 28, 2022

BFW: Experiences of Revolution, Part 1: Occupied Philadelphia

Each year, the Ben Franklin’s World team produces a special episode for the Fourth of July holiday. This year, we’re going even further, sharing two themed episodes that explore how ordinary Americans experienced the Revolutionary War. On Tuesday, June 28, the first of those episodes—“Experiences of Revolution, Part 1: Occupied Philadelphia,” episode 332—debuts wherever you enjoy… Read More

Ben Franklin's World 4 min read
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By Morgan McCullough March 02, 2022

Stuff for Your Ears

Learning about Material Culture with Ben Franklin’s World   a blog post by OI Material Culture Fellow Morgan McCullough   Material culture otherwise called ‘stuff,’ has long been a topic of interest for scholars and students of vast Early America. The Omohundro Institute has recently explored material culture at the 2021 conference “Material Worlds/Virtual Worlds: the Physical and… Read More

Ben Franklin's World 6 min read
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By Holly White October 06, 2020

Elections in Early America Podcast Series Releases TODAY!

Every year, the United States holds elections. Often these elections are for city, town, and state offices. Every two years, the United States holds federal elections, where the American people elect those who will represent and serve them in their national government.  How did elections in the United States develop? Who is American democracy for and who gets to… Read More

Ben Franklin's World 3 min read
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By Holly White October 06, 2020

Reading on Elections in Vast Early America

Want to learn more about elections and voting in early America? We’ve compiled a list of suggested books, articles, and online resources that you might find helpful. We either used these works ourselves for production research or they were suggested by our guests. Happy researching! Books Richard R. Beeman, The Varieties of Political Experience in Eighteenth-Century America Christopher M. Read More

Ben Franklin's World 6 min read
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By Liz Covart July 08, 2020

Tips and Tricks for Recording: Remote Interviews

By Liz Covart How can you record remote guests and phone calls? These were two questions people sent my way on Twitter when I asked what questions people had about mics, lighting, and sound for their virtual programs and courses.  In this last post of our three-post series on the subject of… Read More

Ben Franklin's World 11 min read
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By Liz Covart July 07, 2020

Tips and Tricks for Recording: Video

By Liz Covart I’ve seen a lot of questions about mics, lighting, and sound floating around on Twitter as more museums and institutions move their public programming online and as educators move their teaching online. Many people want to know how they can record the best audio and video for their projects. Today’s post is the second in a… Read More

Ben Franklin's World 10 min read
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By Liz Covart July 06, 2020

Tips and Tricks for Recording: Sound

By Liz Covart The coronavirus pandemic has forced the world to adapt from in-person activities, such as work and school, to at-home activities. With many museums and institutions moving their public programming online and educators moving their teaching online, I’ve seen a lot of questions about mics, lighting, and sound floating around on Twitter. These are areas I know… Read More

Ben Franklin's World 13 min read
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By Holly White July 02, 2020

The Many Meanings of the Fourth of July

Declaration of Independence, Dunlap Broadside (1776) Over the past few years, we’ve steadily grown our collection of readings related to U.S. Independence Day as well as Ben Franklin’s World episodes detailing the early American history of the Fourth of July. It’s time we put it all in one place.  Frederick Douglass famously questioned Americans in 1852, “What to… Read More

Ben Franklin's World 5 min read
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By Derrick R. Spires June 30, 2020

Dreams of a Revolution Deferred

Frontispiece. Walker’s Appeal, with a Brief Sketch of His Life by Henry Highland Garnet and also Garnet’s Address to the Slaves of the United States of America. (New York: J.H. Tobitt, 1848). Library of Congress. By Derrick R. Spires For Black citizens of the early United States, the Fourth of… Read More

Ben Franklin's World 23 min read
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By Liz Covart December 16, 2019

Tea Party Playlist

by Liz Covart Courtesy American Antiquarian Society On November 29, 1773, a group of concerned Bostonians met in Boston’s Old South Meeting House to discuss how to deal with the ships just arrived from London laden with tea to be sold by the East India Company under the terms of Great Britain’s Tea Act. The act sought to accomplish three… Read More

Ben Franklin's World 9 min read
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By Holly White October 08, 2019

Doing History 4: Bibliography

Bibliography for Doing History 4: Understanding the Fourth Amendment Want to learn more about the Bill of Rights and the Fourth Amendment? We’ve compiled a list of suggested books, articles, popular blog posts, and online resources that you might find helpful. We either used these works ourselves for production research or they were suggested by our guests. Happy researching!… Read More

Ben Franklin's WorldDoing Historyteaching 6 min read
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By Holly White October 08, 2019

Doing History 4 Legal Lexicon; or A Useful List of Terms You Might Not Know

“Doing History 4 Legal Lexicon; or A Useful List of Terms You Might Not Know” We are pleased to announce the release of “Doing History, Season 4: Understanding the Fourth Amendment.” Law is all around us. This 4-part Doing History series explains the early American origins and importance of the fourth amendment.  Although it doesn’t always make headlines as… Read More

Ben Franklin's WorldDoing History 10 min read
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