In this episode of the Revolution 250 Podcast, host Professor Robert Allison speaks with Emily Sneff, author of When the Declaration of Independence Was News. Together they explore how the Declaration spread across the colonies and the wider world—not as a sacred founding text, but as breaking news. Sneff, co-founder of the Declaration Resources Project at Harvard University, traces how printers, sailors, and town criers turned Congress’s resolution into headlines that shaped the very idea of independence.

From the first public readings to the global echoes in newspapers and pamphlets, this conversation reveals how revolutionary ideas went viral in the 18th century—and how that moment still defines what it means to announce freedom today.

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Join host Professor Robert Allison as he speaks with historian and author Edward Andrews about his new book, Newport Gardner’s Anthem: A Story of Slavery, Struggle, and Survival in Revolutionary America. Together, they explore the remarkable life of Newport Gardner—born Occramer Marycoo in Africa, enslaved in Newport, and later freed to become a composer, community leader, and founder of one of America’s first Black churches. This story is a powerful look at how music, faith, and freedom intertwined in America’s first Black communities.

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Host Professor Robert Allison talks with Donna Curtin, Executive Director of Pilgrim Hall Museum, the oldest continuously operating public museum in America, about the surprising links between Plymouth’s Pilgrims and the Revolution. They spotlight the bold voices of James and Mercy Otis Warren, and explore Pilgrim Hall’s Revolutionary collections that connect 17th-century ideals to the fight for independence a century later.

Tickets for the "Plymouth Voices" play can be purchased HERE!

Website for Pilgrim Hall is Here!

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We are just months away from the 250th Anniversary of Henry Knox's Noble Train. Join Professor Robert Allison in conversation with Revolution 250 Executive Director Jonathan Lane as we review the history of the Knox Trail and discuss plans for the coming commemorations.

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Due to a technical difficulty this morning we are offering a "Revolution 250 Re-Podcast." Today's podcast will be from December 7, 2021 on the epic biography of King George III by Andrew Roberts, the Bonnie and Tom McCloskey Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. In this podcast, Professor Allison and Professor Roberts discuss the many remarkable qualities of George III as a monarch which are overshadowed by the events of the American Revolution. It is worth noting that since the original airing of this podcast in 2021, Professsor Roberts has been elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom as Baron Roberts of Belgravia for his voluminous work in history.

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Johnson Hall, designed in 1763 by noted colonial architect Peter Harrison, was the grand estate of Sir William Johnson, the influential British Superintendent of Indian Affairs in New York. From this stately home, Johnson shaped alliances that helped keep many Indigenous nations aligned with the Crown during the struggle for American independence. Today, the Johnson Hall is preserved as a New York State Historic Site, offering a window into the complex relationships between empire, Native peoples, and the Revolution.

Join Professor Robert Allison in conversation with Ian Mumpton, Interpretive Programs Assistant at Johnson Hall, as they explore Johnson’s legacy, the role of diplomacy and cultural exchange on the frontier, and how this landmark continues to tell stories of power, conflict, and negotiation on the eve of the Revolution.

https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/johnsonhall/details.aspx

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Host Robert Allison talks with Ron Peterson and David Martin about dramatic and little-known stories from Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket during the Revolution. From the fierce 1779 Battle of Falmouth to Nantucket’s divided loyalties, British shipwrecks, and the vital roles of African American and Native American patriots, this episode reveals how the Cape and Islands were anything but quiet backwaters in America’s fight for independence.

To order a copy of the Book, The Revolutionary War on the Cape and the Islands:

To Order, Send:
1. Check for $30 made out to “MMHS”
(tax and shipping included)
2. Mailing address

To:
David Martin
10 Colonial Farm Circle
Marstons Mills, MA 02648
(Allow 10 days for delivery)

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It is easy to see the Franklin stove as just an invention to improve the lives of colonial Americans. The stove, like many of Franklin's inventions, went through a series of improvements as he explored the science of heat convection and thermal dynamics. Other changes and considerations came about as Franklin changed the fuel from wood to coal. This is just one aspect of the impact of Franklin's stove on the 18th-century world. We talk with Professor Joyce Chaplin about her new book, The Franklin Stove: An Unintended American Revolution, which explores the world which brought about Franklin's invention and how it was part of a changing world.

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