Video Podcasts

American Revolution’s Treason Trap: Whom to Betray?

Image of Adel Aali (program host) and his guest, Prof. Carlton Larson, superimposed on the Betsy Ross flag, along with a cropped image of "One Nation Under Law: The Meaning of the Declaration of Independence", Prof. Larson's book that is the basis of this interview. Visit AARevolution.net for more images of the American Revolution and for interviews of scholars with Adel Aali.

Introduction In this interview: “That is, if you’re loyal to the king, then you’re disloyal to these new American governments, and if you’re loyal to the new American governments, you are disloyal to the king.” Watch this segment in the video below (21:09) How do we make sense of “treason” during the American Revolution when, […]

The Hessians: How 1/3 of Britain’s Army Fought—and Saw—America

Image of Adel Aali (program host) and his guest, Dr. Friederike Baer, superimposed on the Betsy Ross flag, along with a cropped image of "Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War", Dr. Baer's book that is the basis of this interview. Visit AARevolution.net for more images of the American Revolution and for interviews of scholars with Adel Aali.

In this interview: “By 1780–81, fully one third of the British regular army force in North America is German. So I just want to mention that this is not just a little side story. This is very significant.” Watch this segment in the video below (14:42) Introduction One-third of Britain’s army? If that’s the case, […]

The Continental Dollar: The Default That Built American Credit

Image of Adel Aali (program host) and his guest, Dr. Farley Grubb, superimposed on the Betsy Ross flag, along cover image of “The Continental Dollar: How the American Revolution was Financed with Paper Money”. Visit AARevolution.net for more images of the American Revolution and for interviews of scholars with Adel Aali.

Introduction In this interview: “If they default on the Continental dollar, that’s going to wipe off a lot of debt … and the minute you do that, you go from a negative 40 million net worth to a positive 40 million net worth.” Watch this segment in the video below (01:16:19) How could default create […]

Hessian POWs: Hold Them. Win Them Over. Weaken Britain.

Image of Adel Aali (program host) and his guest, Dr. Daniel Krebs, superimposed on the Betsy Ross flag, along cover image of “A Generous and Merciful Enemy: Life for German Prisoners of War during the American Revolution”. Visit AARevolution.net for more images of the American Revolution and for interviews of scholars with Adel Aali.

Introduction In this interview: “They wanted to take good care of those German POWs… Hey, if you leave the British and become American, this is how many acres we’re going to promise you.” Watch this segment in the video below (01:03:57; 01:07:39) Why treat enemy POWs well? Why offer them land? Why encourage them to […]

Why Canada Refused to Join the American Revolution

Image of Adel Aali (program host) and his guest, Dr. Jeffers Lennox, superimposed on the Betsy Ross flag, along cover image of “North of America: Loyalists, Indigenous Nations, and the Borders of the Long American Revolution”. Visit AARevolution.net for more images of the American Revolution and for interviews of scholars with Adel Aali.

Introduction In this interview: “It’s actually the other way. Nova Scotia asks to be invaded.” Watch this segment in the video below (37:49) Did Nova Scotia really asked to be invaded? If so, then why did George Washington refuse? And why did he invade Quebec instead – a campaign that ultimately failed? Why did Congress […]

The Habsburgs and the American Revolution: A Missing Chapter

Image of Adel Aali (program host) and his guest, Dr. Jonathan Singerton, superimposed on the Betsy Ross flag, along cover image of "The American Revolution and the Habsburg Monarchy", a book by Dr. Singerton that we discuss in this interview. Visit AARevolution.net for more images of the American Revolution and for interviews of scholars with Adel Aali.

Introduction In this interview: “May 13, 1779 is not a date well remembered by historians of the American Revolution, but it should be.” Watch this segment in the video below (00:38:41) Why did Benjamin Franklin enjoy greater access to Maria Theresa – Holy Roman Empress – than to Louis XVI – the French king? Did […]

Did the Treaty of Paris Create the United States?

Image of Adel Aali (program host) and his guest, Dr. Eliga Gould, superimposed on the Betsy Ross flag, along cover image of "Among the Powers of the Earth: The American Revolution and the Making of a New World Empire", a book by Dr. Gould that we discuss in this interview. Visit AARevolution.net for more images of the American Revolution and for interviews of scholars with Adel Aali.

Introduction In this interview: “We like the documents that we wrote. We didn’t write, you know, we Americans had to write the Treaty of Paris with the British. It is a bilateral document. And, you know, it’s not entirely a welcome truth that one of our three founding documents is an international document.” Watch this […]

Who Decides What the American Revolution Means?

Image of Adel Aali (program host) and his guest, Dr. Michael Hattem, superimposed on the Betsy Ross flag, along with the cover image of "The Memory of '76: The Revolution in American History", a book we discuss in this interview. Visit AARevolution.net for more images of the American Revolution and for interviews of scholars with Adel Aali.

Introduction In this interview: “The memory of the Revolution has often done more to divide Americans than to unite them.” Watch this segment in the video below (00:27:30) Most Americans think the meaning of the American Revolution has always been obvious. But has it? Did Americans always celebrate the Declaration of Independence the way we […]

America Compared to History’s Great Empires

Image of Adel Aali (program host) and his guest, Dr. Steven Pincus, superimposed on the Betsy Ross flag, along with an 18th century map of the 13 original American colonies. Visit AARevolution.net for more images of the American Revolution and for interviews of scholars with Adel Aali.

Introduction In this interview: “Americans invariably described their new polity, not just as a republic, but also as an empire… They used the word empire over and over and over again. Watch this segment in the video below (00:10:01) America was founded as a republic. So why did early Americans repeatedly describe it as an […]