Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture

Uncommon Sense—the blog

Author Archive

Elections in Early America Podcast Series Releases TODAY!

· October 6th, 2020 · No Comments

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… Read More »

Reading on Elections in Vast Early America

· October 6th, 2020 · 4 Comments

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… Read More »

The Many Meanings of the Fourth of July

· July 2nd, 2020 · 1 Comment

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 a Slave is… Read More »

Doing History 4: Bibliography

· October 8th, 2019 · No Comments

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… Read More »

Ben Franklin’s World Wraps Up Three-Part Mini-Series on the Boston Massacre

· March 20th, 2019 · No Comments

March 5th marked the 249th anniversary of the Boston Massacre. Over the past three weeks, Ben Franklin’s World: A Podcast about Early American History has explored this event and its complicated history with scholars Eric Hinderaker, Patrick Griffin, and Mitch Kachun. In episode 228, “The Boston Massacre,” Eric Hinderaker, distinguished professor of History at the… Read More »

A Hamilton-Inspired Playlist from Ben Franklin’s World

· December 5th, 2018 · No Comments

Since its Broadway premiere in 2015, Hamilton: An American Musical has taken the world by storm. For many who have seen Hamilton, the undeniable star of the show is not the young, scrappy, and hungry title character or his tempered frenemy Burr, but the resplendent George III. The sardonic king interjects at three different points… Read More »