clay451

Things in Boston are about to get really dicey.  In this episode, we’re going to look at several events that happened in Boston starting in about 1770 that all are part of the buildup of tension that leads to the beginning of the American Revolution.   Last episode we talked about the French and Indian war, … Read more

In this episode, we’re going to look at a world-changing war, that was started by an small Indian and colonial raid on a French patrol.  That Indian raid included a few members of the Virginia Militia, including a 22 year old Lieutenant colonel named George Washington.  This little raid was later described as “the volley … Read more

Well, last episode we surveyed the 13 original colonies, as they were at the start of the 1700’s.  And as I mentioned, a lot happens in the 1700’s.  And as I mentioned 2 episodes ago, one of the things that was happening at this time in Europe was the Enlightenment, which was in full swing … Read more

Well, buckle your podcast seatbelts, because we are getting to a point where a lot of stuff happens in a really short time.  Welcome to the 1700’s!  If you ask the question, which century ‘shaped our modern world’ the most, I think I might pick the 1700’s.  A lot of influential stuff happened in the … Read more

Ok, I need to step back for an episode, and step away from the narrative of the English colonies in North America, which I really want to talk about, and instead spend a bit of time talking about one of the most important intellectual parts of the early modern era, because this whole intellectual trend … Read more

After a little while in Holland, the Puritans from Yorkshire felt like they were being over-influenced by the permissive culture of Holland, and that they were also losing their Englishness.  So in 1620, the puritans hired two ships, the Speedwell and the Mayflower, to take the entire congregation to the New World, and found a … Read more

This episode is kind of a cross-over.  We’re looking at the early English explorations of the New world, and their first colonies, which started during Elizabeth’s reign, so they are kind of part of the Middle Ages.   But they are kind of part of the modern era, too, because these first colonies set the stage … Read more

Wow, our 51st episode.  We’ll be talking about the modern world any day now.  But before we get to the New World, the Enlightenment, The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, the chaos of the 1800’s, the further chaos of the 1900’s, and the soul-crushing angst of the new millennium, let’s take a look back … Read more

Well guys, we’re right at the end of the Middle Ages.  It’s been a longer process than I thought it would be back when I decided to call this podcast a ‘short’ walk through our long history.  It’s   taken us 50 episodes to get through all of human history up to AD 1600.  We … Read more