Episode 001: Introduction

Michael Troy (0:09)

Hello, and thank you for joining me on my new project, A Journey Through the American Revolution. This is episode one, an introduction. Today, I embark on a new project to describe the entire American Revolution in detail. My plan is to make this a multi-year project covering all aspects of the Revolution. To some extent, I'm going to see where this project leads me, but I figure it's worth trying to say at the beginning where I think I'm going with all of this.

I don't mean this to become an academic work full of footnotes and sources. I want to tell the story of the Revolution in a conversational way. Each episode will be available both as a recorded podcast and in a written version. Although I really hope you will listen to the podcasts rather than just read the related articles, the written version may help some people who want to look up something quickly. The written version will also include some helpful maps and other illustrations on the topic. I will also add links to suggested reading materials at the bottom of each episode. Some of these are sources that I've used in writing the episode. Others may simply be interesting works that relate to the topic of the day. Time allowing, I hope to produce one episode each week. In each episode, I will take a look at a specific event from the war. I will try to keep each episode to around 20 minutes, give or take. Each episode should be a story that can stand on its own. My plan is to move through the revolution in more or less chronological order. Now, if you're looking for a short overview of the revolution, you're in the wrong place. My goal is to dig deeper into events, large and small, to create a better picture of what really happened. At the same time, I'm probably not gonna cover the most important events in as much detail as you would find in a whole book. For example, there's a great book that's nearly 600 pages long that covers Washington's crossing of the Delaware and the battles of Trenton and Princeton. Even if I devote three or four episodes to that important event, I cannot possibly hope to cover 10% of the detail that the book provides. This project will cover those key events, to be sure. But where I think it will be unique is in covering the minor and less covered events, providing more details to give you, my audience, a fuller view of the complete war period.

As I said, if I piqued your interest on a particular topic, I will offer further reading suggestions if you want to dig deeper and learn more about what I discussed. Because I plan to go through the topic in general chronological order, it may be a while before I get to the war itself. I plan to start with a few introductory background episodes, then briefly cover the French and Indian War, which created many of the disputes that eventually led to revolution. Then there are the years of government actions and protests before we actually get to any fighting between the colonies and Britain.

I'm not sure just how far I will take this podcast, but I hope to get through the events leading up to war, the war itself, the post-war struggles, and eventually the creation of the United States Constitution.

I also want to say a few words of thanks. Although he does not know me, I've been inspired to start this project by Mike Duncan, author of the History of Rome and Revolutions podcasts. I've listened to Mike for years and enjoy his work immensely. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that such detailed histories could become a success with a dedicated following.

I would also like to thank my wife for her unending patience and support. Although she considers this project the pinnacle of nerdiness, she has provided her cheerful support. This despite the fact that preparations alone have taken over my life for well over a year. Let's see how long that lasts.

The theme music for the podcast, a Fife and Drum piece from the Revolutionary War era, comes from the Stirbridge Colonial Militia. It is an American Revolutionary Enacma group that was generous enough to post some of its music on archive.org and allow it to be shared and enjoyed in the public domain. Thanks, guys. Now, the American Revolution was in many ways an unlikely event. Unlike many revolutions, the American people were not exactly living in poverty or as virtual slaves. By most measures, colonists were better off than their British counterparts. Certainly, the Revolutionary leaders were men of wealth and influence who probably could have led quiet and comfortable lives in just about any government.