Page de couverture de Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of Independence

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of Independence

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of Independence

Auteur(s): Andrew Sola and Amerikazentrum-Hamburg
Écouter gratuitement

À propos de cet audio

 Learn more about the Declaration of Independence for the 250-year anniversary with this interdisciplinary podcast, featuring experts from the USA and around the world. The series is produced and hosted by Dr. Andrew Sola and the Amerikazentrum, Hamburg.Andrew Sola & Amerikazentrum Monde Sciences sociales
Épisodes
  • Haiti and the Origins of American Diplomacy in the Declaration of Independence

    Haiti and the Origins of American Diplomacy in the Declaration of Independence
    Sep 11 2025
    "...and as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do." In this episode, Professor Johnson (Baylor U.) explores the origins of American theories of diplomacy and the importance of race and freedom in early American history. These concepts are seen most clearly in early relations between the USA and France, particularly the French colony of Saint-Domingue (modern day Haiti). This episode covers the period between the First Treaty of Paris (1763) and the Second Treaty of Paris (1783). Topics include: -the origins of American diplomacy -the conditions in the First Treaty of Paris that enflamed colonial tensions in North America, the Caribbean, and even Africa -the evolving racial politics amongst whites, free people of color, and slaves in Saint-Domingue, which had 128 categories of racial distinction -the similarities and differences between racial politics and colonial politics in British North America and French Saint-Domingue -the fascinating story of Crispus Attucks, a Massachusetts slave who freed himself and then became the first martyr in the Boston Massacre -strategies of black liberation in both French and British colonies -black authors who wrote about black emancipation, including Phillis Wheatley and Lemuel Haynes -John Adams' founding foreign policy theory of the new United States, namely the rejection of Europe's concept of the balance of power and military alliances -the first treaty between France and the US in 1778 -the story of the Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue, who fought with American rebels at the Siege of Savannah and who, after the American Revolution, returned to Saint-Domingue to lead the Haitian Revolution against the French Empire -the importance of Article 1 of the second Treaty of Paris (1783), which states: "His Brittanic Majesty acknowledges the said United States...to be free sovereign and Independent States; that he treats with them as such, and for himself his Heirs & Successors, relinquishes all claims to the Government, Propriety, and Territorial Rights of the same and every Part thereof." You can find a link to Prof. Johnson's new book, Entangled Alliances (Cornell UP) here: [Entangled Alliances: Racialized Freedom and Atlantic Diplomacy during the American Revolution](https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501783715/entangled-alliances/#bookTabs=1) The cover image features a reproduction of Paul Revere's famous lithograph of Crispus Attucks being killed during the Boston Massacre.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 17 min
  • Thomas Paine, Common Sense, and the Declaration of Independence

    Thomas Paine, Common Sense, and the Declaration of Independence
    Aug 28 2025
    In this episode, Dr. Nora Slonimsky, Director the the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies at Iona U., walks you through the life and ideas of one of the most influential figures in American history, Thomas Paine, author of the bestselling political pamphlet Common Sense (10 January 1776). Topics include: -Thomas Paine's early life -The massive popularity of Common Sense -Similarities between Common Sense and the Declaration of Independence -Paine's savage critiques of King George and hereditary monarchy -His support for republicanism, democracy, and egalitarianism -His role in the creation of many founding myths in America -His warnings about the dangers of unchecked power
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 12 min
  • Hessian Mercenaries and German Reactions to the Declaration of Independence

    Hessian Mercenaries and German Reactions to the Declaration of Independence
    Aug 7 2025
    "He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation." In this episode, we explore grievance #25 in the Declaration of Independence, which laments the deployment of the notorious Hessian mercenaries to the Colonies in order to fight the American rebels. We also look at reactions to the Declaration in various German-speaking provinces in what is now the Federal Republic of Germany. Next, we ponder the significance of the Declaration of Independence on German political history. Lastly, we examine the Muhlenberg Legend, which claims that the Congress nearly chose German to be the national language of the USA. Dr. Lerg's German-language textbook is as follows: Die Amerikanische Revolution. 2nd Ed. (Narr Francke Attempto Verlag, 2022). The cover image for this episode is The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776, which depicts General Washington ordering medical treatment for the Hessian Colonel Johann Rall.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    48 min
Pas encore de commentaire