"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for ONE PEOPLE to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another..." "Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of THE PEOPLE to alter or to abolish it..." In this episode, we explore the creation of the legal concept of THE PEOPLE with the right to overthrow their government. Topics include : -the tension in the British Empire between Whigs, who valued popular parliamentary power, and the Tories, who valued centralized royal power -the organic development of the colonial legal system from a semi-formal, ad-hoc lay profession to a sophisticated, complex formal profession -the evolution of legal arguments from those that justified dissent and resistance (1764-1774) to those that justified revolution and rebellion (1775-1776) -legal lessons that American colonists learned from the harshness of British rule over Ireland -legal lessons that American colonists learned from the corporatist model in Spanish America -the Whig legal strategy to be broad in its definition of THE PEOPLE in order to include different social classes, different geographical regions, and different understandings of the law (from common, everyday concepts of rights and justice to highly technical concepts derived from constitutional law and legal scholarship)

This episode explores the complexity of Florida's colonial history, its relationship to African-Americans, and its importance during the War of Independence. Our expert guest is Prof. Jane Landers (Vanderbilt University), who is also the Director of the Slave Societies Digital Archive. Topics include: -The importance of remembering African-American history in Spanish America -An overview of Spanish colonial history, which is much older than Anglo-American history that began in Jamestown in 1619 -Spain's religious sanctuary policy, which granted African-American slaves freedom in Florida as far back as 1687 -The first Underground Railroad for enslaved Blacks, which led south to Spanish Florida not north -The different models of slavery in Spanish colonies and the different ways enslaved people could free themselves -The complex political, religious, economic, and military structures in Spanish colonies -Indigenous migration from Anglo colonies to Spanish Florida -The War of Jenkins' Ear (1739-1748) and the Battle of Bloody Mose (1740) near St. Augustine, during which free Africans fought with Spain to protect their freedom -Spanish Florida during the French and Indian War (the Seven Years' War) -The cession of Florida to Britain at the end of the War in 1763 and the subsequent migration of Carolina farmers with roughly 9,000 enslaved African-Americans to Florida and then the later transfer of additional enslaved Africans from Africa -The exile of free Blacks from Florida to Cuba in 1763-64 -Spain's support of American Patriots in the War of Independence -The deployment of exiled free Blacks, who had left Florida for Spanish-Cuba in 1763, to fight the British in Pensacola in 1777 -The return of Florida to Spain in 1784 -The drive by the US both to eliminate free black culture in Florida and also to institute a slave economy there -The transfer of Florida to the new United States in 1821 and the second exile of free Blacks from Florida to other Spanish colonies -An analysis of the phrase "all men are created equal" through the lens of the free inhabitants of Spanish Florida

In the second of our 2-episode series about Canada and the Declaration of Independence, historian Mark R. Anderson talks us through the invasion of "the neighbouring Province" of Canada as well as the third and final letter from the Continental Congress to the Inhabitants of Canada. Topics include: -The formation of the Continental Army in June of 1775 and the appointment of General Schuyler to invade (or liberate) Canada -A description of the explanations offered by the Americans to the Canadas for the invasion, namely to protect their property rights and religious freedom, as well as to free them from oppression -The redrawing of Canadian political opinion from British vs French sympathies to Loyalist vs. Patriot sympathies as a result of the invasion -An overview of the Canadians who took up arms to fight with the 13 Colonies -The official end of the invasion of Canada on 1 July 1776, just days before the Declaration of Independence -John Adams's position that Canada would have joined the United Colonies had the Declaration been released at the start of the invasion and had ineffective politicians in Congress supported the invasion in a robust way -The Canadian response to the Declaration of Independence -The exile of the two Canadian regiments who supported the American army -An overview of British (Canadian) Invasions of the United States -Canadian reactions to the American victory in the Revolutionary War The painting depicts the death of the American General Richard Montgomery, who was killed during the assault on Quebec City in December 1775.

"For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies." In the first of this two-part episode about Canada and the rebellious Colonies, we discuss the important differences in the history, politics, religion, demographics, and economies of the two regions. Topics include the following -The transfer of Canada from France to Britain after the Seven Years' War in 1763 -The complex process of integrating new British settlers and British law into French-Canadian society -The Quebec Act of 1774, which allowed Quebecois (French-Canadian) religious and legal traditions to be maintained in British Canada -The substance and consequences of the First Letter to the Inhabitants of Quebec, authorized by the First Continental Congress in October 1774 -The turbulent spring of 1775, including the Battle of Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, which was shortly followed by the official imposition of the Quebec Act on 1 May 1775 -The Second Letter to the OPPRESSED Inhabitants of Canada, authorized by the Second Continental Congress on 29 May 1775

"...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.

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

"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.

How did the indigenous people of Chicagoland understand what was happening in the Colonies in 1776? Did the Declaration of Independence affect them in any way? Of course, the City of Chicago was not founded until 1837, but this episode explores the lives of the inhabitants of the Chicago area and the effect of European colonization on their way of life during the Revolutionary War. Our expert guest, Prof. Theodore Karamanski, walks us through the history of Chicagoland, focussing on the following points: -Chicagoland during the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War) -The differences in French and British methods of imperial control over the Indians -The Consequences of the Treaty of Paris (1763) for native peoples in the Interior -Pontiac's War (Native Confederation vs. Britain) -The Anishinaabe people, who inhabited the Great Lakes region -The Three Fires Confederacy (Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Tribes) -An explanation of the concept of the Village World, which means every tribal village makes its own independent foreign policy decisions -The consequences of the Proclamation of 1763 for both colonists and natives -The alliance between some Chicagoland tribes and American officer George Rogers Clark, who fought together against the British during the Revolutionary War -The alliance between some tribes and the Spanish Empire, who controlled St. Louis, against the British during the Revolutionary War -The period after the Revolutionary War until the founding of Chicago in 1837 The image is of Chief Pontiac picking up the war hatchet.

In this episode, Andrew Sola and Tobias Brinkmann explore the history of the earliest Jews in the Colonies. Topics include the following: -The arrival in 1654 of the first Jewish ship in New Amsterdam, which was governed by Peter Stuyvesant (who is featured in the photo, arriving in New Amsterdam for the first time) -The story of Asser Levy, perhaps the first Jewish inhabitant of the North American colonies -The status of early Jews in Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese colonies -Jew and Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony -Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, where religious freedom for Jews and Muslims was established -Newport, the first Jewish community in the American colonies -The involvement of Jews in the slave trade -George Washington's Letter to the Jews of Newport in 1790 (text below) "The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support." Prof. Brinkmann's books are below: Between Borders: The Great Jewish Migration from Eastern Europe (Oxford UP, 2024) Sundays at Sinai: A Jewish Congregation in Chicago (U. of Chicago Press, 2012)

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men AND WOMEN are created equal." Declaration of Sentiments, Seneca Falls Convention In this episode, Prof. Rosemarie Zagarri explores the legal, social, and political status of women from the Colonial Era through the Revolutionary War, the Seneca Falls Convention (1848), and beyond. Topics include: -The tensions between the ideals of the phrase "all men are created equal" and the lived reality of women -"Coverture" and the legal status of women in the Colonies -The evolving trans-Atlantic dialogue about women's rights from the Enlightenment through the Revolutionary War -The incorporation of Colonial women into the political resistance to King George -Female literacy and early American female authors, including Mercy Otis Warren and Phillis Wheatley -An exploration of the concept of "Republican Motherhood" -Women's contribution to the Revolutionary War effort -The brief period from 1790 to 1807 when women could vote in New Jersey

"He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures." This Pride Month episode focuses on two questions. First, why were American colonists increasingly frustrated with the presence of British troops in the Colonies? Second, to what extent were Thomas Jefferson and the Founders aware of LGBTQ+ issues at the nation's founding? Topics include the following: -Grievances 11, 12, and 14 in the Declaration of the Independence -The Quartering Act of 1774 -Evidentiary problems when trying to access LGBTQ+ history -'Disordered' sexuality in the Colonies, including gay sex and master-slave sexual relations -Similarities and differences in the treatment of homosexuals in Great Britain and the Colonies -Reasons for the low number of executions of gay men in the Colonies -Molly Houses and Macaronis -Concepts of Masculinity in the Colonies

The Declaration of Independence uses the words 'God,' 'the Creator,' and 'Divine Providence,' but many of the Founders were highly skeptical of both Christianity and also organized religion, preferring the scientific and rational ideals of the Enlightenment. In this episode, we explore the tensions between religion and reason in the Declaration of Independence. Topics include the following: -Theistic and deistic beliefs in the Founders, including Franklin and Jefferson -The different religious groups in the Colonies, from Baptists and Catholics to Anglicans and Quakers -Biblical and theological arguments for and against revolution as well as submission to the King -Grievance #20 in the Declaration, which references the Quebec Act of 1774, which allowed for the establishment of Catholicism in the Canadian colony of Quebec -Jefferson's Act for Establishing Religious Freedom (1779) -The Establishment Clause in the First Amendment

"He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of the new Appropriation of Lands" ..."for cutting off trade with all parts of the world." In this episode, Steven Pincus explores grievances against King George for restricting free trade and for preventing immigration to the colonies. Topics include the following: -The importance of the trans-Atlantic Patriot Party, which existed both in Great Britain and throughout the Empire and which criticized the policies of King George for ruling as the King of England alone, rather than the King of the whole Empire -Economic justifications and criticisms of the Stamp Act (1765), the Townshend Acts (1767), and the Fairfax Resolves (1774) -The evolving splits in the Patriot Party that led some like Thomas Paine to advocate for independence others like Governor John Wentworth of New Hampshire to for advocate reform while remaining loyal to the King -Reasons behind the pro-immigration beliefs of the Patriot Party

"He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions." How are we supposed to understand the phrase "merciless Indian Savages" in the Declaration of Independence? In this episode, expert in American Indian history Prof. Matthew Kruer (U. of Chicago) gives a thorough analysis of indigenous-colonial relations from the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) through the Declaration of Independence (1776). Topics include the following: -The enormous diversity of the 574 indigenous nations recognized by the US Federal government -The Great Dying, which led to the death of 90% of the indigenous population of North America due to war, disease, and enslavement -The complexity and size of indigenous urban centers and trade networks -The consequences of the Seven Years' War (or the French and Indian War), which ended in 1763, for native peoples and colonists -The Proclamation of 1763, which demarcated settler country and Indian country -Pontiac's War (1764) and settler-Indian violence -The rise of the Black Boys, arguably the first violent anti-British imperial militia -Dunmore's War (1774), the conflict between Mingo and Shawnee against the Virginia Militia -Indigenous reactions to the Declaration The episode ends with a reflection on the tension between the ideals expressed in the Declaration and the characterization of native peoples as "merciless Indian savages."

Who was Thomas Jefferson and how did he come to write the Declaration of Independence at the tender age of 33? In this episode, historian Robert McDonald (US Military Academy) discusses the genius of Thomas Jefferson. Topics include the following: -Jefferson's evolution into a revolutionary -The long tradition of self government in the Colonies -The process of composing the Declaration of Independence -The deletion of the passage condemning slavery (see the full passage below) -Jefferson's reputation in his own time

In this introductory episode, you will learn about some key events leading up to the Declaration of Independence. Check out additional information at amerikazentrum.de. If you have any thoughts, please share them on our YouTube channel: @declarationofindependence250. Here is the timeline: 1756-1763: The Seven Years’ War AKA The French and Indian War 1763, 10 February: Treaty of Paris (ended the war) 1763, 7 October: Proclamation of 1763 (set the boundaries for Indian Territory) 1763-1766: Pontiac’s War (Native American Coalition vs. Britain) 1765: Stamp Act (Tax on Printed Material Used in Colonies) 1766-1767: Townshend Acts (Levied More Taxes on Colonies) 1770, March 5 : Boston Massacre (Protest against Townshend Acts, 5 Protesters Killed) 1773,16 December : Boston Tea Party (Protest against Tea Act) 1774: Intolerable Acts (Punishment for Boston Tea Party) 1774: Dunmore’s War (Colony of Virginia vs. Shawnee and Mingo Nations) 1774 September-October: First Continental Congress 1775, 19 April : Battles of Lexington and Concord 1775: Second Continental Congress begins 1775, 5 July : Olive Branch Petition (Final Attempt by Congress to Avoid War) 1776, 11 June : Committee of Five Established (to Write Declaration of Independence) 1776, 4 July : Final “Fair” Version of Declaration Completed

In 2026, the United States of America is celebrating the 250-year anniversary of its founding, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July, 1776. Join us in commemorating this important milestone by learning more about the Declaration of Independence, including the historical reasons for its composition, the political philosophies that influenced it, its reception in Europe and the rest of the world, and its impact on independence movements around the world. The series features scholars and experts in a variety of disciplines, from history and law to philosophy and culture. It also features guests from around the world, who will provide their own perspective on how the Declaration of Independence influenced their own struggles for independence. The series is hosted and produced by Dr. Andrew Sola at the Amerikazentrum-Hamburg. If you would like suggest an episode topic or be a guest speaker, or if you would like to provide any comments, please contact me at sola@amerikazentrum.org.