Introducing: Founding Fathers: An American Dream - Episode 1
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What is the main focus of 'Founding Fathers: An American Dream'?
Hi, listeners. Today we're bringing you a preview of a brand new show from the Noiser Podcast Network. It's called Founding Fathers, An American Dream. Hosted by Clark Peters, it tells the epic tale of the birth of the United States of America 250 years ago. Across eight episodes, hear how American patriots overthrew imperial rule and established a radical new nation. Follow George Washington into bloody battles, travel with Benjamin Franklin on crucial missions, hear Alexander Hamilton debate the country's future. How was American independence won? Who lost out along the way? and why does it still matter today? Featuring contributions from leading historians and descendants of those involved, as well as original music and immersive sound design.
If you enjoy this taster episode, search Founding Fathers, An American Dream in your podcast app and hit follow. You'll find more episodes waiting for you now. We hope you enjoy.
It's April 26th, 1770. We're in New York City, On Bowling Green at the southern end of Broadway, the great and the good are out on show. Pillars of the community make small talk, clergymen, politicians, entrepreneurs.
How did George Washington and other patriots shape the fight for independence?
They're all here, bustling around the park. With an estimated population of 25,000, the city is not yet the Big Apple. No yellow taxis roar up and down Broadway, just carriages, horses, and carts. Even so, in the late 18th century, New York is one of the biggest settlements on the continent, a gateway connecting the British colonies of North America with the wide world beyond. Today is a celebration of those global links and a chance to express what is supposedly in the hearts of all true patriots. With the dignitaries in place, the ceremony begins. In the distance, a military band plays, the prelude to a succession of speeches. Next, a bone-jangling 32-gun salute blasts out. It's all because of a glimmering new addition to the New York landscape, a giant statue of the most beloved man in the city, His Majesty King George III of Great Britain.
For more than 150 years, Britain's colonists in America have prided themselves on their devotion to the crown. Some say Americans love the monarch more than those in Great Britain itself. As New Yorkers toast the king's health, the colony's lieutenant governor looks with wonder at the statue, two tons of gilded lead, sparkling in the spring sunshine. It depicts the king as a Roman emperor sat on horseback, At 15 feet high, it towers over everyone in its presence. For the lieutenant governor, it's artistic perfection. Nothing could better express America's undying love for King George and the British homeland. Fast forward six years, and New York pulses with a very different energy. On the night of July the 9th, 1776, dozens of men enter Bowling Green under cover of darkness.
These are soldiers, part of a new Continental Army, a ragtag fighting force taking on the might of the British Empire. Earlier that day, they heard the Declaration of Independence read aloud. Forget Long Live the King, George III is now public enemy number one. The soldiers clamber on top of the monarch's statue. They tie long, thick ropes around him and pull. Soon, the king is unbalanced. The statue comes crashing down. Now the butchery begins. His Majesty is cut up limb by limb, his head hacked from his neck. Next, the lead is melted down. There's enough for 42,000 musket balls. All will be used to shoot the King's soldiers. The mightiest of them all has fallen. George III is in the scrapyard, a crook, a traitor, a tyrant.
and the new nation is already building its own pantheon of great patriots. In time, they'll be known around the world as the Founding Fathers, the instigators of the American Revolution and the creators of the American Republic. The names of the most famous Founding Fathers echo through history. Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, These are men of virtue. Their cause is freedom and justice for all. That, at least, is how the story goes. The truth is more complex. In this series, we'll bring you the epic tale of the birth of the United States of America.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main focus of 'Founding Fathers: An American Dream'?
0:00–1:22
2
How did George Washington and other patriots shape the fight for independence?
1:22–5:49
3
What significant events led to the rise of Benjamin Franklin?
5:49–13:26
4
How did the Great Awakening influence American society?
13:26–21:19
5
How did Samuel Adams contribute to the revolutionary movement?
21:19–27:41
6
What role did the Boston Tea Party play in the revolution?
27:41–59:52