American Revolution Podcast and Video Channels

In December, I developed and presented a year-end analysis and list of American Revolutionary Era books published in 2023. Given positive reader feedback, this month, I’ve compiled my “go-to” list of seven podcast and video channels that I regularly engage with to augment my understanding of emerging Revolutionary War scholarship, including authors’ perspectives on their newly published books. In full disclosure, I have been a guest on each of these services, except Ben Franklin’s World.

Several of these podcasts/videos have premium subscriptions, but all offer free versions, some of which are advertising-supported. While I listen to or view these channels regularly, past episodes are also valuable for information on a current interest or research project.  I encourage you to check them out.

American Revolution Podcasts

Dispatches – Journal of the American Revolution

Each week, Robert Morris University Professor Brady Crytzer interviews an author of a recent Journal of the American Revolution article. Recording 246 episodes and counting, Crytzer asks simple yet penetrating questions to illustrate the author’s thesis and elicits additional supporting information not found in the printed article. Most interviews are of authors who wrote a research article with a few author book talks. Published on Sunday evening, each episode lasts between twenty and thirty minutes. Western Pennsylvanian Crytzer is the author of seven Revolutionary Era books, including The Whiskey Rebellion, published in 2023.

Ben Franklin’s World is the brainchild of Liz Covart, a member of the Colonial Williamsburg Innovation Studios. Covart is an Early American historian with extensive research on the Dutch settlement in and around Albany, New York. She conducts insightful author interviews each week, demonstrating her extensive preparation and insights about the author’s work. Perhaps one of the most distinguishing features of her interview style is to conclude with a time warp question – a hypothetical question of what might have happened differently if something had occurred differently in the historical record. Covart’s podcast is one of the longest-running history podcasts, with 374 episodes and counting. She offers an ad-free version for an annual subscription.

General History Podcasts, which periodically feature American Revolution authors

Ph.D. historian Scott Rank produces the podcast History Unplugged. Starting in 2017, Rank has recorded hundreds of episodes downloaded over twenty million times covering human history, including many on the American Revolution. Scott challenges authors with penetrating, well-informed questions. He is an independent historian who works as a consultant for film, television, books, and other multimedia. Before History Unplugged and history consulting, Scott taught at Istanbul Sehir University. He is the author of a book on Christian-Muslim relations and several scholarly journal articles.

The Historically Thinking podcast is operated by Albert Zambone, an independent history researcher and author. The podcast spans 344 episodes and counting. In addition to author interviews, Zambone offers episodes on the “practice of history.” For example, he is recording interviews on intellectual humility with leading historians. Past episodes and accompanying resources provide insights into historiography, which are helpful for those interested in learning the practice of history research and writing. His website offers insightful articles on higher education, which he terms “A guide for the Perplexed.” He is the author of the most recent authoritative Daniel Morgan biography.

American Revolution Video channels

The education arm of the Society of the Cincinnati, the American Revolution Institute (YouTube), records on-site events for viewing by wider audiences. Videos of past events are an excellent resource for investigating and learning about emerging Revolutionary Era scholarship. The Institute offers a lecture series that includes author talks by eminent historians. Periodic short, thirty-minute “Lunch bites” programs feature manuscripts and rare books from the Society of the Cincinnati’s extensive library. The Institute’s Historical Programs Manager, Andrew Outten, manages the video events and provides periodic lectures on his research. Additionally, the Society operates a museum and records videos of each exhibition or collection displayed. Additionally, the Institute offers classroom materials for educators on its website.

Revolution 250 is a private, not-for-profit consortium of Boston public history organizations with a mission to commemorate the semiquincentennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the nation’s founding. Under the direction of Robert Allison, a professor at Suffolk University, the consortium produces a weekly Podcast and YouTube Video. The Boston professor has led 170 episodes featuring new scholarship and author interviews. The accompanying website provides listings of 250th-anniversary commemorations, such as the Boston port closure and the establishment of the provincial congress, which will take place in 2024. Additionally, the site offers a nice list of online manuscripts, digitized publications, newspapers, and websites to assist researchers and the general public.

The Emerging Revolutionary War Era is a highly active non-profit organization that operates a public history platform supported by over a dozen authors. Each Sunday evening, they hold a “Rev War Revely,” which features an author of a recent book or article (Facebook and Website). The group uniquely publishes books highlighting major Revolutionary War battles and events. The public historians operate a supporting blog describing the group’s activities and links to other American Revolution resources.