Ben Franklin's World
Ben Franklin's World is an award-winning podcast about early American history hosted by historian Liz Covart, Ph.D. It's for people who love and enjoy history and want to know more about the people, places, and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world. Ben Franklin's World also offers a weekly newsletter "History Behind the Headlines." Each week, Liz explores the early American origins and precedents of a topic from our modern-day headlines.
Echoes of 1798: What the Pentagon Walkout Reveals
Hello, Reader! On October 15, 2025, dozens of journalists from major news organizations, including The New York Times, Fox News, The Washington Post, CNN, and Reuters, turned in their Pentagon press credentials and walked out together. Their reason? New rules from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that would make them legally vulnerable for reporting information not pre-approved by the government — raising concerns about the public's right to know how government institutions, including the...
Can You Trust What You See? History Says..Maybe Not.
Hello, Reader! OpenAI just made it easy to create fake videos that look completely real. When the Sora app launched last week, users flooded social media with parody AI-generated clips depicting OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shoplifting, Jesus cracking jokes at the Last Supper, and Ronald McDonald fleeing police. Within days, the app topped Apple's App Store and sparked a firestorm over copyright theft, deepfakes, and the death of visual truth. If video can be fabricated with a few keystrokes, can we...
Who Should the Military Serve? Washington Had an Answer
Hello, Reader! Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth summoned hundreds of generals to Quantico, Virginia, and told them to embrace his vision for the military's future or resign. History shows us that this moment echoes a question George Washington answered in 1783: Should the military serve politics — or the Constitution? 🖼️ The Big Picture What's Happening: On September 30, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth convened hundreds of U.S. generals and admirals from around the world at Quantico,...
America’s 250th Birthday Is in Trouble
Hello, Reader! The United States' 250th Birthday is in trouble. Earlier this week, the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission fired its executive director, Ariel Abergel, after he posted “unapproved” content on the Commission’s official Instagram account. The controversy reveals an old American challenge: How do you commemorate the nation’s founding in ways that reflect competing visions of national identity? 🖼️ The Big Picture What's Happening: Ariel Abergel, the executive director appointed by...
When Vaccines Sparked Riots and Revolution
Hello, Reader! First, thank you for taking the time to answer my question: What do you enjoy most about early American history, and how can Ben Franklin's World support your curiosity? Your feedback is really helpful.If you didn't have a chance to answer but would like to, hit reply and tell me what you enjoy most and how I can help support your curiosity. On to today's history behind the headlines... America's vaccine debates echo centuries-old tensions over trust and authority. When federal...
What the Founders Thought About College—And Why It Still Matters in 2025
Hello, Reader! A federal court just handed Harvard a major victory this week. But the story stretches far beyond funding freezes and courtroom battles; it reaches back to 1636 and the very origins of higher education in British North America and the early United States. 🖼️ The Big Picture What's Happening: On September 3, 2025, a federal judge ruled that the Trump Administration illegally froze more than $2.2 billion in research funds to Harvard. The judge called the government’s actions “a...
The White House: The People’s House and the President’s Mirror
Hello, Reader! Gold cherubs from Mar-a-Lago, custom-designed flagpoles, and a $200 million ballroom modeled after one of his golf clubs… President Trump's White House makeover, the most extensive in decades, revives a founding-era question: Should the president's house reflect the man or the nation? 🖼️ The Big Picture What's Happening: President Trump has launched the most extensive White House renovation in decades. The renovation includes a 90,000-square-foot ballroom modeled after his...
Power, Politics, and the Smithsonian: Who Decides the Nation's Story?
Hello, Reader! Who decides how the United States tells its story? Recent scrutiny of the Smithsonian raises a question as old as the institution itself: What is the Smithsonian for, and who guides its mission? 🖼️ The Big Picture What's Happening: The Smithsonian Institution, the United States' national network of museums and research centers, is facing federal review over how it presents U.S. history. [1] ⚠️ Why It Matters: With 21 museums and over 155 million objects, the Smithsonian is...
⚔️ The Last Time Troops Patrolled Our Cities, Revolution Followed
Hello, Reader! This week, President Trump deployed approximately 800 members of the National Guard to Washington, D.C., echoing strategies used by the British in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia after the Seven Years' War. History shows us how stationing soldiers among civilians often ignites tensions rather than quells them. 🖼️ The Big Picture What's Happening: The White House ordered National Guard soldiers into the nation's capital and placed the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under...
Why America’s First Union Almost Didn’t Happen
Hello, Reader! This week's newsletter is a little different.Tomorrow I'm presenting at Boston History Camp 2025. Most of my week has been spent deep in my research on the Articles of Confederation and the origins of the American Union. So instead of unpacking a headline, I'm giving you a preview of my talk. 🖼️ The Big Picture What's Happening: We're stepping back from present-day news to examine a foundational question: How did the 13 British American colonies, after 150+ years of failed...