The Political History of the United States

As the policy of salutary neglect was ushered in the colonies experienced dramatic growth and diversification of their economies.

We once again join Benjamin Franklin as we tour the emergence of the sciences and civic organizations in the colonies.

This week Benjamin Franklin takes us on a tour of the emerging and often contentious world of the colonial press.

As a distinct American culture would appear during the 18th century, religion would also change. This cumulates in the 1740s with the Great Awakening.

In 1741 a slave conspiracy gripped New York.

Harsh slave codes, which were intended to keep the slave populations at bay, often produced the opposite effect. This week we look at what happened when slaves decided that the time was right to rise up against the owners.

Beginning in the 1660s, slave codes would come to codify life for African slaves. This week we discuss what those codes were and how they came to be. We will also look at the role of racism in the prevention of slave uprisings.

In an effort to deal with urban poverty in London, James Oglethorpe forms the Georgia Trustees and create a new colony.

This week we explore how Carolina split into separate colonies. We then explore how internal conflict and dissent would lead to the end of proprietary government in both North and South Carolina.

After a few starts and stops, the British agree to help the colonists move on Quebec. Meanwhile, down in the South, the Spanish attempt an attack on Charleston.