Listen Now

After the Civil Wars, after Ireland and Scotland had been tamed, the focus turned to national governance. Oliver Cromwell and the New Model Army were in control. The balance between Cromwell and Parliament was never met. There were several Parliaments called and dismissed. Although the Commonwealth had some successes at home and abroad, the people were miserable. It seems it had been easier to be the opposition than to lead. Cromwell's hold on power was total with the help of his Army. When he died, there was no one that could take his place... the Commonwealth was over... and Charles II was coming quickly. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

The death of Charles I did not end the controversy or the terror in England. It did not end the controversy or terror in Ireland. It did not end the controversy or terror in Scotland. In fact, it may have just begun... In this episode, we look at the Irish Campaign of Oliver Cromwell with a brief overview of two of his most famous, or infamous, victories, through not only the lens of the historic narrative, but Cromwell's own words. It will set the stage for his final chapter and the Restoration of the Stuart line in England. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

After Charles fled London, it only got worse. There was trouble in England. There was trouble in Scotland. There was trouble in Ireland. The emergence of Oliver Cromwell changed the dynamics. The Scots had helped the Parliamentarians, but they were not as successful when it came to Charles. The New Model Army thrived. The Regicides did the unthinkable. In the end, Oliver Cromwell was in complete control... but there would be fallout. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

What do the Jay Treaty, the Logan Act, Fries' Rebellion, and the Alien and Sedition Acts have to do with this time? Are they all connected? We are taking a short break from our series on Charles I this week. Instead we will be discussing the XYZ Affair. The 1790s in America were almost as messy as the 1640s in England. There was trouble with both France and England. The United States had treaties with both nations, and those treaties conflicted. When the French Revolution wiped the Monarchy away, war with England was inevitable. The combination of the conflicting treaties and the expectation for the United States allegiance further divided American politics. When the French minister, Genet, tried to use the United States as a staging area for France to attack both England and Spain, there was resentment. When the French minister Talleyrand attempted to bribe the United States, there were calls for war... and there actually was a two year Quasi War fought from 1798-1800. President John Adams made a lot of mistakes during these tense years, but in the end, he may have saved the country. There are a lot of lessons here for our day. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

As 1641 rolled into 1642, there was a monumental political battle that took place in London. A political chess match that forever changed the English government. It would be the catalyst for change throughout the "Western" world. In the end, John Pym would force Charles I to flee England. John Pym's creativity and tenacity helped write the preamble for so many revolutions to come. For Charles, it was the beginning of the end. The actions in December and January would lead to 9 years of Civil War and the beheading of Charles I; the theater was better than fiction! In this episode, you are invited to watch this epic battle for control as it plays itself out. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

As Charles wrestled with the Scottish invasion and a necessary Parliament, the Irish rebelled and complicated everything. The Earl of Strafford, a trusted advisor, was in the crosshairs of John Pym. The politics of the 1640s was off to a roaring start! The walls seemed to be closing in on Charles; the world was changing, and every move was critical. Would he rise to the occasion, or would his pride and personal conviction get the better of him? Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

Over the course of his reign, Charles I had made a lot of enemies. He managed to insult just about everybody at one time or another. Nothing compared to what happened with Scotland. This was a situation he had created that could not be ignored. They would not let it go. He needed help. He needed Parliament to raise the necessary funds to put down the rebellion. When he finally called a Parliament, it did not go well. They were quickly dismissed only to be called again a short time later. What he found was that Parliament was as unforgiving as the Scots. What he also found was his greatest rival, John Pym. Their political chess match would change the course of English Politics. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

King Charles found a way to survive without Parliament. He found creative ways to collect revenue. In spite of a round of plague, the 1630s were not so bad in England. But Charles found a way to aggravate not only the "system" but the people as well, in all levels of society. Once his work was done in England, he moved to Scotland. Taking direct aim at Presbyterian worship, he managed to unify the nation against him... there would be no appeasement. Charles and his Bishops had sparked a movement that would grow to a raging inferno... and he would get burned. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

Perspective is a funny thing. Tricky. Charles I was never popular with Parliament. From the start, his autocratic approach was in direct conflict with the Parliamentarians. So, he dissolved Parliament for over a decade. To raise funds, he leaned on ancient and questionable taxes. Through Forced Loans and Ship Money, he managed to turn a lot of the people against him. What was the legality of these taxes? The question to ask is, was Charles the hero or the villain? Was he operating within the law or breaking it? From one of the illustrations we looked at, was he a "highwayman" or a "bastard"? Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

What happens when an autocratic Anglican King crosses a Puritan Parliament? Disaster. In this episode, we will introduce King Charles I with a short biography and a peek inside the lifestyle of this Scottish king. He was a totalitarian at heart. Parliament did not like his policies, his advisor (or Minister), or his wife. What happened was both predictable and tragic. What happened changed the course of English politics. In time, it would change the colonial landscape as well. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

As the English were solidifying their colonies in New England and the Caribbean, there remained a contested but largely unsettled area from the Chesapeake through Georgia. The Spanish and French had been there. But in the opening decades of the 17th Century, this area was all but abandoned. It opened the door for Jamestown in 1608. Later, the English crown would focus on Carolina. Charles I had first recognized the value of Carolina. Then came political unrest and the Civil War. After the Restoration, Charles II succeeded where his father had failed. In those days, "Carolina" basically represented today's North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Spain had claimed the region, operating out of Florida. The French had been removed, banished. The English would not be so easy to block; they'd move right in... and take over; the initial settlers came from Barbados. They brought their way of life with them, and that would shape the culture of the colony for centuries. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

With the growing relationship between New England and Barbados, the economy stabilized. The North to South trade benefited everybody. Sugar and rum seemed to share a co-monarchy. They were KINGS! The East to West trade across the Atlantic promised more. Men like Emanuel Downing, John Smith, and Thomas Keyser advanced the idea and practice of African Slavery. Men like Samuel Sewall challenged the growing slave industry. Despite his efforts, the practice grew. The profits and investment throughout the North American colonies quickly advanced local economies and industries throughout the colonies. The backbone of the colonial resources was built around sugar and rum. Many of the emerging commercial enterprises would have a major impact, not just in the days leading up to the American Revolution, but after. This episode sets the stage for the expansion of Carribean slave plantations to the mainland, the Navigation Acts, Writs of Assistance, targeted taxation, and how it had a ripple effect across the colonial landscape. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

Once the relationship between the Puritan New England colonies and the their Puritan counterparts had begun, there was a lot of opportunity for both regions. One obstacle that had to be overcome was the temptation for northerners to relocate to the warmer south. The final voyage of Captain William Pierce would resolve any temptation for population migration on the part of the northern colonists. It was also one of the final solidifying events of Bostonian hegemony. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

Puritan New England, more specifically, Massachusetts Bay, never experienced a lack of colonists. Their population exploded almost from the start. What they did experience was a lack of hard currency. Even with all the natural resources and commercial opportunities it took a while to establish a stable economy. With the advent of trade between Boston and the Caribbean the economy took off. Although there were a lot of connections between the Northern colonies and their Southern counterparts, it took the vision and actions of one man to make these connections work for the financial advantage of New England. That man was Captain William Pierce. In this episode we'll meet Captain Pierce, a most remarkable and influential man who has been largely lost to history. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

As Puritan New England's population grew, they needed a sustainable economy. They needed an industry that could build wealth. They needed a commodity and a currency. For a season, those needs were met by wampum and fur. Although that economy would fail, it, like the initial trade triangle of codfish and wool, would help to stabilize their growing society for a time. It was a most necessary stop-gap that helped to carry them until trade routes were developed that brought hard currency, gold, and silver to the colony. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

They say necessity is the key to invention. The English colonies had needs. They were very resourceful. As we develop the Puritan economy, we want to begin by asking some basic questions. How would you build an economy from scratch? What would you do if you had limited access to hard currency but needed commodities? Is it enough to say you would use what you had? Puritan New England enjoyed a consistent influx of currency while the population exploded in the 1630s. But those resources were not enough to grow an economy, let alone sustain it. And, eventually, they slowed to a trickle. In this episode, we will talk about the emergence of Triangular Trade. A system that not only saved the New England Colonies, but helped to build them into one of the most powerful, dynamic economies of their day. The demands for codfish and wool across the Atlantic may have been just a stop gap, but it launched a shipping empire. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

How do you process and apply history? What do you really know about history in the first place? ...just trivia, or deep understanding that impacts your beliefs and actions? What's the purpose of government? ...and how does your understanding of history impact how you answer that question? Jeff joins Doug Stuart of the Libertarian Christian Podcast to answer these questions and more. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

Mercantilism was the theory that drove colonial economic activity. In today's episode, we will introduce its core concepts and how it functions. We'll view this definition through two historical examples: Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Colbert and The Boston Tea Party. These are like bookends to the larger conversation. Colbert on the left, to begin the conversation. The Boston Tea Party on the right, to end the conversation. It's a little different consideration than we are used to, but necessary for our narrative. As we move forward in the weeks ahead, we will fill in that middle portion where all the action took place. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

How is wealth created? Who is in charge of the mechanisms for building wealth? Much of what we consider the study of history is really the study of applied economic policies. In this episode, we focus on the contemporary systems we are all familiar with, at least in a trivial sense. Our main focus is Capitalism, but we will talk about other "isms" as well. The goal is to prepare for conversations about the political economics of the Puritans. They would not recognize the systems we have today. Mercantilism was emerging as a replacement for feudalism. It was a precursor to Capitalism. It was also its antithesis. To really understand what it was, it's a good idea to have something to compare it to. Understanding these principles helps us to understand and apply history in our own lives... in more areas than just finance, as we'll see. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

The topic of education is a HUGE deal, and it has massive implications. What does it mean to be educated? What value does education bring to a society? Does literacy matter? How focused should society be around the education of its young? Many of the aspects of Puritan education have been lost. Their strict and determined process would make many of us uncomfortable today. But their system worked. It created more than just a literate population. It catapulted their small isolated community above their contemporaries. We may dismiss much of the specifics, but we ought to revisit the model. The fundamental question for our generation is: What are we getting out of the system we have today? Is this really the best we can do? How does a society prepare their children when the educational system has lost its vision, its mandate to prepare the next generation to understand the world they live in? Audio Production by Podsworth Media.