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Rediscover the Revolutionary War by exploring the seismic impact it had across the globe.
When we think of the American Revolution, we often picture a parochial drama: 13 colonies squaring off against the British Crown in a spirited bid for independence. But this version of the story is only half the truth. In this riveting program, historian and author Richard Bell invites audiences to rediscover the Revolution as a world war that unleashed chaos, opportunity and transformation across six continents. From the sugar fields of the Caribbean to the court of the King of Mysore, from refugee camps on the Canadian frontier to political uprisings in Sierra Leone and Peru, the war that gave birth to the United States was never simply Americas own. It was a seismic global event that redrew maps, toppled hierarchies, catalyzed migration and accelerated new movements for libertyand for empire.
Richard Bell is Professor of History at the University of Maryland and author of the book Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home&紳莉莽梯;which was a finalist for the George 365勛圖窒邈 Prize and the Harriet Tubman Prize. He has held major research fellowships at Yale, Cambridge and the Library of Congress and is the recipient of the National Endowment of the Humanities Public Scholar award and the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. His new book, The American Revolution and the Fate of the World, was published by Penguin in November 2025.
