
Revisiting Colonial America (Originally aired on Mar 26, 2020)
Constant Wonder - Radio Archive, Episode 406
- Mar 28, 2020 7:00 pm
- 50:39 mins
You Never Forget Your First Guest: Alexis Coe, author, "You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington" A conversation with the first woman biographer to write about George Washington in 40 years. She wonders why her male counterparts have been obsessed with Washington's thighs. More significantly, she also tackles Washington's conflicted attitude toward slavery. And she reminds us that Washington was raised by a single mother. And he fought for the British . . . If he'd been more satisfied with his appointment there, we may not have had an American Revolution. How the East India Company Influenced the Founding of America Guest: Jonathan Eacott, Professor, History, University of California, Riverside, and author, "Selling Empire: India in the Making of Britain and America, 1600-1830" The story of America as we know it leaves out a very important piece—India. Jonathan Eacott explains how the British idea of India created the America of today. The East India Company thought that the new world would be another source of raw goods, but mulberry trees and silk worms don't thrive in temperate America. Furthermore, the French and Indian War was actually a global war that cast doubt on the profitability of the British colonies in America.