The dust had barely settled on the American Revolution when new unrest erupted in western Massachusetts. Thousands of farmers and laborers rose up in protest against unjust taxes and a state government that seemed as oppressive as the British Crown. When their demands for reform fell on deaf ears, the protesters grew more desperate. They took up muskets, swo ... Show More
Mar 2020
Rebellion in the Early Republic - A Constitution Shaped by Revolt | 2
<p>Tensions reached a climax in the freezing winter of 1787, as Daniel Shays and 1,500 rebel soldiers stormed the federal arsenal in Springfield, Massachusetts. The rebels hoped to seize arms and ammunition and burn Boston to the ground. What they didn’t know was that a governmen ... Show More
40m 7s
Apr 2020
Rebellion in the Early Republic - Crisis in the West | 4
<p>In 1794, anti-government protests grew into an all-out rebellion, and President Washington faced his first major test of federal authority. Some 7,000 armed Westerners marched on Pittsburgh and threatened its residents. Violent resistance to the whiskey tax soon spread from we ... Show More
37m 53s
Jan 2022
Revolutionary Monsters: Why Lenin, Mao, Castro, and Others Turned Liberation into Tyranny
All sparked movements in the name of liberating their people from their oppressors—capitalists, foreign imperialists, or dictators in their own country. These revolutionaries rallied the masses in the name of freedom, only to become more tyrannical than those they replaced. <br>< ... Show More
25m 38s
Jul 2020
The Sons of Liberty Pt. 1
In 1765, nine middle-class businessmen began meeting under Boston’s Liberty Tree. Over time, merchants, artisans, shopkeepers, even politicians joined the secret society known as the Sons of Liberty. Not only did they orchestrate the Boston Tea Party, they inspired the American R ... Show More
40m 54s
Jan 2019
Civil Wars and Political Breakdowns in Late Medieval Europe
<p>The Wars of the Roses are infamous, but practically every European kingdom, not just England, was wracked by serious bouts of infighting in the second half of the 15th century. In a time period known for the growth of state power, why were there so many civil wars - and why we ... Show More
55m 31s
Jan 2024
413. The Peasants' Revolt: England Erupts (Part 1)
By the late 14th century, England was in decline. Already weakened by the Hundred Years’ War, both Edward III and his son, the Black Prince, had died, leaving the country in a perilous state. Richard II, the new king, was only a child. With the poor facing increasingly harsh poll ... Show More
52m 26s
Oct 2017
3: "Clean My Sh*t House!" The Boston Massacre
"Damn you, fire, be the consequences what it will!" This is the story of the Boston Massacre. In the aftermath of a second botched attempt to tax the Americans and stop them from smuggling, John Hancock's accused of smuggling and Boston gets occupied by a British army. Then, on ... Show More
58m 2s