In 1693, King William III and Queen Mary II of England granted a royal charter for two institutions of higher education in the Colony of Virginia. The first institution was the College of William & Mary. The second institution was the Indian School at William & Mary, known from 1723 to the present as the Brafferton Indian School. The history of the Brafferton Indian School is a story of power, trade, land, and culture. It’s an Indigenous story. It’s also a story of English, later British, colonialism. Over the next two episodes, we will investigate the Brafferton Indian School and the stories it tells about power, trade, land, culture, and colonialism in early America. We’ll also explore the legacy of the Brafferton and other colonial Indian schools by examining the connections between these schools and the creation of the Indian Boarding Schools that operated within the United States between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries. In this episode, we focus on the history and origins of the Brafferton Indian School. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/367 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation The American Indian Initiative at Colonial Williamsburg William & Mary, Brafferton Initiative William & Mary October 28th Lecture: Ned Blackhawk, “The Indigenous Origins of the American Revolution” Complementary Episodes Episode 104: Andrew Lipman, The Saltwater Frontier: Native Americans and Colonists on the Northeastern Coast Episode 132: Coll Thrush, Indigenous London Episode 171: Jessica Stern, Native Americans, British Colonists, and Trade in North America Episode 290: The World of the Wampanoag, Part 1: Before 1620 Episode 291: The World of the Wampanoag, Part 2: 1620 and Beyond Episode 310: Rosalyn LaPier, History of the Blackfeet Episode 314: Colin Calloway, Native Americans in Early American Cities Episode 353: Brooke Bauer, Women and the Making of Catawba Identity   Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter

On September 17, 1787, the members of the Constitutional Convention concluded their work by signing the final draft of their new proposed government. The document they signed was the United States Constitution, which is why the United States marks Constitution Day each year on September 17. In honor of Constitution Day, we explore the life of a Founder who played a large role in the creation and shaping of the United States Constitution: James Wilson. Michael H. Taylor, Professor of United States History and Political Science at Northeast Community College and author of James Wilson: The Anxious Founder, joins us to investigate the life of James Wilson, who stands as one of the United States’ overlooked founders.  Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/366 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Factor Meals Save 50 percent by using code benfranklin50   Complementary Episodes Episode 055: Robb Haberman, John Jay: Forgotten Founder Episode 094: Cassandra Good, Founding Friendships Episode 107: Mary Sarah Bilder, Madison’s Hand Episode 143: Michael Klarman, The Making of the United States Constitution Episode 153: Committees and Congresses: Governments of the American Revolution Episode 212: Researching Biography Episode 258: Jane Calvert, “John Dickinson Life, Religion, & Politics” Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter

2020 commemorated the 300th anniversary of French presence on Prince Edward Island. Like much of North America, the Canadian Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island, and Prince Edward Island were highly contested regions. In fact, the way France and Great Britain fought for presence and control of this region places the Canadian Maritimes among the most contested regions in eighteenth-century North America. Anne Marie Lane Jonah, a historian with the Parks Canada Agency, joins us to explore the history of Prince Edward Island and why Great Britain and France fought over the Canadian Maritime region. This episode originally posted as Episode 283.  Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/365 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Complementary Episodes Episode 064: Brett Rushforth, Native American Slavery in New France Episode 104: Andrew Lipman, Europeans & Native Americans on the Northeastern Coast Episode 108: Ann Little, The Many Captivities of Esther Wheelwright Episode 167: Eberhard Faber, The Early History of New Orleans Episode 189: Sam White, The Little Ice Age Episode 232: Christopher Hodson, The Acadian Diaspora Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter

The Mississippi Gulf Coast was the home of many different peoples, cultures, and empires during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. According to some historians, the Gulf Coast region may have been the most diverse region in early North America.
 Matthew Powell, a historian of slavery and southern history and the Executive Director of the La Pointe-Krebs House & Museum in Pascagoula, Mississippi, joins us to investigate and explore the Mississippi Gulf Coast and a prominent family who has lived there since about 1718. This episode originally posted as Episode 303. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/364 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Colonial Williamsburg Email Lists Complementary Episodes Episode 037: Kathleen DuVal, Independence Lost Episode 167: Eberhard Faber, The Early History of New Orleans Episode 283: Anne Marie Lane Jonah, Acadie 300  Episode 295: Ibrahima Seck, Whitney Plantation Museum Episode 298: Lindsey Shackenback Regele, Manufacturing Advantage Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter

About 620 miles north of New Orleans and 62 miles south of St. Louis, sits the town of Ste. Geneviéve, Missouri. Established in 1750 by the French, Ste. Geneviéve reveals much about what it was like to establish a colony in the heartland of North America and what it was like for colonists to live so far removed from seats of imperial power. Claire Casey, a National Park Service interpretative ranger at the Ste. Geneviéve National Historical Park, joins us to explore the early American history of Ste. Geneviéve. This episode is originally posted as Episode 318.  Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/363 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Brooding Over Bloody Revenge save 20 percent with promo code bloody20 Complementary Episodes   Episode 102: William Nester, George Rogers Clark and the Fight for the Illinois Country Episode 108: Ann Little, The Many Captivities of Esther Wheelwright Episode 120: Marcia Zug, Mail Order Brides in Early America Episode 139: Andrés Reséndez, The Other Slavery Episode 308: Jessica Marie Johnson, Slavery and Freedom in French Louisiana Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter