Shows
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of Independence"What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?": Black America and the Declaration of Independencewith Andrew Sola and Prof. Michael Dickinson (Virginia Commonwealth U.)
The phrase, ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, is complicated when viewed from the perspective of an enslaved person. So for our Black History Month episode, we are exploring the wide variety of Black perspectives about the Declaration of Independence.
Topics include the following:
-a history of Juneteenth, the alternative Independence Day for Black Americans
-the different life situations of Black Americans in 1776 and their different responses to the Declaration of Independence
-the story of James Forten, free Black, Patriot volunteer, and...
2026-02-1948 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependencePrivateering, Boycotts, and Slavery in the Declaration of Independencewith Andrew Sola and Prof. James Fichter (U. of Hong Kong)
"He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people."
In this episode, we explore Grievance #24 in the Declaration of Independence, which condemns the British practice of privateering amongst other things.
Topics include the following:
-the destruction of Norfolk and Falmouth--the towns alluded to in Grievance #24
-the legal differences between official action by navies and semi-official actions by privateers
-the massacre of enslaved people on the Zong (aka the Zorg)
2026-02-0557 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceImpressment and the Declaration of Independencewith Andrew Sola and Prof. Denver Brunsman (George Washington U.)
"He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands."
Today we explore Grievance #26 in the Declaration of Independence, which protested against the Royal Navy practice of impressment, the forced conscription of sailors into naval service.
Topics include the following:
-a description of the life of seafarers in the 18th century
-a detailed overview of the British...
2026-01-2258 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceWhy Did Colonial Americans Oppose Standing Armies in Their Cities?with Andrew Sola and Prof. Donald F. Johnson (North Dakota State U.)
"He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures."
In today's episode, we explore Grievance #11 in the Declaration of Independence, which condemns the deployment of British regular troops in American towns and cities during peacetime.
Topics include:
-the long British tradition disapproving of standing armies on British soil
-the long British tradition of allowing for political protest and dissent without fear of punishment by a standing army
-the cooperation...
2026-01-0856 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of Independence"Enemies in War, in Peace Friends": Declaring the First American Civil Warwith Andrew Sola and Prof. Serena Zabin (Carleton College)
"Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren…They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, ENEMIES IN WAR, IN PEACE FRIENDS."
In this episode we explore Loyalist vs. Patriot Civil War during the Revolutionary War. Topics include:
-the outbreak of violence in Lexington and Concord in 1775 and the mustering of local militias, which forced Colonial men to...
2025-12-1949 min
The Trans-AtlanticistMark Twain: An American Classic in Europewith Gottfried Haufe and Prof. Dr. Holger Kersten (University of Halle)
This episode was recorded live on 19 November 2025.
This special episode explores the life and work of Mark Twain, one of the most iconic figures in American literature.
We discuss Twain’s career, his main interests, and his enduring impact on U.S. cultural history. A particular focus is his travels through Europe and Germany, which profoundly influenced both his writing and his worldview. Finally, we look at the modern reception and contemporary reinterpretations of Twain’s texts – and consider why his humor, satire, and social...
2025-12-171h 31
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of Independence"We Pledge Our Fortunes": Money and the Declaration of Independencewith Andrew Sola and Dr. Andrew Edwards (U. of St. Andrews)
"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, OUR FORTUNES, and our sacred Honor."
Why did the signers of the Declaration of Independence have to pledge their fortunes (their money) to the revolutionary cause?
How did unorthodox American ideas about money help win the Revolutionary War?
And were the Founding Fathers, in fact, the first crypto bros?
We explore these ideas in this...
2025-12-041h 09
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceWales, Welsh Identity, Richard Price, and the Declaration of Independencewith Andrew Sola, Dr. Marion Loeffler & Dr. Huw Williams (Cardiff University)
In this episode, we explore the influence of Wales and Welsh immigrants on the Declaration of Independence with two expert guests from the University of Cardiff, Dr. Marion Loeffler and Dr. Huw Williams.
Topics include:
-the importance of preserving and expanding Welsh language and identity in the present
-an exploration of Welsh identity in the 1700s
-the tradition of Welsh religious dissenters which meshed with political non-conformity
-economic and political similarities and differences between Wales and Ireland in...
2025-11-271h 17
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceIreland and the Declaration of Independencewith Andrew Sola and Prof. Patrick Geoghegan (Trinity College Dublin)
"Irish men and Irish women, in the name of God and of the dead generations from which she receives her old tradition of nationhood, Ireland through us summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom.
She now seizes that moment and supported by her exiled children in America and by gallant allies in Europe, but relying in the first on her own strength, she strikes in full confidence of victory. Six times during the past 300 years, they have asserted it in arms. We hereby...
2025-11-1351 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceCreating "THE PEOPLE": Whig Legal Concepts plus Lessons from Ireland and Spanish Americawith Andrew Sola, Prof. Richard Ross (U. of Illinois) and Prof. Steven Wilf (U. of Connecticut)
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for ONE PEOPLE to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another…"
"Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of THE PEOPLE to alter or to abolish it…"
In this episode, we explore the creation of the legal concept of THE PEOPLE with the right to overthrow their government.
Topics include :
-the tension in the British Empi...
2025-10-301h 05
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceAfrican-Americans in Spanish Florida and the Declaration of Independencewith Andrew Sola and Prof. Jane Landers (Vanderbilt U./Slave Societies Digital Archive)
This episode explores the complexity of Florida's colonial history, its relationship to African-Americans, and its importance during the War of Independence.
Our expert guest is Prof. Jane Landers (Vanderbilt University), who is also the Director of the Slave Societies Digital Archive.
Topics include:
-The importance of remembering African-American history in Spanish America
-An overview of Spanish colonial history, which is much older than Anglo-American history that began in Jamestown in 1619
-Spain's religious sanctuary policy, which granted...
2025-10-1650 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceCanada's Rejection of Independence, Part 2: The Invasion (or Attempted Liberation) of Canadawith Andrew Sola and Historian Mark R. Anderson
In the second of our 2-episode series about Canada and the Declaration of Independence, historian Mark R. Anderson talks us through the invasion of "the neighbouring Province" of Canada as well as the third and final letter from the Continental Congress to the Inhabitants of Canada. Topics include:
-The formation of the Continental Army in June of 1775 and the appointment of General Schuyler to invade (or liberate) Canada
-A description of the explanations offered by the Americans to the Canadas for the invasion, namely to protect their...
2025-10-0242 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceCanada's Rejection of Independence, Part 1: The First Two Letters to the Oppressed Inhabitants of Canadawith Andrew Sola and Historian Mark R. Anderson
"For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies."
In the first of this two-part episode about Canada and the rebellious Colonies, we discuss the important differences in the history, politics, religion, demographics, and economies of the two regions. Topics include the following
-The transfer of Canada from France to Britain after the Seven...
2025-09-2545 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceHaiti and the Origins of American Diplomacy in the Declaration of Independencewith Andrew Sola and Prof. Ronald Angelo Johnson (Baylor University)
"…and as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do."
In this episode, Professor Johnson (Baylor U.) explores the origins of American theories of diplomacy and the importance of race and freedom in early American history.
These concepts are seen most clearly in early relations between the USA and France, particularly the French colony of Saint-Domingue (modern day Haiti).
Th...
2025-09-111h 16
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceThomas Paine, Common Sense, and the Declaration of Independencewith Andrew Sola and Prof. Nora Slonimsky (Iona University/Institute for Thomas Paine Studies)
“Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent; selected from the rest of mankind their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed to the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions.”--Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776)
In this episode, Dr. Nora Slonimsky, Director the...
2025-08-281h 12
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceHessian Mercenaries and German Reactions to the Declaration of Independencewith Andrew Sola and Dr. Charlotte Lerg (LMU-München)
"He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation."
In this episode, we explore grievance #25 in the Declaration of Independence, which laments the deployment of the notorious Hessian mercenaries to the Colonies in order to fight the American rebels. We also look at reactions to the Declaration in various German-speaking provinces in what is n...
2025-08-0747 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceChicagoland in 1776with Andrew Sola and Prof. Theodore Karamanski (Loyola U.-Chicago)
How did the indigenous people of Chicagoland understand what was happening in the Colonies in 1776?
Did the Declaration of Independence affect them in any way?
Of course, the City of Chicago was not founded until 1837, but this episode explores the lives of the inhabitants of the Chicago area and the effect of European colonization on their way of life during the Revolutionary War.
Our expert guest, Prof. Theodore Karamanski, walks us through the history of Chicagoland, focussing on the following points:
...
2025-07-2336 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceJewish Life in the Colonieswith Andrew Sola and Prof. Tobias Brinkmann (Penn State)
In this episode, Andrew Sola and Tobias Brinkmann explore the history of the earliest Jews in the Colonies.
Topics include the following:
-The arrival in 1654 of the first Jewish ship in New Amsterdam, which was governed by Peter Stuyvesant (who is featured in the photo, arriving in New Amsterdam for the first time)
-The story of Asser Levy, perhaps the first Jewish inhabitant of the North American colonies
-The status of early Jews in Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese colonies
-Jew...
2025-07-1653 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceDaughters of Liberty: Women and the Declaration of Independencewith Andrew Sola and Prof. Rosemarie Zagarri (George Mason U.)
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men AND WOMEN are created equal." Declaration of Sentiments, Seneca Falls Convention
In this episode, Prof. Rosemarie Zagarri explores the legal, social, and political status of women from the Colonial Era through the Revolutionary War, the Seneca Falls Convention (1848), and beyond.
Topics include:
-The tensions between the ideals of the phrase "all men are created equal" and the lived reality of women
-"Coverture" and the legal status of women in the...
2025-06-2655 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceThe Quartering Act and Homosexuality in the Colonieswith Andrew Sola and Prof. John G. McCurdy (Eastern Michigan U.)
"He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures."
This Pride Month episode focuses on two questions.
First, why were American colonists increasingly frustrated with the presence of British troops in the Colonies?
Second, to what extent were Thomas Jefferson and the Founders aware of LGBTQ+ issues at the nation's founding?
Topics include the following:
-Grievances 11, 12, and 14 in the Declaration of the Independence
-The Quartering Act of 1774
2025-06-1252 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceReligion in the Declaration of Independencewith Andrew Sola and Dr. Thomas S. Kidd (Midwestern Baptist Seminary)
The Declaration of Independence uses the words 'God,' 'the Creator,' and 'Divine Providence,' but many of the Founders were highly skeptical of both Christianity and also organized religion, preferring the scientific and rational ideals of the Enlightenment.
In this episode, we explore the tensions between religion and reason in the Declaration of Independence.
Topics include the following:
-Theistic and deistic beliefs in the Founders, including Franklin and Jefferson
-The different religious groups in the Colonies, from Baptists...
2025-06-0559 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceThe Importance of Free Trade and Immigration in the Declarationwith Andrew Sola and Prof. Steven Pincus (U. of Chicago)
"He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of the new Appropriation of Lands"
…"for cutting off trade with all parts of the world."
In this episode, Steven Pincus explores grievances against King George for restricting free trade and for preventing immigration to the colonies.
Topics include the following:
-The importance of the trans-Atlantic Patriot Party, wh...
2025-05-2853 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceNative Americans and The Declaration of Independencewith Andrew Sola and Prof. Matthew Kruer (U. of Chicago)
"He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions."
How are we supposed to understand the phrase "merciless Indian Savages" in the Declaration of Independence?
In this episode, expert in American Indian history Prof. Matthew Kruer (U. of Chicago) gives a thorough analysis of indigenous-colonial relations from the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) through the Declaration of Independence (1776).
2025-05-181h 08
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceThomas Jefferson and the Composition of the Declarationwith Andrew Sola and Prof. Robert McDonald (US Military Academy-West Point)
Who was Thomas Jefferson and how did he come to write the Declaration of Independence at the tender age of 33?
In this episode, historian Robert McDonald (US Military Academy) discusses the genius of Thomas Jefferson. Topics include the following:
-Jefferson's evolution into a revolutionary
-The long tradition of self government in the Colonies
-The process of composing the Declaration of Independence
-The deletion of the passage condemning slavery (see the full passage below)
-Jefferson's reputation in...
2025-05-1354 min
The Trans-AtlanticistIntroducing Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of Independencewith Andrew Sola
This episode is from our brand new series called "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" to commemorate the 250-year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
In this introductory episode, you will learn about some key events leading up to the Declaration of Independence. Check out additional information at amerikazentrum.de.
If you have any thoughts, please share them on our YouTube channel: @declarationofindependence250.
Here is the timeline:
1756-1763: The Seven Years’ War AKA The French and Indian War
1763, 10 February: Treaty of Paris (ended the war)...
2025-04-2114 min
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceThe Seven Years' War and More: Key Events before the Declaration of Independencewith Andrew Sola
In this introductory episode, you will learn about some key events leading up to the Declaration of Independence.
Check out additional information at amerikazentrum.de.
If you have any thoughts, please share them on our YouTube channel: @declarationofindependence250.
Here is the timeline:
1756-1763: The Seven Years’ War AKA The French and Indian War
1763, 10 February: Treaty of Paris (ended the war)
1763, 7 October: Proclamation of 1763 (set the boundaries for Indian Territory)
1763-1766: Pontiac’s War (Native American Coalition vs. Britain)
1765: Stamp Act (Tax...
2025-04-2114 minLife, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of IndependenceTeaser
In 2026, the United States of America is celebrating the 250-year anniversary of its founding, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July, 1776.
Join us in commemorating this important milestone by learning more about the Declaration of Independence, including the historical reasons for its composition, the political philosophies that influenced it, its reception in Europe and the rest of the world, and its impact on independence movements around the world.
The series features scholars and experts in a variety of disciplines, from history and law to philosophy and culture.
...
2025-02-0503 minThe Trans-AtlanticistThe History and Culture of Jewish Chicagowith Andrew Sola, Tobias Brinkmann, and Joe Kraus
This episode is part of the Amerikazentrum's ChicagoHamburg30 series, celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the Chicago-Hamburg Sister-City partnership.
Happy Jewish American Heritage Month! In this episode, we explore the rich and complex history of Jewish Chicago, from the 1850s to the present.
Topics include the following:
-the first Jewish settlers and politicians in Chicago
-the influence of German high-culture and Enlightenment philosophy on German Jews in Chicago
-the formation of Jewish regimental companies in the Civil War
-the second wave of Jewish immigrants and the...
2024-05-041h 12
?Macht:Los! (machtlos)Solo Talk zum (aleatorischen) Demokratieverständnis in anderen PodcastsKommentare zu "Studio komplex", "The Trans-Atlanticist" und "Endlich normale Leute"
Links zu ?Macht:Los! Folge 21
Zunächst die drei zitierten Podcasts, danach Thematisches:
1. hr Podcast "Studio komplex" (13.02.2023)
https://www.ardaudiothek.de/episode/studio-komplex/demokratie-losen-statt-waehlen/hr/12376985/
2. The Trans-Atlanticist (17. und 24.02.2023)
Part One: https://thetrans-atlanticist.podigee.io/s4e2-a-better-democracy-is-possible-part-1-an-introduction-to-sortition-and-deliberation
Part Two https://thetrans-atlanticist.podigee.io/s4e3-a-better-democracy-is-possible-part-2-from-theory-to-real-world-application
3. Endlich normale Leute (09.03.2023)
https://endlich-normale-leute.podigee.io/58-55-das-pferd-mit-den-achtzehn-sinnen
zu 1. hr Podcast "Studio komplex"
Gesprächspartner Hubertus Buchstein
https://ipk.uni-greifswald.de/politikwissenschaft/professor-dr-hubertus-buchstein/
Gesprächspartnerin Dorothea Freiin von Gab...
2023-03-1742 minThe Trans-AtlanticistThe Politics Podcast: Mass Shooting in Hamburg, Feminist Foreign Policy and Ukraine War Updatewith Andrew Sola and Günter Danner
Our first politics podcast of 2024 begins on a tragic note after the mass shooting in Hamburg, which claimed the lives of at least 7 victims and injured many more. The Amerikazentrum would like to express its heartfelt condolences to the victims' families and friends, as well as to the all of the citizens of Hamburg. After a discussion of gun laws in Germany, Sola and Danner turn to the concept of feminist foreign policy and describe its place in wider foreign policy debates about power-based approaches and humanitarian or values-based approaches. Lastly, they p...
2023-03-1245 minThe Trans-AtlanticistOctavia Butler's Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talentswith Stefanie Schaefer and Alexandra Ganser
Welcome to Season 4 of the Trans-Atlanticist at the Amerikazentrum in Hamburg. We are republishing this episode from 2021 (Season 2) in honor of African-American Heritage Month. In this episode, host of LadyFiction Dr. Stefanie Schaefer and her guest Prof. Alexandra Ganser from the University of Vienna discuss Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents.
If you are interested in learning more about African-American culture, check out our specially curated OverDrive Reading List, which highlights African-American history and books by Black authors.
Browse the list here: https://ebooksusa...
2023-02-1437 minThe Trans-AtlanticistThe US Mid-Term Elections: Republican Failure or Democratic Success?with Andrew Sola, Sarah Wagner, and David Sirakov
Andrew Sola of the Amerikazentrum-Hamburg teams up with Sarah Wagner and David Sirakov of the Atlantische Akademie in Rheinland-Pfalz to analyze the 2022 mid-term elections in the United States.
What lessons can we learn about the health of American democracy? What issues are driving American voters? How is Donald Trump's influence on American politics evolving? What can we expect between now and the next presidential election in 2024?
This podcast episode is a cooperation between The Trans-Atlanticist and the Atlantische Akademie's podcast, Amerikas Verfassung: Politik und Gesellschaft in den...
2022-12-1258 minThe Trans-AtlanticistReading Slaughterhouse-Five on Kurt Vonnegut's 100th Birthdaywith Dr. Douglas Cowie and Dr. Wieland Schwanebeck
The Amerikazentrum Hamburg commemorates Kurt Vonnegut's 100th birthday with a special podcast about his seminal novel Slaughterhouse-Five. The Amerikazentrum will also be hosting a Virtual Vonnegut Birthday Celebration live on ZOOM on Saturday Nov. 19 from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. CET. The expert panel includes Dr. Wieland Schwanebeck, Vonnegut biographer Charles J. Shields, and Jan-Christian Petersen. Please visit our website to register for the event: amerikazentrum.de.
2022-11-111h 10
InheritedRememberingMukta Dharmapurikar visits her grandparents’ sugarcane farm in western India to report on the young farmers affected by drought. Kenia Hale recounts a climate-fueled windstorm decimating her family’s yard in Cleveland, Ohio.About the Storytellers: Kenia Hale (she/her) is a writer, artist, and researcher from the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. A grandchild of the great migration, Kenia graduated from Yale University in 2021, where she majored in Computing and the Arts. Her research interests examine the intersection between technology, environmental justice, and racial justice. A storyteller and collagist, Kenia loves writing and dreaming of n...
2022-10-0546 minThe Trans-AtlanticistIntroducing Transatlantic WisdomA Preview
The Trans-Atlanticist at the Amerikazentrum in Hamburg is delighted to announce the launch of our new six-part series called Transatlantic Wisdom, which explores the rich interchange of ideas between Germany and the United States over the last several hundred years.
The series is hosted by two fantastic professors: Michael Coyle and Alan Swensen of Colgate University in New York. Michael is an expert in Modernist literature and poetry and Alan is German scholar and translator of the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.
Episodes will be released every Friday for the next six weeks starting on June 10.
2022-06-0904 min