All year, we’ve explored the American Revolution from many vantage points, from its politics and battles to the experiences of women, enslaved and free people of color, Native Americans, and Loyalists.
In this episode, we’re going to take an LBGTQ+ lens to the Revolution.
Three historians, Rachel Hope Cleves, Jen Manion, and John McCurdy bring together different stories to explore how everyday LGBTQ+ people took part in the American Revolution and how its legacy shaped LGBTQ+ lives in the new United States.
Rachel’s Book | Jen’s Book | John’s Book
Show notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/453
EPISODE OUTLINE
00:00:00 Introduction
00:05:02 Meet Our Guest Historians
00:06:51 LGBTQ+ Lives and Language in the Revolutionary Era
00:14:21 Finding a Same-Sex Marriage in the Archives
00:24:16 A British Army Chaplain Under Suspicion
00:28:33 Reading Through the Bias of Trial Transcripts
00:35:37 Fluid Identities and Historical Erasure
00:37:57 Military Service as a Path to Reinvention
00:47:40 War, Upheaval, and New Possibilities
00:54:24 LGBTQ+ People and the Culture of the New Nation
01:10:10 Final Thoughts
RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES
🎧 Episode 004: Sex and the Founding Fathers: The American Quest for a Relatable Past
🎧 Episode 013: Charity & Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America
🎧 Episode 278: Polygamy: An Early American History
🎧 Episode 359: Trans-ing Gender in Early America
🎧 Episode 414: Robert Newburgh’s Trials: Queerness & Reputation in Revolutionary America
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