2024-07-24
57 分钟Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Alan Taylor is Tyler’s pick for one of the greatest living historians. His many books cover the early American Republic, American westward expansion, the War of 1812, Virginian slavery, Thomas Jefferson, the revolutionary settlements in Maine, and more. He’s currently the Thomas Jefferson Chair of History at the University of Virginia. Tyler and Taylor take a walking tour of early history through North America covering the decisions, and ripples of those decisions, that shaped revolution and independence, including why Canada didn’t join the American revolution, why America in turn never conquered Canada, American’s early obsession with the collapse of the Republic, how democratic the Jacksonians were, Texas/Mexico tensions over escaped African American slaves, America’s refusal to recognize Cuban independence, how many American Tories went north post-revolution, Napoleon III’s war with Mexico, why the US Government considered attacking Canada after the Civil War, and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Recorded May 9th, 2024. Other ways to connect Follow us on X and Instagram Follow Tyler on X Sign up for our newsletter Join our Discord Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts here. Photo Credit: (c) Dan Addison UVA University Communications
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hello, everyone, and welcome back to conversations with Tyler.
Today I'm chatting with Alan Taylor, who's professor of history at the University of Virginia.
He could plausibly be considered America's greatest living historian.
He's written numerous books on colonial America, Native Americans, the revolutionary period, the early, now mid, and partly latter part of the 19th century.
He is one of the only very few people to have won two Pulitzer prizes.
Let me stress the new book.
Publication date, May 21 is American Civil Wars a Continental History, 1850 to 1873.
I enjoyed reading this very much, learned a great deal from it.
Alan, welcome.
Well, thank you, Tyler.
I really appreciate having the chance to talk with you.
Let's start with the revolutionary period.
We will work up to the topics in your book, but initially, why did only the 13 colonies declare independence?
So there's this thing we later call Canada to the north.
Why aren't they part of this?
Well, it's also all these british colonies in the West Indies, like Jamaica and Antigua and Barbados.
If you look at the population figures, the places that rebel are the places that have the largest populations, and they're connected with each other.
So there is a greater confidence that you can resist militarily.