In this episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie Creech and guest Sam Florer of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture examine why American independence was unlikely without European assistance and how France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic became Revolutionary Allies. The episode highlights the self-interested motives that led rival empires to support the Patriot cause and widen the conflict into a global war.

After Britain’s dominance following the Seven Years’ War, France and Spain sought to weaken Britain, despite colonists’ long history of conflict with those powers. In this episode, we will follow the efforts an unlikely cast of characters–diplomats, politicians, merchants, spies, money-launderers, and gunrunners–who found ways to covertly (and ultimately officially) support the cause of American Independence. As France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic were drawn into the war against England, covert assistance turned into official alliances, providing critical aid in the form of finances, supplies, and manpower.

Sam Florer, Director of Public Programs, Virginia Museum of History & Culture

• Sam Florer brings over a decade of museum experience with a focus on education and public engagement. He holds both a BA and MA in History from the College of William & Mary. In his role at the VMHC, Sam leads teacher professional development workshops, supports student programs, and collaborates with cultural institutions statewide to implement the Virginia affiliate of National History Day, a nationwide historical research competition. He also manages a wide range of public programs for adult audiences and works as a historical researcher and writer, specializing in 18th- and 19th-century American history.

• 00:00 Welcome to Revolution Revisited
• 01:08 Why Europe Got Involved
• 03:15 Not Natural Allies
• 05:16 Diplomats in Paris
• 07:24 Franklin vs Lee
• 09:17 Beaumarchais Secret Aid
• 13:46 Spies and Covert Shipping
• 15:38 France Makes It Official
• 17:39 Spain Joins the War
• 25:11 Galvez and Pensacola
• 28:09 Havana Silver for Yorktown
• 31:41 Dutch Money and Neutrality
• 36:58 A Truly Global War
• 39:02 Peace Deals and Aftermath
• 41:16 Unsung Backers Left Behind
• 43:32 Closing Thoughts and Next Time

Revolution Revisited™ is produced by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of William & Karen Fralin. © 2026 Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

In this episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie Creech is joined by Eric Schnitzer to look at the Northern Campaigns of 1777, when the Revolution was still far from secure. They talk about the low point Washington’s army had reached after the defeats of 1776, the temporary lift that came from Trenton and Princeton, and the British plan to divide the colonies by moving against Philadelphia and Albany. The conversation also follows Daniel Morgan’s Corps of Riflemen to Saratoga, where a hard-fought American victory helped force Burgoyne’s surrender and changed what seemed possible for the war.

After the Declaration of Independence, the Revolution still had to survive on the battlefield. In this episode, we follow the Northern Campaigns of 1777, when British forces hoped to divide the colonies and bring the rebellion to an end. We’ll look at Washington’s battered army after the defeats of 1776, the renewed hope that came from Trenton and Princeton, and the danger created when Fort Ticonderoga was abandoned without a fight. We’ll also follow Daniel Morgan’s Corps of Riflemen to Saratoga, where their skill, speed, and persistence helped weaken Burgoyne’s army and set the stage for one of the most important American victories of the war.

Eric Schniter, Park Ranger & Military Historian

• Eric Schnitzer has worked at Saratoga National Historical Park since 1997, becoming Park Ranger / Military Historian in 2000. He is the author of Don Troiani's Campaign to Saratoga - 1777, as well as many articles ranging in subjects from correcting the longstanding error of British light 3-pounder identification (Grasshoppers and Butterflies Reconsidered) to German recruits serving in the British Army during the American War for Independence. An artist, Eric's drawings have appeared in books authored by Don Hagist, including Noble Volunteers: the British Soldiers who fought the American Revolution, and Dr. Karen Cook Bell's Running from Bondage: Enslaved Women and their Remarkable Fight for Freedom in Revolutionary America. He and his wife, Jenna, and their four wacky cats live in an 18th-century house in the White Creek Historic District near Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site, N.Y.

• 00:00 Welcome to Revolution Revisited and The Northern Campaigns of 1777
• 01:31 Recapping 1776 After the Declaration of Independence
• 02:58 Crushing Defeats and Washington’s Army on the Brink
• 03:52 Why New York Became a Major British Target
• 05:10 Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, and Collapsing Morale
• 07:12 Trenton, Princeton, and a Needed Morale Boost
• 08:39 Rebuilding the Continental Army for 1777
• 10:32 British Strategy: Philadelphia, Albany, and Dividing the Colonies
• 12:25 Howe Changes Course and Sails for the Chesapeake
• 13:51 Burgoyne Advances from Canada Toward Albany
• 15:06 The Abandonment of Fort Ticonderoga
• 16:00 Shortages, Suffering, and Life After the Retreat
• 17:07 Schuyler Falls Back Toward Saratoga
• 18:57 Horatio Gates Takes Command
• 19:43 Daniel Morgan and the Corps of Riflemen
• 22:00 Why Morgan’s Riflemen Were an Elite Fighting Force
• 23:12 Morgan’s Men Join Gates and Benedict Arnold at Bemis Heights
• 24:04 Freeman’s Farm and the First Battle of Saratoga
• 27:00 The Second Battle of Saratoga Begins
• 28:51 The Attack on Breymann’s Fortified Camp
• 30:36 Arnold Is Wounded and the British Position Falls
• 31:22 Burgoyne Retreats and Surrenders at Saratoga
• 32:46 Why Morgan’s Riflemen Mattered So Much
• 33:43 Washington’s Losses at Brandywine and Germantown
• 34:27 Why Germantown Still Impressed the French
• 35:59 Contrasting Morale in the Northern Army and Washington’s Camp
• 38:58 Valley Forge and the Winter of Want
• 39:55 The French Alliance and the War’s Next Phase
• 40:24 Why Independence Still Had to Be Defended
• 42:23 Closing thoughts

Revolution Revisited™ is produced by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of William & Karen Fralin. © 2026 Virginia Museum of History & Culture

Welcome to Revolution Revisited™, your crash course in the American Revolution. Join us as we dive into the stories of Virginia's rebels, rule breakers, and rabble rousers.

While July 4, 1776, is a key date--and perhaps the most recognized in our history--it is not the end of the Revolutionary period. Season Three of Revolution Revisited™ follows the war across the colonies, tracing the role of Virginia and Virginians as the struggle for independence continues. Across six episodes, hear from historians Eric Schnitzer, Sam Florer, Eric Sterner, Amanda Ohlke, and Bert Dunkerly.

As fighting unfolds across the northern colonies, the western frontier, and the South, the resolve of the Continental forces is tested time and again. This season, historians explore the campaigns that transformed the Continental Army and examine how intelligence networks and international alliances helped turn the tide of the war. As the conflict intensifies, the story moves to Yorktown, where the Revolution's decisive chapter begins and the path to American independence comes into focus.

Subscribe on your preferred podcast platform and join us for a captivating journey through the American Revolution. Revolution Revisited: Liberty in Action coming July 2026.

The colonies had maritime experience—they had sailed with the British Navy, they had operated on privateering vessels—but they didn’t have a navy of their own. And that’s the challenge as the Revolution begins. On land, you can turn militias into an army, but there’s no equivalent at sea. If they’re going to stand up to the British, they have to build a naval presence from the ground up.

In this bonus episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie Creech and guest Dr. Kylie Hulbert explore the origins and challenges of the Continental Navy during the American Revolution. They discuss how a collection of colonies with maritime experience but no unified naval force attempted to build a navy from scratch, the competition with privateers for sailors, and the critical role that naval power, especially from international allies, played in securing American independence.

Inside the Episode:

At the start of the American Revolution, the colonies faced a massive problem at sea. They had the sailors and the experience, but they lacked a unified naval force capable of challenging the British Royal Navy. In this episode, we follow the 1775 push to create the Continental Navy, a movement led in part by John Adams. We’ll look at the immediate hurdles they faced including limited funding, scarce resources, and a desperate competition for talent with privateers. We’ll also explore the people on the decks, from green recruits to the skilled African American pilots whose knowledge of local waterways proved essential.

TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:00 Welcome to Revolution Revisited and Forming the Continental Navy
• 00:47 Guest Introduction: Historian Dr. Kylie Hulbert
• 01:16 The Colonial Maritime World and British Naval Dominance
• 03:43 Why the Colonies Had No Navy at the Start of the Revolution
• 04:30 John Adams Pushes for a Continental Navy
• 05:40 Debate in Congress: Navy as a Step Toward Independence
• 07:15 Building a Navy from Scratch: Ships, Money, and Manpower
• 09:20 Early Steps Toward Formation in Late 1775
• 10:30 State Navies and the Struggle for Unity
• 12:30 Pirates vs. Privateers vs. Naval Sailors Explained
• 15:40 Privateering vs. Navy Service: Risk, Reward, and Recruitment Challenges
• 18:25 Who Served: Crews, Skills, and Life at Sea
• 21:00 African American Sailors and Their Contributions
• 25:34 Stories of Individual Sailors and Service
• 28:30 John Paul Jones and Criticism of Privateers
• 30:00 Early Naval Engagements and Missed Opportunities
• 32:03 The French Navy and the Turning Point at Sea
• 34:53 The Global Nature of the American Revolution
• 36:30 Why Britain Ultimately Lost the War
• 38:24 The End of the Continental Navy
• 40:08 Closing Thoughts and Episode Wrap-Up

RELATED CONTENT:

• Virginia Museum of History & Culture
• Revolution Revisited Podcast
• Dr. Kylie Hulbert - Hampden-Sydney College
• The Untold War at Sea: America’s Revolutionary Privateers
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What I think has really changed since the Bicentennial is that issues of race and gender have become much more at the center of the academic story. And one of the paradoxes is that by and large among academics, there's a greater sense of agreement as the landscape has become broader, whereas in the public culture, things are much more polarized.

In this bonus episode of Revolution Revisited, listeners will hear a keynote panel discussion from the 2025 Conrad M. Hall Symposium for Virginia History, featuring scholars Dr. Alan Taylor, Dr. Karin Wulf, and Dr. Sarah McCartney. Together they explore how our understanding of the American Revolution has evolved since the 1976 Bicentennial, and what the 250th anniversary means for how we tell the fuller story of who shaped and was shaped by the founding of this nation.

Inside the Episode:

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, historians are grappling with a profound question: how do we tell the full story of a revolution that involved everyone, but whose history has long centered only a few? In this keynote panel discussion from the 2025 Conrad M. Hall Symposium for Virginia History, three leading scholars reflect on how the field has transformed since the 1976 Bicentennial and what that means for this pivotal commemorative moment. From digitized primary sources bringing new voices to light, to the challenge of translating scholarship into public exhibitions, the conversation is as much about how we do history as what history we tell. What emerges is not a single, tidy narrative of liberty, but a richer and more honest one rooted in Virginia, shaped by slavery, and still very much being written.

TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:00 Welcome to Revolution Revisited and Bonus Episode
• 01:25 Introducing the Keynote Panel and Scholars
• 05:37 How Our Understanding of the Revolution Has Changed Since 1976
• 09:11 Academic History Then and Now: Race, Gender, and Expanding the Story
• 13:17 Primary Sources, Digitization, and the Give Me Liberty Essays
• 16:05 Family, Religion, and the Overlooked Threads of Revolutionary Life
• 20:09 Scholars and Public History: Are We Doing Enough?
• 27:12 What We Hope the 250th Anniversary Leaves Behind
• 33:11 The Promise and Limits of Digital Research
• 38:39 Q&A: AI, Archives, and the Future of Historical Research
• 42:20 Broadening the Story Without Losing the Underlying One
• 47:34 Fascinating Characters from the Revolutionary Era
• 52:52 What It's Like to Advise an Exhibition
• 56:38 A Teacher's Question: Are We Losing a Shared Story?
• 1:03:29 Looking Ahead to 2026 and the Official Narrative
• 1:09:22 Commemoration vs. Celebration and Final Reflections

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Virginia Museum of History & Culture

Revolution Revisited Podcast

Give me Liberty

Virginia's official 250th Commemorative Exhibition

In this bonus episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie and guest Michael Plumb explore the perilous decision that George Washington made in December 1776 to cross the Delaware River in order to hold off the British Army – and more importantly, secure an important morale victory for his troops.

Inside the Episode:

By December 1776, the American Revolution was hanging by a thread. The Continental Army was underpaid, underfed, and freezing, retreating in the face of repeated defeats while Congress fled Philadelphia and enlistments ticked toward expiration. In this episode, we follow Washington and his army through that darkest hour — from anxious letters and crumbling morale to the risky, ice-choked crossing of the Delaware and the surprise victory at Trenton. Along the way, we unpack the realities behind the legend: the Hessian soldiers, the logistics, the overlooked figures who made the crossing possible, and the morale boost that gave the revolution new life. What emerges is not a tidy myth, but a story of fragile hope, collective effort, and a revolution that very nearly failed — until it didn’t.

Recommended Resources

• Washington Crossing the Delaware
• Map: Battle of Trenton
• Washington Crossing the Delaware

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