Analyzing American Revolution - AARevolution.net

About Analyzing American Revolution - AARevolution.net

AARevolution.net is not your basic U.S. History 101! We are not about chronicling the American Revolution, storytelling or mythologizing. In Analyzing American Revolution (AAR), professors analyze the American Revolution from many different angles in in-depth interviews with host, Adel Aali. AAR is a production of History Behind News (HbN), in which Adel has interviewed 197 professors (and counting) about U.S. and world history. And now Adel brings that experience to interview and analyze scholars of the American Revolution.

Publisher

Adel Aali, History Behind News Program

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Nov 2025

Latest episode

22 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

38 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Oct 2026

   Food and Hunger as Instruments of Power in the American Revolution| S1E37 AAR

   Was "hunger knowledge" power? Arguably yes. It could sustain a community—or give it leverage over an empire. And Native nations had hunger knowledge superior to that of the British and the American colonists. They knew how to endure scarcity and provision armies, expertise that colonists often lacked. During the American Revolution, food and hunger continued to serve as instruments of alliance, resistance, and warfare. And after independence, American officials portrayed Native peoples as helpless and hungry while pursuing policies that took their land and undermined their ability to feed themselves. 📄 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Interview⁠ ⁠⁠⁠transcript & takeaways: COMING SOON 🚩About My 237th Guest: Dr. Rachel Herrmann ⁠Dr. Rachel Herrmann (https://profiles.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/herrmannr) is a Senior Lecturer in Modern American History in the School of Global Humanities at Cardiff University. Her books include the following: --"To Feast on Us as Their Prey: Cannibalism and the Early Modern Atlantic" --"Claiming Land, Claiming Water: Borders and the People Who Crossed Them in the Early Modern Atlantic" --"No Useless Mouth: Waging War and Fighting Hunger in the American Revolution", which we discuss in this interview 🚩Related Interviews: ►Dr. Rebecca Brennan: American Loyalists: Was the American Revolution a Civil War? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-kYdz0x7v8) ►Dr. Edward J. Larson: Declaration's Timeline: 1776 - 7 Months That Changed Ameri (https://youtu.be/ZWdeR-dZl1k) ►Dr. David Silverman: Native Americans in the American Revolution: The History We Didn't Learn (https://youtu.be/kWzeJhiQzPo) ►Dr. Gonzalo Quintero: Spain’s Forgotten Role in the American Revolution (https://youtu.be/2K3IpG5qspg) ►Dr. Ricardo Herrera: Valley Forge & America's People Army (https://youtu.be/xmfQRQUxgWI) ►Dr. Paul Douglas Lockhart: Steuben & Valley Forge (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1i-r6x4ePc) ****************** ▶️About Featured Image: Image of Adel Aali (program host) and his guest, Dr. Rachel Herrmann, superimposed on the Betsy Ross flag, along with a cropped image of “No Useless Mouth: Waging War and Fighting Hunger in the American Revolution,” Dr. Herrmann's book that is the basis of this interview. ***** 🧭 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore AAR⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🖼️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Image Gallery⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://analyzingamericanrevolution.com/images-of-the-american-revolution/) 🗂️⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thematic Collection⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://analyzingamericanrevolution.com/images-of-the-american-revolution/) 📝 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Take the AAR IQ Quiz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://analyzingamericanrevolution.com/aarevolution-iq/) ***** 🔔 Follow AAR: 🎞️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@UCG7dqG9iXCn7G6Zk9CYm68A ) 🎞️🎧 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://open.spotify.com/show/7hOxTKzLL18ffv5BajVdTD) 📰⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AAR's Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://analyzingamericanrevolution.com/aar-newsletter/) ***** 📑 Video Chapters: 00:00 Selected Highlights 02:30 Guest Introduction 04:29 Hunger’s Changing Meanings: Were Our Ancestors “Hangry”? 06:32 Hunger vs. Starvation: When Going Hungry Is Diplomatic 10:42 “Hunger Knowledge”: How Native Americans Fed Armies 15:24 “No Useless Mouth”: Hunger and Britain’s Native Allies 18:02 The Sullivan Expedition: War Against Villages and Cornfields 20:43 Victual Imperialism: Food and Hunger as Weapons 27:52 Native American Food Diplomacy: Feasts, Treaties, and Alliances 30:34 Sharing Food Across Enemy Lines in the American Revolution 34:35 Valley Forge and Beyond: Feeding the Revolutionary War 41:14 After Independence: Hunger, Native Lands, and American Expansion 48:21 Just One Point ***** 📽️This video is made with Filmora. ☑️Image Attributions: All images are in the Public Domain 🎵Music Attributions: "Yankee Doodle" in our videos: ►⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Choral, U.S. Army Band (Public Domain) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We incorporate parts of this fabulous performance in the beginning and end of our videos. ✅⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🫶⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support AAR⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: We appreciate your⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠financial support ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠of our program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. *****

2. 

   7 Oct 2026

   American Revolution's Treason Trap: Whom to Betray? | S1E36 AAR

   Traitor either way. Stand with the Revolution, and you betray your king. Stay loyal to the king, and the new American governments can prosecute you for treason—and neutrality offers no safe escape. When your country splits in two, whom do you betray? As it turns out, in addition to announcing America's independence to the world, the Declaration of Independence also gave the new American states a legal basis to prosecute and execute those who aided Britain. Our discussions in this interview reach beyond the Revolution to the Mexican-American War and treason cases in the 20th century. We also ask why lawyers, usually defenders of established institutions, backed a revolution: they believed Britain was breaking its own laws. 📄 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Interview⁠ ⁠⁠⁠transcript & takeaways: COMING SOON 🚩About My 236th Guest: Prof. Carlton Larson Prof. Carlton F.W. Larson (https://law.ucdavis.edu/people/carlton-larson) is the Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law at UC Davis School of Law. He is a scholar of American constitutional law and Anglo-American legal history, and also one of the nation’s leading authorities on the law of treason, which is the subject of this interview. Prof. Larson has published the following books: --"On Treason: A Citizen's Guide to the Law" --"The Trials of Allegiance: Treason, Juries, and the American Revolution" (discussed in this interview) --"One Nation Under Law: The Meaning of the Declaration of Independence" (discussed in this interview) ****************** ▶️About Featured Image: Image of Adel Aali (program host) and his guest, Prof. Carlton Larson, superimposed on the Betsy Ross flag, along with a cropped image of "One Nation Under Law: The Meaning of the Declaration of Independence", Prof. Larson's book that is the basis of this interview. ***** 🧭 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore AAR⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🖼️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Image Gallery⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://analyzingamericanrevolution.com/images-of-the-american-revolution/) 🗂️⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thematic Collection⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://analyzingamericanrevolution.com/images-of-the-american-revolution/) 📝 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Take the AAR IQ Quiz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://analyzingamericanrevolution.com/aarevolution-iq/) ***** 🔔 Follow AAR: 🎞️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@UCG7dqG9iXCn7G6Zk9CYm68A ) 🎞️🎧 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://open.spotify.com/show/7hOxTKzLL18ffv5BajVdTD) 📰⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AAR's Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://analyzingamericanrevolution.com/aar-newsletter/) ***** 📑 Video Chapters: 00:00 Selected Highlights 02:04 Guest Introduction 03:46 Why the Constitution Defines Treason 08:55 Can Noncitizens Commit Treason? 10:57 Disloyalty, Espionage, and Treason 16:58 Treason Against a State 19:14 Patriots and Loyalists: The Allegiance Trap 22:50 When Aiding Britain Became Treason 26:49 Treason Trials, Juries, and George Washington 33:54 How Treason Changed After the Revolution 36:51 Executions, Mexico, and Presidential Assassination 41:02 The Declaration: One Nation Under Law 52:54 Just One Point ***** 📽️This video is made with Filmora. ☑️Image Attributions: All images are in the Public Domain 🎵Music Attributions: "Yankee Doodle" in our videos: ►⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Choral, U.S. Army Band (Public Domain) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We incorporate parts of this fabulous performance in the beginning and end of our videos. ✅⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🫶⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support AAR⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: We appreciate your⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠financial support ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠of our program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. *****

3. 

   17 Sept 2026

   The Hessians: How 1/3 of Britain’s Army Fought—and Saw—America | S1E35 AAR

   Most Americans remember the Hessians as drunken mercenaries defeated at Trenton. But nearly 30,000 German soldiers served Britain—from Canada to West Florida—and at one point constituted roughly one-third of its regular army in North America. They arrived with women and children, judged both Americans and their British commanders, encountered slavery, and sometimes decided to remain. The familiar schoolbook image captures only a tiny fraction of their story. 📄 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Interview⁠ ⁠⁠⁠transcript & takeaways: COMING SOON 🚩About My 232nd Guest: Dr. Friederike Baer Dr. Friederike Baer is a Professor of History at Penn State Abington College where she is Division Head of Arts and Humanities. Her research focuses on the American Revolutionary era and Early American Republic, and she is especially interested in the experiences of German-speaking people during this period (1775-1830). Dr. Baer is the author of "The Trial of Frederick Eberle: Language, Patriotism and Citizenship in Philadelphia’s German Community, 1790-1830", which was awarded the St. Paul, Biglerville Prize in American Lutheran History, and "Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War", which was honored with the American Roundtable of Philadelphia Annual Book Award, Inaugural American Battlefield Trust Prize for History Honorable Mention, and Society of the Cincinnati Prize. Dr. Baer is an elected Member of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts. She served as a historical advisor and interviewee for The American Revolution, a documentary film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt. You can learn more about Dr. Baer by --visiting her academic homepage: https://friederikebaer.com/about-me/ (https://friederikebaer.com/about-me/), and --visiting her personal website: https://www.abington.psu.edu/person/Friederike-Baer ( https://www.abington.psu.edu/person/Friederike-Baer), in which she shares her research related to German soldiers in the American Revolutionary War, including transcriptions and translations of German-authored letters, diary entries, etc., that strike me as interesting (and that have not previously been translated or published). ****************** ▶️About Featured Image: Image of Adel Aali (program host) and his guest, Dr. Friederike Baer, superimposed on the Betsy Ross flag, along with a cropped image of "Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War", Dr. Baer's book that is the basis of this interview. ***** 🧭 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore AAR⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🖼️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Image Gallery⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://analyzingamericanrevolution.com/images-of-the-american-revolution/) 🗂️⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thematic Collection⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://analyzingamericanrevolution.com/images-of-the-american-revolution/) 📝 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Take the AAR IQ Quiz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://analyzingamericanrevolution.com/aarevolution-iq/) ***** 🔔 Follow AAR: 🎞️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@UCG7dqG9iXCn7G6Zk9CYm68A ) 🎞️🎧 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://open.spotify.com/show/7hOxTKzLL18ffv5BajVdTD) 📰⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AAR's Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://analyzingamericanrevolution.com/aar-newsletter/) ***** 📑 Video Chapters: 00:00 Selected Highlights 01:50 Guest Introduction 4:05 The Declaration’s Hessian Propaganda 9:25 Why German Rulers Sent Troops 14:19 Women and Children at War 21:08 Volunteers, Conscripts, and Profits 28:34 The Hessians Beyond Trenton 36:14 America Through German Eyes 43:20 Encounters With Native Americans 48:48 Germans Judge British Leadership 53:16 Violent Invaders or Innocent Victims? 1:07:51 Hessian Letters Come Alive 1:15:47 Just One Point ***** 📽️This video is made with Filmora. ☑️Image Attributions: All images are in the Public Domain 🎵Music Attributions: "Yankee Doodle" in our videos: ►⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Choral, U.S. Army Band (Public Domain) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We incorporate parts of this fabulous performance in the beginning and end of our videos. ✅⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🫶⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support AAR⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: We appreciate your⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠financial support ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠of our program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. *****

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