Worlds Turned Upside Down tells the story of the American Revolution as a transatlantic crisis and imperial civil war through the lives of people who experienced it. For many modern citizens of the United States, "the cause of America" that gave birth to a new nation in 1776 and the heroic stories we tell ourselves about its founding remains "in great measure the cause of all mankind." But for the people who lived through it, the revolutionary era upended their lives in ways they could have never imagined. The crisis that engulfed the Atlantic world in the late eighteenth century inspired British Americans, Indigenous nations, enslaved Africans and African Americans, Europeans, and other peoples to question their loyalties, challenge authority, seek freedom, and resist revolutionary change.
Worlds Turned Upside Down is narrated and written by Dr. Jim Ambuske.
With a rebellion underway in New England, the Continental Congress orders an invasion of Quebec, confident that Catholic French Canadians will rally to the Patriot standard, a mere fifteen years after Protestant British Americans helped to conquer the old colony of New France for their king.
Featuring: Rick Atkinson, Jeffers Lennox, and Alexandra Lund Montgomery.
Voice Actors: Emmanuel Dubois, Evan McCormick, John Terry, and John Winters.
Narrated by Dr. Jim Ambuske.
Music by Artlist.io
This episode was made possible with support from a 2024 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Help other listeners find the show by leaving a 5-Star Rating and Review on Apple, Spotify, Podchaser, or our website.
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Worlds Turned Upside Down is a production of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.
16 Dec 2025
Episode 22: The Siege
Hours after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, rebel British Americans begin laying siege to Boston, trapping thousands of civilians and soldiers in town for months with dwindling supplies, compelling the British to make a costly assault on nearby Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill.
Featuring: Rick Atkinson, Lindsay Chervinsky, Brad Jones, and Rosemarie Zagarri.
Voice Actors: Adam Smith, Grace Mallon, John Turner, Annabelle Spencer, Evan McCormick, John Terry, Spencer McBride, and Peter Walker.
Narrated by Dr. Jim Ambuske.
Music by Artlist.io
This episode was made possible with support from a 2024 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Help other listeners find the show by leaving a 5-Star Rating and Review on Apple, Spotify, Podchaser, or our website.
Follow the series on Facebook or Instagram.
Worlds Turned Upside Down is a production of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.
25 Nov 2025
Episode 21: The Vengeance
The long-simmering rivalry between Virginians and Pennsylvanians for control of the Ohio Country leads to the 1774 massacre of Soyechtowa James Logan's family at Yellow Creek along the banks of the Ohio River, igniting a war for revenge with tragic results.
Featuring: Robert Parkinson and Christopher Pearl.
Voice Actors: Adam Smith, John Terry, Anne Fertig, and Evan McCormick.
Narrated by Dr. Jim Ambuske.
Music by Artlist.io
This episode was made possible with support from a 2024 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Help other listeners find the show by leaving a 5-Star Rating and Review on Apple, Spotify, Podchaser, or our website.
Follow the series on Facebook or Instagram.
Worlds Turned Upside Down is a production of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.
Inside a recent episode
Episode 23: The Liberation
Published 27 Jan 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] On June 27, Congress authorized Major General Philip Skyler to capture or destroy British boats in artillery on Lake Champlain in the nearby rivers, and there was more. If he found it practicable and that it would not be disagreeable to the Canadians, he was to immediately take possession of St. […]
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