This podcast episode interviews Maya Jasanoff, a Harvard history professor, about the lead-up to the American Revolution. The discussion begins by contrasting the differences between the New England and Southern colonies, highlighting their varying economies and relationships with Britain. It then explores the British government's attempts to tax the colonies after the Seven Years' War, focusing on the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and Townshend Acts, and the colonists' responses, including the Boston Massacre. The role of land acquisition, the Proclamation of 1763, and the concept of "taxation without representation" are also examined. The episode concludes by setting the stage for a discussion of the Boston Tea Party in the next episode.
