When we think of the American Revolution, it’s easy to focus on famous battles like Saratoga or Yorktown, iconic leaders like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and foundational documents like the Declaration of Independence. But International alliances—especially with France and Spain—played a critical role in securing the United States’ independence.
John Ferling, Professor Emeritus of History at West Georgia University, joins us to explore the American Revolution’s global dimensions. Drawing from his new book, Shots Heard Round the World: America, Britain, and Europe in the Revolutionary War, Ferling reveals how European rivalries, diplomacy, and behind-the-scenes decisions influenced the war’s outcome and nearly derailed the American cause more than once.
About the Show
Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.
It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.
Episode Summary
John Ferling is an award-winning historian of the American Revolution and a Professor Emeritus at West Georgia University. He’s the author of 16 books on the American Revolution, including Shots Heard Round the World: America, Britain, and Europe in the American Revolution.
Using details from Shots Heard Round the World, John reveals:
- How European rivalries and revenge shaped the course of the War for Independence.
- The pivotal, but often underestimated, role of French diplomacy and naval strategy.
- And, the behind-the-scenes decisions that nearly derailed the American cause, more than once.
What You’ll Discover
- Why write a book about the diplomacy of the American Revolution
- European interest in the American Revolution
- How France gathered intelligence about the Revolution
- What France thought when the American Revolution turned to war
- The French decision to provide aid to the American revolutionaries
- How the French assisted the Americans with money and materiel
- Why the French wanted secrecy in their supply to the Americans
- Why the French entered the American War for Independence
- Why the French sent only naval support in 1778 and 1779
- When and why Spain entered the American War for Independence
- The importance of Gibraltar to Spain’s involvement in the war
- When British sentiment towards the Revolution soured
- Missed opportunities to end the War for Independence
- French and Spanish gains from the war
Links to People, Places, and Publications
Time Warp Question
In your opinion, what might have happened if the Comte de Vergennes had not been France’s foreign minister during the American Revolution? Do you think France still would have supported the revolutionaries?
Complementary Episodes
🎧 Episode 046: The American Revolution and the War that Won It
🎧 Episode 112: The Tea Crisis of 1773
🎧 Episode 122: The Men Who Lost America
🎧 Episode 208: Turning Points of the American Revolution
🎧 Episode 313: The Marquis de Lafayette
🎧 Episode 421: Loyalism & Revolution in Georgia
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