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Years That Changed History: 1776

Trace the interconnected events of 1776 to see how the American Revolution fit into the larger picture of world history in the 18th century and beyond.
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Rated 5 out of 5 by from Professor Jortner is brilliant! Professor Jortner's lectures are so well-structured and substantial. I LOVE his lecture style!
Date published: 2026-06-18
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Years That Changed History: 1776

Trailer

Why 1776 Matters

01: Why 1776 Matters

In this first lecture, step into a world on the brink. As George Washington faces the collapse of his army in January 1776, discover a revolution far bigger than America. From the Boston Tea Party to global trade empires and Enlightenment ideas, witness how politics, economics, and philosophy collided--turning a near-funeral for rebellion into the birth of a daring new vision for government.

34 min
Tea and Famine

02: Tea and Famine

Trace the coming of the American Revolution to conditions within both India and China, in their dealings with the British East India Company. Learn how the actions of its directors left the Company with both massive debts and huge surpluses of tea, which were then sold into the American colonies. Relive the events of the Tea Act of 1773, which led to the civil defiance of the Boston Tea Party.

30 min
Common Sense

03: Common Sense

Thomas Paine's famous pamphlet, Common Sense, was a critical document of revolutionary ideology. Grasp its debt to the thinking of the Enlightenment, as it articulated and advanced the idea of independence, and the oppressive nature of monarchy. Mark the reactions and controversy surrounding it, its wide readership and influence, and gauge its effects on the ground as the Revolution unfolded.

30 min
Outbreak: The Smallpox Epidemic

04: Outbreak: The Smallpox Epidemic

Smallpox was a pervasive and devastating problem in 1776 America. Follow the virus and its effects through many theaters of the American Revolution, and into Lakota country, Texas, Mexico, and beyond. Note that the spread of the epidemic across the whole of North America proves that the communities on the landmass were linked coast to coast long before Lewis and Clark crossed the continent.

31 min
The Lakota Ascendancy

05: The Lakota Ascendancy

The year 1776 saw the rise of a major Native American nation. Trace how the Lakota reclaimed the Black Hills of the Great Plains, central to their cosmology, establishing trade and a horse-based rule, and subduing other Native nations in the process. Grasp the power of the Lakota Confederacy, with the center of the continent under its domination; a people that would control this region for the next century.

29 min
Adam Smith and the Scottish Enlightenment

06: Adam Smith and the Scottish Enlightenment

Take stock of the revolution in thought known as the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century, largely led by clergy and university professors. Encounter the work of important philosophers such as David Hume and Thomas Reid. Then delve into The Wealth of Nations, published in 1776 by Adam Smith, who argued for the societal benefits of free trade, and created the field of modern economics.

32 min
James Watt's Wonderful Engine

07: James Watt's Wonderful Engine

The Scottish Enlightenment also produced significant innovations in science and technology. Learn about James Watt's development of the steam engine, which transformed factory production in Britain, a major element of the nascent Industrial Revolution. Grasp how the Industrial Revolution--beginning in 1776--changed the economics of Britain's Midlands, and then of the entire world.

31 min
A Map of South America

08: A Map of South America

Unearth the remarkable story of Juan de la Cruz's 1776 map of South America. Made by a man who had never been to South America, follow the use of this map by Spanish and Portuguese colonial administrators to define their regions of control. Witness how indigenous peoples received Spanish authority in the form of a map, which created borders and destroyed communities across the continent.

32 min
Espionage and the French Connection

09: Espionage and the French Connection

Here, meet the outlandish figure of Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais, a French playwright and spy whose career was fatefully entwined with America's rebellion. Look into the diplomatic history of 1776 in France, and Beaumarchais' efforts to convince France to fund the American Revolution. Trace his pivotal role in routing aid to the Americans and gaining French recognition of the United States.

31 min
We Hold These Truths …

10: We Hold These Truths …

In a penetrating look at the Declaration of Independence, explore the circumstances of rebellion that necessitated the Declaration, and the rich rhetoric of the document, justifying separation from Britain. Mark the response for and against the Declaration, and its global legacy, held by millions as an impassioned call for human rights and political freedoms as creations of government.

31 min
The British Empire Strikes Back

11: The British Empire Strikes Back

In the wake of the Declaration of Independence, track the British response, landing an army and naval forces in the colonies. Study the British military strategy under General William Howe, that predicted a swift defeat of the colonists. With the British takeover of New York City, follow the brutal series of retreats for Washington's army that made 1776 a year of losses for the Americans.

30 min
The Abolitionism of Abdul Qadir Kan

12: The Abolitionism of Abdul Qadir Kan

Travel to the lands of West Africa in 1776 and look into the geopolitical conditions, shifting power bases, and ongoing wars that surrounded and facilitated the trade in humans. Discover the extraordinary case of Abdul Qadir Kan, reluctant ruler of the kingdom of Futa Toro, who succeeded in abolishing slave trading in his domains, refusing bribes and blockading European slavers during his reign.

30 min
The Middle Passage Journey of the True Blue

13: The Middle Passage Journey of the True Blue

Relive the voyage of the British slaving ship True Blue in 1775-1776, from West Africa to Jamaica, known to us through the writings of James Stanfield, a sailor aboard. Visualize the horrific cruelty endured by the enslaved, and their sale into lifetime forced labor in the Caribbean. Learn that, notwithstanding their bondage, the enslaved created their own rich culture, religion, and communities.

31 min
Virginia Baptists Separate Church and State

14: Virginia Baptists Separate Church and State

Why did a revolution fought for entirely secular reasons give freedom of religion to the US? Look into the pre-revolution Anglican church, which had state authority, and the kinds of religious persecution that angered Baptists, among others. Follow the actions by which the Baptists of Virginia leveraged a military emergency to negotiate religious freedoms which later became national law.

32 min
Hawaii Discovers the World

15: Hawaii Discovers the World

Learn about the civilization of Hawaii in the 18th century, its system of religion, government, and sophisticated agriculture. Witness how the discovery of Hawaii by the British navy in 1776 led to the creation of the Hawaiian navy under the ruler Kamehameha, who conquered and ruled the islands, controlling trade with foreign empires and transforming the trading network that crossed the Pacific.

29 min
The Empire of the Potlatch

16: The Empire of the Potlatch

Encounter the immense trade empire of the Pacific Northwest, the indigenous nations that ruled it, and their ritual of the "potlatch," a ceremony where rulers bestowed wealth on their people. With European traders traveling there from 1776, track the burgeoning export of Northwest furs and other goods to China and beyond, and the rise of two native rulers who powerfully controlled the trade.

30 min
The World's Largest Library

17: The World's Largest Library

Delve into the fascinating history of China's Qing dynasty, and the great wealth and power of the Chinese empire in the 18th century. Study the events surrounding the Emperor's creation of a vast imperial library, and his demands for the submission of all valuable books from across the empire, which led paradoxically to a major movement of the destruction of books that were deemed seditious.

31 min
The Submarine of 1776

18: The Submarine of 1776

As a key factor in the waging of the Revolution, investigate the military technology of the era, and the range of firearms and cannons that undergirded the fighting. Then uncover the remarkable story of the first working submarine, developed in 1776 by David Bushnell. Learn about the design of the sub, its planned role in the war, and the ultimately failed attempts to use it against British ships.

30 min
Harry Washington's Revolution

19: Harry Washington's Revolution

How did enslaved people respond to a war for liberty that also included human bondage? Examine the range of experiences of the enslaved during the revolution, from those who fought for the British, having been promised liberty in return, to those who joined the patriots' side. Learn how the enslaved sought freedom during the conflict, and how they changed the military history of the revolution.

30 min
Secret Murders of the Hermit Kingdom

20: Secret Murders of the Hermit Kingdom

Enter the unique culture of Choson Korea in the 18th century, a time of isolationism. Grasp how the society was modeled on Chinese Neo-Confucian thought, with rigorous ideals of social order and just rule. Uncover the bizarre story of a murderous ruler, and the 1776 crowning of his son Chongjo, who became a highly innovative ruler, bringing new prosperity and freedoms to the kingdom.

33 min
The End of Witches and the Rise of Vampires

21: The End of Witches and the Rise of Vampires

The European Enlightenment saw an explosion of public fears of witches and demonic beings, with witch trials and vampire hunting intensifying in Hungary and Poland in the 18th century. Learn how these subjects spawned intense legal debate over the prosecution of witches and the reality of the supernatural. Trace the events of 1776 in Eastern Europe which led to the final bans on witch-hunting.

34 min
Gibbon's Decline and Fall

22: Gibbon's Decline and Fall

Investigate how Britons viewed the crisis with the American colonies, through the thought of figures such as radical publisher John Wilkes, opposition leader Edmund Burke, and Anglican pundit John Wesley. Then dig into Edward Gibbon's iconic Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and assess Gibbon's elaborately argued eulogy to empire, and his support for harsh measures against the colonists.

32 min
Hoaxes and Revolution

23: Hoaxes and Revolution

Many legends, untruths, and hoaxes surround the Revolution, both at the time and later, which skew our understanding of the events. Look into a range of these fabrications, from the legend of Betsy Ross's creation of the American flag to a hoax deliberately perpetrated by Benjamin Franklin, with a political intent. Learn how historians uncover and respond to historical untruths.

31 min
Crossing the Delaware

24: Crossing the Delaware

In this final lecture, visualize the American patriots' critical confrontation with the British at Trenton. Though vastly outnumbered and facing the likely demise of the rebellion, see how the patriots crossed the Delaware and drove the British from their positions, proving that the war could be won. Conclude with reflections on the global events of 1776, and on the nature of liberty.

32 min

Overview Course No. 30780

The year 1776 is undoubtedly iconic for Americans. After all, it is the year of the Declaration of Independence—the paradigm-shifting document that birthed a new vision of government and brought the United States into being. But the groundbreaking events of 1776 went far beyond the American Revolution.

Years That Changed History: 1776 invites you to take a uniquely different look at the events of this famous year, in a brilliant and surprising excavation of world history. With the expert guidance of Professor Adam Jortner of Auburn University, you’ll explore the whole world of 1776, discovering the surprising connections between earth-shaking events in politics, philosophy, literature, science, map-making, and economics around the globe. The American Revolution was only one part of a world-spanning transformation of empires, of technologies, and of human thought.

In this exciting and original course, you’ll explore how all these milestones took place in one singular year—and how they shaped and influenced each other as the world changed.

About

Adam Jortner
Adam Jortner

One of the great privileges of being a historian is that I get to talk about 'what if.' I get to remind people that things are not foreordained, and even in stormy times, great things may happen.

INSTITUTION

Auburn University

Adam Jortner is a Professor of History and the former Goodwin-Philpott Eminent Professor of Religion in the Department of History at Auburn University. He received his PhD in History from the University of Virginia. He has written and lectured extensively on the history of religion and democracy and the history of imagination. He is the author of four books, including The Gods of Prophetstown; Blood from the Sky: Miracles and Politics in the Early American Republic; and A Promised Land: Jewish Patriots, the American Revolution, and the Birth of Religious Freedom.

By This Professor

10 Great What-Ifs of American History
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Years That Changed History: 1776
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