DIVERSE VOICES AND THE MILITIA MYTH Colleague Joseph Ellis. Ellis profiles key figures of 1774-1775, including the conservative John Dickinson, who sought to avoid war, and the revolutionary John Adams. He discusses the "delusion" created by Bunker Hill t

Season 8, Episode 328,   Jan 17, 09:08 PM

Subscribe
DIVERSE VOICES AND THE MILITIA MYTH Colleague Joseph Ellis. Ellis profiles key figures of 1774-1775, including the conservative John Dickinson, who sought to avoid war, and the revolutionary John Adams. He discusses the "delusion" created by Bunker Hill that amateurs could defeat professionals, a myth that persisted despite military realities. Ellis highlights Thomas Paine's Common Sense, which shifted the argument to natural rights and demonized the monarchy, arguing an island could not rule a continent and making independence seem inevitable. NUMBER 2
1799 LONDON