Support for Ben Franklin's world comes from the

Amahandro Institute of Early American History and Culture.

I recently asked Chris Hodson, a historian at Brigham Young University,

how the Amahandro Institute helped him with his research on the French Atlantic world.

He told me about a conference the Institute helped him put on.

Last fall, Brett Rushforth and I, and you know Brett from his conversation on Ben Franklin's

world about Native American slavery in New France,

organized a conference that brought together scholars from all over the place, from Europe,

from Africa, from North America, from the Caribbean, who've been reading each other's work for years in many cases without actually having met face to face.

And it was really great to see this community of historians come together.

Lots and lots of new work and new partnerships

are going to emerge from the conversations

that we had and community and the sort of scholarly

interchange that we want to foster is just as important to

research as the hours you spend in an archive or in special collections.

And those conversations in many cases are what spark you to look for different things or different ways of looking at new things.

That's why we wanted the Omaha Institute to sponsor our conference because they really specialize in making those conversations happen.

Welcome to Ben Franklin's World.

Podcast about Early American History with Liz Covert.

The study of history is key to understanding who we are and how we can affect the better future.

Van Franklin's world will introduce you to historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present day world.

And now here's your host, Liz Colarn.

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