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Ben Franklin's world is The podcast dedicated to helping you of Ben Franklin's World.

The podcast dedicated to helping you,

learn more about how the people and events of our early American past

have shaped the present day world we live in.

And I'm your host, Liz Kovart. With the battles of Lexington and

Concord on April 19, 1775, the 13 colonies found themselves at war with

Great Britain.

British military forces ranked among the most powerful in the world.

By contrast, the colonies had militiamen, civilian volunteers,

because the Continental Congress had not yet established its Continental Army and Navy.

Which raises the question, how did the Continental Congress approach creating military forces that could go toe to toe with the

British military. That's a really big question and today we're joined by

author and historian Eric J. Dolan to answer part of this question by looking at the creation of the New United States

private tier fleet. Eric is the author of many books about the maritime history of

early America in the Atlantic world, and his latest book,

Rebels at Sea, Privateering in the American Revolution, will lend itself well to our

conversation. Now as we explore the world of privateering in the American Revolution,

Eric reveals what privateering was and how it differed from piracy.

Why the American Revolutionaries turn so quickly to privateering as a military option during the

American Revolution and how privateers help the United States when its

independence. But first, did you know that Ben Franklin's world has a listener-led and listener-driven book club?

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