S8 Ep608: 9. Edward J. Larson Headline: The Bombardment of Norfolk: A Revolutionary Turning Point In January 1776, the Royal Navy’s attack on Norfolk, Virginia, destroyed civilian homes and convinced colonists that reconciliation with Britain was impossible. George
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
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🗓️ 20 March 2026
⏱️ 10 minutes
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Summary
9. Edward J. Larson Headline: The Bombardment of Norfolk: A Revolutionary Turning Point In January 1776, the Royal Navy’s attack on Norfolk, Virginia, destroyed civilian homes and convinced colonists that reconciliation with Britain was impossible. George Washington viewed this aggression as a decisive catalyst for independence. (9)
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| 0:00.0 | I'm John Bachelor. I welcome the author, Edward J. Larson, his new book, |
| 0:20.8 | declaring independence Why 1776 |
| 0:23.7 | matters. This is the 250th celebration of the United States of America's Declaration of Independence. |
| 0:32.7 | And it is important to emphasize that this did not come off of the colonies as one big cheer. |
| 0:41.3 | There's a great deal of drama behind the Declaration of Independence. |
| 0:45.4 | Still is. |
| 0:46.9 | And Ed has guided, it guides us through this year, beginning January 1st and all the way to |
| 0:52.1 | the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton at |
| 0:54.8 | year's end. This is the year that the colonists themselves accept that they're no longer |
| 1:01.6 | subjects of the king with grievances, but in fact independent actors on the planet, and they |
| 1:08.5 | embarked on an adventure of a new style of government. |
| 1:13.3 | Ed, congratulations and very good evening to you. We begin on January 1st in Norfolk, Virginia. |
| 1:18.9 | The Royal Navy at hand, guided by the orders of the governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, |
| 1:26.2 | opens fire on the people of Norfolk. |
| 1:29.7 | Why did the Royal Navy blast away at their own colonists? |
| 1:35.8 | Good evening to you. |
| 1:37.9 | That captured the whole issue, and that did launch the year. January 1 of that decisive year the part of the |
| 1:51.1 | problem is that the governor was a Lord so lords have their own status he wasn't |
| 1:57.7 | a Lord because he was the governor no he was a Lord in England he was established arist lord because he was the governor. No, he was a lord in England. |
| 2:01.6 | He was established aristocracy. |
| 2:04.6 | And he was made the governor of Virginia, royal governor, appointed, not elected by the people, |
| 2:09.6 | but appointed by the king. |
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