The Declaration of Independence uses the words 'God,' 'the Creator,' and 'Divine Providence,' but many of the Founders were highly skeptical of both Christianity and also organized religion, preferring the scientific and rational ideals of the Enlightenment.

In this episode, we explore the tensions between religion and reason in the Declaration of Independence.

Topics include the following:

-Theistic and deistic beliefs in the Founders, including Franklin and Jefferson

-The different religious groups in the Colonies, from Baptists and Catholics to Anglicans and Quakers

-Biblical and theological arguments for and against revolution as well as submission to the King

-Grievance #20 in the Declaration, which references the Quebec Act of 1774, which allowed for the establishment of Catholicism in the Canadian colony of Quebec

-Jefferson's Act for Establishing Religious Freedom (1779)

-The Establishment Clause in the First Amendment

"He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of the new Appropriation of Lands"

..."for cutting off trade with all parts of the world."

In this episode, Steven Pincus explores grievances against King George for restricting free trade and for preventing immigration to the colonies.

Topics include the following:

-The importance of the trans-Atlantic Patriot Party, which existed both in Great Britain and throughout the Empire and which criticized the policies of King George for ruling as the King of England alone, rather than the King of the whole Empire

-Economic justifications and criticisms of the Stamp Act (1765), the Townshend Acts (1767), and the Fairfax Resolves (1774)

-The evolving splits in the Patriot Party that led some like Thomas Paine to advocate for independence others like Governor John Wentworth of New Hampshire to for advocate reform while remaining loyal to the King

-Reasons behind the pro-immigration beliefs of the Patriot Party

Steven Pincus' select publications are below:

The Heart of the Declaration: The Founders’ Case for Activist Government.Yale University Press, 2016.

1688:The First Modern Revolution. Yale University Press, 2011.

Protestantism and Patriotism: Ideologies and the Making of English Foreign Policy, 1650–1668. Cambridge University Press, 1996.

"He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions."

How are we supposed to understand the phrase "merciless Indian Savages" in the Declaration of Independence?

In this episode, expert in American Indian history Prof. Matthew Kruer (U. of Chicago) gives a thorough analysis of indigenous-colonial relations from the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) through the Declaration of Independence (1776).

Topics include the following:

-The enormous diversity of the 574 indigenous nations recognized by the US Federal government

-The Great Dying, which led to the death of 90% of the indigenous population of North America due to war, disease, and enslavement

-The complexity and size of indigenous urban centers and trade networks

-The consequences of the Seven Years' War (or the French and Indian War), which ended in 1763, for native peoples and colonists

-The Proclamation of 1763, which demarcated settler country and Indian country

-Pontiac's War (1764) and settler-Indian violence

-The rise of the Black Boys, arguably the first violent anti-British imperial militia

-Dunmore's War (1774), the conflict between Mingo and Shawnee against the Virginia Militia

-Indigenous reactions to the Declaration

The episode ends with a reflection on the tension between the ideals expressed in the Declaration and the characterization of native peoples as "merciless Indian savages."

The books discussed in the episode are:

Kruer, Matthew. Time of Anarchy: Indigenous Power and the Crisis of Colonialism in Early America. (2021, Harvard UP).

Blackhawk, Ned. The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of US History. (2023, Yale UP).

Who was Thomas Jefferson and how did he come to write the Declaration of Independence at the tender age of 33?

In this episode, historian Robert McDonald (US Military Academy) discusses the genius of Thomas Jefferson. Topics include the following:

-Jefferson's evolution into a revolutionary

-The long tradition of self government in the Colonies

-The process of composing the Declaration of Independence

-The deletion of the passage condemning slavery (see the full passage below)

-Jefferson's reputation in his own time

***This episode is from our brand new series called "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" to commemorate the 250-year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.***

In this introductory episode, you will learn about some key events leading up to the Declaration of Independence. Check out additional information at amerikazentrum.de.

If you have any thoughts, please share them on our YouTube channel: @declarationofindependence250.

Here is the timeline:

1756-1763: The Seven Years’ War AKA The French and Indian War

1763, 10 February: Treaty of Paris (ended the war)

1763, 7 October: Proclamation of 1763 (set the boundaries for Indian Territory)

1763-1766: Pontiac’s War (Native American Coalition vs. Britain)

1765: Stamp Act (Tax on Printed Material Used in Colonies)

1766-1767: Townshend Acts (Levied More Taxes on Colonies)

1770, March 5 : Boston Massacre (Protest against Townshend Acts, 5 Protesters Killed)

1773,16 December : Boston Tea Party (Protest against Tea Act)

1774: Intolerable Acts (Punishment for Boston Tea Party)

1774: Dunmore’s War (Colony of Virginia vs. Shawnee and Mingo Nations)

1774 September-October: First Continental Congress

1775, 19 April : Battles of Lexington and Concord

1775: Second Continental Congress begins

1775, 5 July : Olive Branch Petition (Final Attempt by Congress to Avoid War)

1776, 11 June : Committee of Five Established (to Write Declaration of Independence)

1776, 4 July : Final “Fair” Version of Declaration Completed

The new administration in Washington has forced both Americans and Europeans to reckon with an emerging new security environment.

How should we understand this new world order? Is it time to panic?

Ambassador Doug Lute (US Ambassador to NATO, 2013-2017) outlines the contours of this new world and explains why we should not panic.

Topics include the following:

-Updates from the Munich Security Conference

-Consequences of the Trump-Zelenskyy White House summit

-A primer on 4 traditional pillars of US Foreign Policy (military alliances, trade agreements, support of international organizations, and commitment to development assistance)

-The evolution from a bi-polar to a uni-polar to a multi-polar world

-The adaptation of NATO and the EU to Putin's malign actions

-The importance of development assistance in past, present, and future wars

-An assessment of Ukraine's resistance on the battlefield

-An encouraging note to the people of Germany

This podcast episode is part of the U.S. Election Speaker Series, which was organized in cooperation with the Aspen Institute Germany and the Association of German-American Centers (AGAC), and kindly supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.

Andrew Sola and Günter Danner analyze the 2025 federal elections in Germany, focusing on the social, economic, and security challenges facing Germany, Europe, Ukraine, the USA, and the world.

In our final politics podcast of 2024, we look back at the political developments in France, Germany, and the US in 2024. We also look ahead to issues facing Germany, Europe, and the US in 2025.

Topics include the following:

-French President Macron's difficulties with internal French politics

-the collapse of Chancellor Scholz's coalition government in Berlin

-issues that will affect the elections in Germany in February, including the economy and illegal migration

-Trump's approach to tariffs and support for Ukraine

Happy New Year everyone!

***This episode is part of the ChicagoHamburg30 podcast series, which is celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the Chicago-Hamburg Sister-City partnership (1994-2024).***

In our 30th and final episode celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the Chicago-Hamburg Sister-City partnership, we look at the German architects who literally built the buildings that Chicagoans live, work, and play in today.

After discussing the early history of German architects in Chicago, we discuss the life and career of Mies van der Rohe through the memories of his grandson Dirk Lohan. We cover van der Rohe's role in the Bauhaus movement, his difficulties with the Nazis, his escape from Germany, and his career in Chicago. Then, Dirk relates his memories of WWII in Germany and his cooperation with his grandfather on post-war buildings, including the New National Gallery in West Berlin as well as the IBM building and the Federal Center in Chicago. After a discussion about Helmut Jahn, another great German-American architect, Rolf and Dirk conclude with a heartfelt thank you to the people of Chicago for their generosity and kindness in accepting German immigrants throughout the years.

Our guests:

Dirk Lohan is a German-American architect who designed the Shedd Oceanarium, the Soldier Field expansion, and the McDonald's corporate headquarters. He is Mies van der Rohe's grandson.

Rolf Achilles is an art historian who has worked extensively on Chicago art and architecture. He was also instrumental in founding the Chicago-Hamburg Sister-City partnership thirty years ago.

Photo Credit: Anna Kristina Sola, The New National Gallery, Berlin

In this episode, Andrew Sola and AFP journalist Christina Neuhaus discuss Germany's reaction to the US elections as well as the collapse of the German government.

Topics include the following:

-Public and private reactions to Trump's victory

-The reactions of all the different political parties, including BSW, AFD, die Linke, SPD, CDU, the Greens, and FDP

-Different policy issues that concern Germany and Europe, including Ukraine, trade, tariffs, and the climate

-The climate of predictable unpredictability that will characterize trans-Atlantic politics for the next four years

-The three paths that the EU and NATO might take in the future, including the Europe-first approach led by France, the Trump-adjacent approach led by Hungary, and the compromise approach led by Poland

-The reasons for the collapse of the coalition government in Berlin, namely the so-called debt brake, which is the constitutional rule preventing the government from accruing public debt

-The process of planning new elections

Lastly, they forecast the likely outcome of the elections, namely a coalition between the CDU and the SPD, with Friedrich Merz of the CDU as the new Chancellor in Berlin.

Check out Christina Neuhaus's excellent weekly podcast on current debates in the German Parliament (Bundestag) here:

https://unterderkuppel.de/