In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Friederike Baer, an Associate Professor of History at Penn State Abbington College, joins us to explore the lives and wartime experiences of the 30,000 German soldiers the British Crown hired and dispatched to North America during the American War for Independence.
Frederike is the author of the award-winning book Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War (Oxford University Press, 2022).
Within the Declaration of Independence, the founders of the United States present 27 grievances against King George III as they declare their reasons for why the thirteen British North American colonies sought their independence from Great Britain.
Their 25th grievance declares that King George III “is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat [sic] the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun.”
What do we know about the “Armies of foreign Mercenaries” King George III sent to his rebellious American colonies?
During our exploration of the German soldiers in the American War for Independence, Friederike reveals why we should refer to the German soldiers who fought in the American Revolution as “German soldiers” instead of “Hessians”; Information about why German rulers agreed to hire out their young men as mercenaries to King George III and Great Britain; And details about the contributions the German soldiers made to the British military effort during the American War for Independence, as well as details about how some German soldiers experienced the Revolution and war in North America.
You can listen to the podcast here.
Ben Franklin’s World is an award-winning podcast. It’s for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our world. Each episode features an interview with a historian who shares their unique insights into our early American past. It is a production of Colonial Williamsburg Innovation Studios.
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