Making sense of this crazy world · historymadeeasier
Stumbling Towards Self-Government
February 1, 2026·23 min·2 clips
John Wilkinson argues George Washington's enduring wealth proves the colonial ruling class simply 'switched clothes' to become America's new ruling class.
As heard by us
Revolutionary ideals run into the hard limits of who counted.
This episode treats the American break with Britain as messier than a neat march to liberty. Local elites, ordinary fighters, and older hierarchies pull against each other, and John Wilkinson makes the institutional argument plainly.
Why you'd press play
Hear how independence still left power in the hands of the few, even as the Revolution reshaped state government.
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