Reframing America · Painted Sky Podcasts

The Missing Picture: Colonial America

·1 hr 3 min·5 clips

What if one delegate's illness changed the entire course of American slavery and prevented the Civil War?

This episode of Reframing America examines the 13-year period between the Declaration of Independence and George Washington's presidency. Host Tony Rydberg is joined by history teacher Ryan Rasmussen and fellow enthusiast Jeff Visner to question if presidents are the best representatives of America's story. They propose reframing history by considering other figures from each era. The discussion centers on colonial America, specifically the years 1776 to 1789, which lasted 4,683 days—longer than Franklin Roosevelt's presidency. The hosts debate potential alternative start dates for America, including April 19, 1775 (Lexington and Concord) and the 1619 Project's date marking the arrival of enslaved Africans. Ryan Rasmussen explains the Articles of Confederation created a weak, state-centric government like the modern European Union, while the Constitution established a stronger federal system designed to limit direct democracy. A key historical "hot take" presented is that a single sick delegate from New Jersey caused the failure of a 1784 provision, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, that would have prohibited slavery in all future U.S. territories. One surprising claim is that Continental Army veterans were largely viewed with suspicion and fear, not celebrated as heroes, due to contemporary fears of a military coup. The hosts debunk the myth of unanimous colonial support for independence, noting significant loyalist sentiment, especially in New York. They argue a unified American national identity did not exist at the revolution's start; colonists identified more strongly as Virginians or New Yorkers. Thomas Jefferson's drafting of the Declaration is reframed as a collaborative, edited process where he borrowed from John Locke and George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights. The conversation draws parallels between colonial-era pamphlet wars, rife with conspiracy theories, and modern social media dynamics. Another insight is that most Revolutionary War deaths resulted from disease or British prison ships, not battlefield combat. The hosts also note that true religious freedom was not secured in most states until the First Amendment. Ryan Rasmussen posits that had slavery been banned from new territories in 1784, the geographic and political divisions leading to the Civil War might never have solidified. The tone is conversational, educational, and lightly humorous, with hosts sharing personal anecdotes about their history teachers. The style involves friendly debate and the systematic debunking of common historical myths. Listeners interested in American history beyond presidential narratives and those who enjoy critical re-examinations of foundational stories would appreciate this episode. Individuals seeking a traditional, celebratory, or purely fact-memorization approach to history might prefer to skip it.

As heard by us

A presidential frame that asks whether the presidents really tell America's story best.

The episode starts with a useful provocation: if America was only 13 years old when George Washington became president, why does the story begin there?

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Why you'd press play

You want to rethink whether presidents are the best way to tell America's story.

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