The Road to the American Revolution, Part One

Podcast: Hillsdale College Podcast Network Superfeed
Host: Hugh Hewitt
Guest: Matt Spalding, Dean, Hillsdale Graduate School of Statesmanship
Date: May 5, 2025
Duration: ~36 min

Main Theme

This episode launches a mini-series marking 250 years since the start of the American Revolution. Hugh Hewitt and historian Matt Spalding set the stage for America’s break with Great Britain by tracing its intellectual, cultural, and political roots. The discussion traverses from medieval English history to the aftermath of the French and Indian War, highlighting how English legal traditions, colonial diversity, educational backgrounds, and imperial policy changes contributed to the emergence of an American identity and ultimately, revolution.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. English Historical Foundations

(01:46 – 05:49)

• Spalding emphasizes the Revolution’s deep grounding in English history, particularly the Magna Carta (1215), which introduced the idea of limiting royal authority and established precursors to rights like due process and taxation with consent.
• The English Civil Wars and the Glorious Revolution (1688) profoundly shaped colonial perspectives. The colonies were founded during ongoing conflicts between Parliament and the Crown, imprinting a wariness of centralized power and a legacy of self-government.

Notable Quote:

"Every American colony, except for Georgia...is founded during the period of the English Civil wars leading up to the glorious revolution in 1688. That's extremely important because it shapes their whole outlook."
— Matt Spalding (05:14)

2. Literacy, Religion, and Information Flow

(06:55 – 09:05)

• The colonies boasted remarkably high literacy rates, enabling widespread engagement with political pamphlets and newspapers. Even non-literate people received information through public readings, especially in church sermons, which were crucial for both literacy and political awareness.
• The Great Awakening, a religious revival, predated the Revolution by several decades and built a foundation for revolutionary sentiment by communicating shared values and literacy through sermons.

Notable Quote:

"One of the great sources of literacy in the largest number of those written pamphlets are sermons. The church plays a role, a crucial role in communication literacy in the American founding."
— Matt Spalding (07:40)

3. Colonial Differences and Growing Unity

(10:49 – 16:23)

• Colonial America was diverse, with wide cultural, religious, and economic differences. Colonists hailed from varied backgrounds: some areas were heavily Scottish or Irish, others English or German.
• Despite these differences, shared grievances against British policies created a sense of unity. Experiences of local self-government, representative legislatures, and common legal practices like juries and local taxation gradually forged an American identity, culminating in the Declaration’s assertion: “we are a people.”

Notable Quote:

"They start developing something in common. And that commonness...is initially to do with their resistance against those British regulations and rules which they object to."
— Matt Spalding (15:01)

4. The Colonial Education System

(16:23 – 18:38)

• The Founding Fathers were notably well-educated by the standards of their day, benefiting from a classical education model focusing on Latin, Greek, history, and law. Many attended colonial colleges like Harvard, Princeton (then King's College), or William and Mary, while others were privately tutored or homeschooled.
• Legal training, particularly in English common law (Edward Coke, William Blackstone), was common among the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Notable Quote:

"The classical model of education, which is now kind of an exception today, was the norm. It was the norm in England, and it's the norm that's brought over."
— Matt Spalding (17:00)

5. Converging Colonial Political Structures

(19:35 – 23:08)

• Colonies developed similar political structures (e.g., elected legislatures) despite their differing origins (proprietary, royal, charter colonies).
• After 1688, Britain reasserts control, gradually making all colonies royal and standardizing governance.
• Shared opposition to Parliamentary attempts at control and taxation fostered a sense of "American-ness."

Notable Quote:

"All 13 colonies understand what it means to have consent, legislative consent. So all those things are driving this...they start becoming similar very quickly."
— Matt Spalding (21:55)

6. The French and Indian War’s Impact

(24:53 – 28:17)

• The French and Indian War (1754–1763), fought largely over territory like Ohio, was formative. Colonial militias learned military skills by fighting alongside British regulars.
• The war’s aftermath created a large British debt and prompted imperial administrative changes.
• British attempts at consolidating control, restricting western expansion, and raising taxes (Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, Tea Act) met stiff colonial resistance.

Notable Quotes:

"George Washington...is sent out to check a French regiment who's starting...on lands the British claim. So that war is extremely important and it's what happens after that war, how that plays out, that's when Things really start changing."
— Matt Spalding (25:36)

7. Parliamentary Supremacy vs Colonial Charters

(28:17 – 31:52)

• Parliament asserted its right to rule and tax the colonies under the doctrine of Parliamentary Supremacy—but notably, the colonies had no representation in Parliament.
• Colonists interpreted their constitutional relationship differently: they viewed themselves as having charters directly with the King, not Parliament, and insisted on self-government through their own legislatures.

Notable Quote:

"The British make it very clear...we are passing these taxes to establish the principle that Parliament has the right under all circumstances to rule the colonies. And that includes taxation."
— Matt Spalding (29:46)

8. King George III’s Role and the Turn Toward Revolution

(31:52 – 35:17)

• Early colonial resistance often appealed directly to George III as their sovereign, asking him to protect them from Parliament. George III, though sympathetic early on, grew hardened in enforcing Parliamentary authority.
• As the constitutional split deepened, George III became the face of colonial grievance, leading to his vilification in the Declaration of Independence—mirroring earlier English practice (e.g., Parliament's declaration that James II had “abdicated”).

Notable Quote:

"Early on they appealed to the King to protect them. He kind of there's a certain sympathy he has for them, but once it really comes down to it, he becomes the enforcer of the laws of Parliament, which is why the Declaration ultimately says he is abdicated."
— Matt Spalding (34:35)

Notable Quotes (Condensed)

• "You can't understand where we are or even the last 250 years. Unless you understand 2000 years."
  — Hugh Hewitt (02:47)

• "Let that sink in...the size of the colonies, basically a huge portion of the population read [Common Sense]. That's amazing."
  — Matt Spalding (08:14)

• "A large percentage, maybe two thirds...of the members of the Continental Congress...have been trained in the law, which at the time meant you were studying Edward Cook, which meant you were studying what essentially is the common law, or what we might call the natural law tradition applied to the law."
  — Matt Spalding (18:58)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:46 – Exploring the roots of the Revolution in British history.
• 06:55 – Literacy, pamphlets, and the power of sermons in colonial society.
• 10:49 – The impact of the English Civil Wars and Glorious Revolution on the colonies.
• 14:11 – Diversity and the eventual unity among the colonies.
• 16:47 – The classical and legal education of the Founders.
• 19:35 – How colonial political institutions converged.
• 24:53 – The French and Indian War as a turning point.
• 28:17 – The imperial and financial strain following the war.
• 30:58 – Parliamentary supremacy vs colonial self-rule.
• 32:50 – George III’s shifting role and the move toward independence.
• 34:35 – Parallels in revolution language: George III and James II.

Overall Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is thoughtful, richly detailed, and often laced with friendly academic banter. Both Hewitt and Spalding stress the vital importance of memory, the classical tradition, and civic literacy—noting how the Founders' familiarity with law, history, and political philosophy equipped them for nation-building. The episode makes clear that the American Revolution was not a sudden outburst, but the result of deep historical currents, vigorous debate, and a unique colonial experience shaped by both English inheritance and the New World’s frontiers.

This episode sets the scholarly and historical groundwork for future discussions, promising a deeper dive into the revolutionary era and the events directly leading to independence in following installments.