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How the British Empire Lost America—With Andrew Shankman

Danny and Derek are joined by historian Andrew Shankman to talk about the road to US independence from Great Britain.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

July 6, 2026

The owner of The Cornish Arms gastropub adjusts the Union Flag alongside the American flag on the exterior of the pub in St. Ives, Cornwall on June 10, 2021.(Daniel Leal via Getty Images)

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Bonus – How the British Empire Lost America w/ Andrew Shankman / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek are joined by historian Andrew Shankman to talk about the road to US independence from Great Britain. They discuss differences between Spanish and British colonization strategies, the intellectual and philosophical origins of the American Revolution, the Stamp Act crisis, distinctions in racial conceptions between the American colonies and the West Indies, key revolutionary figures, the early American republic, the unique economic situation of Boston and Massachusetts, and post-revolution relations with Britain and indigenous peoples. 

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Danny and Derek are joined by historian Andrew Shankman to talk about the road to US independence from Great Britain. They discuss differences between Spanish and British colonization strategies, the intellectual and philosophical origins of the American Revolution, the Stamp Act crisis, distinctions in racial conceptions between the American colonies and the West Indies, key revolutionary figures, the early American republic, the unique economic situation of Boston and Massachusetts, and post-Revolution relations with Britain and Indigenous peoples.  

Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/subscribe.

The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

American Austerity in the Philippines w/ Lisandro Claudio / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek welcome historian Lisandro Claudio back to the program to talk about how austerity, first imposed by the U.S. during its colonial rule of the Philippines, continues to influence the Filipino political economy. They discuss the colonial gold standard, dollar diplomacy, Miguel Cuaderno and the Central Bank of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos being forced to depreciate the peso, the Filipino Left’s anti-debt stance, and the country’s dependency on exported labor.

Grab your copy of Lisandro’s book The Profligate Colonial: How the US Exported Austerity to the Philippines.

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Daniel BessnerTwitterDaniel Bessner is a historian of US foreign relations and is the author of, among other books, Imperialist Realism.


Derek DavisonDerek Davison is a writer and analyst specializing in international affairs and US foreign policy. He is the publisher of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter, cohost of the American Prestige podcast, and former editor of LobeLog.


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