014 West of the Revolution: An Uncommon History of 1776

Did you know that Russian activities in North America caused the Spanish to colonize California? When we think of North America in 1776, our minds take us to the Atlantic seaboard where inhabitants in thirteen colonies fought Great Britain for independence. However, as the American Revolution and its War for Independence raged, events occurred elsewhere in North America that would have important implications for the development of the later United States. Claudio Saunt, the Richard B. Russell Professor of History at the University of Georgia and author of West of the Revolution: An Uncommon History of 1776, joins us to explore events that took place west of the American Revolution.  Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/014 Ask the Historian