The colonies had maritime experience—they had sailed with the British Navy, they had operated on privateering vessels—but they didn’t have a navy of their own. And that’s the challenge as the Revolution begins. On land, you can turn militias into an army, but there’s no equivalent at sea. If they’re going to stand up to the British, they have to build a naval presence from the ground up.

In this bonus episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie Creech and guest Dr. Kylie Hulbert explore the origins and challenges of the Continental Navy during the American Revolution. They discuss how a collection of colonies with maritime experience but no unified naval force attempted to build a navy from scratch, the competition with privateers for sailors, and the critical role that naval power, especially from international allies, played in securing American independence.

Inside the Episode:

At the start of the American Revolution, the colonies faced a massive problem at sea. They had the sailors and the experience, but they lacked a unified naval force capable of challenging the British Royal Navy. In this episode, we follow the 1775 push to create the Continental Navy, a movement led in part by John Adams. We’ll look at the immediate hurdles they faced including limited funding, scarce resources, and a desperate competition for talent with privateers. We’ll also explore the people on the decks, from green recruits to the skilled African American pilots whose knowledge of local waterways proved essential.

TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:00 Welcome to Revolution Revisited and Forming the Continental Navy
• 00:47 Guest Introduction: Historian Dr. Kylie Hulbert
• 01:16 The Colonial Maritime World and British Naval Dominance
• 03:43 Why the Colonies Had No Navy at the Start of the Revolution
• 04:30 John Adams Pushes for a Continental Navy
• 05:40 Debate in Congress: Navy as a Step Toward Independence
• 07:15 Building a Navy from Scratch: Ships, Money, and Manpower
• 09:20 Early Steps Toward Formation in Late 1775
• 10:30 State Navies and the Struggle for Unity
• 12:30 Pirates vs. Privateers vs. Naval Sailors Explained
• 15:40 Privateering vs. Navy Service: Risk, Reward, and Recruitment Challenges
• 18:25 Who Served: Crews, Skills, and Life at Sea
• 21:00 African American Sailors and Their Contributions
• 25:34 Stories of Individual Sailors and Service
• 28:30 John Paul Jones and Criticism of Privateers
• 30:00 Early Naval Engagements and Missed Opportunities
• 32:03 The French Navy and the Turning Point at Sea
• 34:53 The Global Nature of the American Revolution
• 36:30 Why Britain Ultimately Lost the War
• 38:24 The End of the Continental Navy
• 40:08 Closing Thoughts and Episode Wrap-Up

RELATED CONTENT:

• Virginia Museum of History & Culture
• Revolution Revisited Podcast
• Dr. Kylie Hulbert - Hampden-Sydney College
• The Untold War at Sea: America’s Revolutionary Privateers
• The Continental Navy in Virginia during the American Revolution

What I think has really changed since the Bicentennial is that issues of race and gender have become much more at the center of the academic story. And one of the paradoxes is that by and large among academics, there's a greater sense of agreement as the landscape has become broader, whereas in the public culture, things are much more polarized.

In this bonus episode of Revolution Revisited, listeners will hear a keynote panel discussion from the 2025 Conrad M. Hall Symposium for Virginia History, featuring scholars Dr. Alan Taylor, Dr. Karin Wulf, and Dr. Sarah McCartney. Together they explore how our understanding of the American Revolution has evolved since the 1976 Bicentennial, and what the 250th anniversary means for how we tell the fuller story of who shaped and was shaped by the founding of this nation.

Inside the Episode:

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, historians are grappling with a profound question: how do we tell the full story of a revolution that involved everyone, but whose history has long centered only a few? In this keynote panel discussion from the 2025 Conrad M. Hall Symposium for Virginia History, three leading scholars reflect on how the field has transformed since the 1976 Bicentennial and what that means for this pivotal commemorative moment. From digitized primary sources bringing new voices to light, to the challenge of translating scholarship into public exhibitions, the conversation is as much about how we do history as what history we tell. What emerges is not a single, tidy narrative of liberty, but a richer and more honest one rooted in Virginia, shaped by slavery, and still very much being written.

TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:00 Welcome to Revolution Revisited and Bonus Episode
• 01:25 Introducing the Keynote Panel and Scholars
• 05:37 How Our Understanding of the Revolution Has Changed Since 1976
• 09:11 Academic History Then and Now: Race, Gender, and Expanding the Story
• 13:17 Primary Sources, Digitization, and the Give Me Liberty Essays
• 16:05 Family, Religion, and the Overlooked Threads of Revolutionary Life
• 20:09 Scholars and Public History: Are We Doing Enough?
• 27:12 What We Hope the 250th Anniversary Leaves Behind
• 33:11 The Promise and Limits of Digital Research
• 38:39 Q&A: AI, Archives, and the Future of Historical Research
• 42:20 Broadening the Story Without Losing the Underlying One
• 47:34 Fascinating Characters from the Revolutionary Era
• 52:52 What It's Like to Advise an Exhibition
• 56:38 A Teacher's Question: Are We Losing a Shared Story?
• 1:03:29 Looking Ahead to 2026 and the Official Narrative
• 1:09:22 Commemoration vs. Celebration and Final Reflections

RELATED CONTENT:

Virginia Museum of History & Culture

Revolution Revisited Podcast

Give me Liberty

Virginia's official 250th Commemorative Exhibition

In this bonus episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie and guest Michael Plumb explore the perilous decision that George Washington made in December 1776 to cross the Delaware River in order to hold off the British Army – and more importantly, secure an important morale victory for his troops.

Inside the Episode:

By December 1776, the American Revolution was hanging by a thread. The Continental Army was underpaid, underfed, and freezing, retreating in the face of repeated defeats while Congress fled Philadelphia and enlistments ticked toward expiration. In this episode, we follow Washington and his army through that darkest hour — from anxious letters and crumbling morale to the risky, ice-choked crossing of the Delaware and the surprise victory at Trenton. Along the way, we unpack the realities behind the legend: the Hessian soldiers, the logistics, the overlooked figures who made the crossing possible, and the morale boost that gave the revolution new life. What emerges is not a tidy myth, but a story of fragile hope, collective effort, and a revolution that very nearly failed — until it didn’t.

Recommended Resources

• Washington Crossing the Delaware
• Map: Battle of Trenton
• Washington Crossing the Delaware

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