Liz Covart is a blogger, podcaster, author, and
historian specializing in early American and colonial history. Her podcast is called “Ben Franklin’s
World.” www.elizabethcovart.com; www.benfranklinsworld.com
1. How and/or
when did you get you hooked on history?
I became "hooked" on history by
being surrounded by it. As a child, my parents always took my brother and I to
museums and historic sites. Growing up in New England we had a lot of choices,
but my parents didn't limit us to our home region. Rather than spend our
vacations on the beach, my parents planned trips around museums and historic
sites. We would fly into a major U.S. city, rent a car, and drive from museum
to national park to historic site for a week or more before we flew home.
2. What role
does history play or has it played in your personal life?
As a professional
historian I get to research, think, write about, and convey history each and
every day. The study of history is part of who I am and how I look at the
world.
On a side note, even
though I have grown, married, and moved out of my parents' house, I still look
at vacations as opportunities to explore history. Last year, I took my partner
Tim on a "French and Indian War Tour," a 7-day cruise from Boston
around the Canadian maritime provinces and down the St. Lawrence River. We
stopped at Grand Pré, a former Acadian settlement; Fortress Louisbourg, the
gateway to New France; the Plains of Abraham, site of the battle that led
France to surrender New France to Great Britain; And, the site of the Charlottetown
Conference, which led to Canadian confederation.
3. How is history a part of your professional life and career? Why is studying/knowing history important?
History is my professional career. I love searching
for answers to my questions about the past in the archives. I also love to
share my passion for history with others. I became a "history
communicator" instead of a college or university professor because I want
to convey history to as large an audience as possible. I believe that
understanding history can help us affect a better future. We like to think that
we are new and novel because we live in the 21st century, but in reality,
nearly all world problems are variations on past problems. A good understanding
of history provides us with the inspiration we need to innovate solutions for
the challenges we face today. History can tell us what ideas fixed past
problems, which ideas did not, and why ideas met success or failure.
Additionally, history tells us who we are and how we came to be who we are.
4. What is
your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?
My favorite period is
the American Revolution. I love to research, write, and talk about what
happened in North America between 1750 and about 1815.
5. How did
you get into making podcasts?
I listened to podcasts
long before I decided to make a podcast. Ben Franklin's World: A
Podcast About Early American History began because I wanted to discuss
and explore early American history with people who love it. I also believe that
my fellow historians need to interact with non-historians more because very few
people outside of the historical profession know about their interesting and
important work. Podcasting has allowed me to bring their important work to a
history-loving public who cares about the past and wants to know more about it.
6. What would
listeners hear in your podcasts? What sets them apart from other
podcasts?
Ben Franklin's World
is different from other podcasts in that it offers accessible conversations
with professional historians. Listeners get to meet an historian, learn more
about their research, and explore the early American past from many different
vantage points.
Interesting
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