Michael Troy is host of the American Revolution Podcast ( https://pod.amrevpodcast.com/ ) and a member of the American Revolution Round Table. He lives in southern New Jersey and works in Philadelphia. He is also a former Associate General Counsel for the Center for Individual Rights.
I’ve loved history my whole life. I remember reading a children’s biography of Christopher Columbus at age 4. My parents took me to visit Mount Vernon a couple of years later and I was completely hooked.
2. What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?
History has always been a source of enjoyment. I devour historical nonfiction as much as I can. I love the stories and understanding how human history has progressed. Schools usually just cover the bare bones facts about history. I am more interested in the stories about people and their lives. History, for me, is more interesting than fiction. Sometimes the plots of some stories are unbelievable, and yet they really happened.
3. How does history play a part of your professional life/career?
My professional career has been in the law and IT. So history plays relatively little role there. Unfortunately, I’ve never found a way to make a living in the history field.
4. Why is studying/knowing history important?
I like the saying that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes. We see many recurring themes in history. Many conflicts and resolutions to past problems have very real precedential value to many issues we experience today. We can learn from and adapt the historic solutions of what worked or not, unless we forget those earlier lessons.
5. What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?
As you might guess from the theme of my podcast, I’m particularly interested in early US history. The transition from the medieval world ruled by monarchs to the modern world where democracy took root is particularly fascinating for me. The growth of the United States from its early colonial roots to world power in a relatively short time is nearly unprecedented in world history.
6. How did The American Revolution Podcast get started?
Many years ago, I started a blog called “Unlearned History.” I tried to write about interesting tidbits of history that generally were not taught in school. After doing that for a couple of years, I thought that doing a deep-dive into the American Revolution would be fun. Initially, I planned to publish it just as a blog. Writing about it was a way of sharing with others what I was learning.
The decision to turn it into a podcast was almost an afterthought. I am a fan of Mike Duncan’s podcasts. When he began “Revolutions” I was very much looking forward to his coverage of the American Revolution. But I found that he covered it too briefly and without the detail I wanted. I decided that if no one else was going to do a detailed review of the American Revolution as a podcast, then I would.
7. What can listeners expect to hear on The American Revolution Podcast?
I take listeners through the American Revolution chronologically. I started with an overview of the French and Indian War, then the pre-war protests, then into the war itself. I’m about half-way through the war at this point.
In each episode, I try to tell an interesting story that can stand on its own. At the same time, I try to put the war in context, so that people can see all the political, social, economic, and other events that surrounded them as they made their way through the period. The podcast is really unique because of its focus on the smaller events and lesser known issues, rather than just covering the major battles and political events. I try to inject a bit of humor at times, but really let the story tell itself.
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