USA! USA! USA!
Happy Hour Econ Podcast
In this episode:
The American Revolution started as a free trade argument — Thomas Jefferson literally cited King George cutting off colonial trade in the Declaration of Independence
It all traces back to 1761 when James Otis sued to stop limitless warrantless searches for tax evaders in Boston — the original “no taxation without representation”
The colonies weren’t revolting over crushing tax burdens — they were among the lowest-taxed parts of the empire; they were revolting over taxes imposed without their consent
The Boston Tea Party wasn’t just about tea — it was about a mercantilist racket forcing colonists to buy from crown-chartered companies whose directors were connected to Parliament
Trump’s tariff argument — that tariffs are distinctly American and free trade is British — gets history exactly backward; opposition to trade restrictions is what started the revolution
The British response to the Tea Party (shutting down Boston’s port, stripping the colony of self-governance) united all 13 colonies — they saw it could happen to any of them
The Williamsburg gunpowder seizure of 1775 is the Second Amendment origin story — a royal governor confiscating the colonial militia’s arms under a made-up pretext of slave revolt
AOC’s claim that the revolution was against “the billionaires of their time” falls apart immediately — a “billionaire” of his time named Robert Morris personally financed the revolution and lost much of his fortune doing it
The signers of the Declaration weren’t just writing words — they were committing treason against the most powerful empire on earth, and many had their homes burned and property confiscated
France didn’t save America out of friendship — they were Britain’s historic enemy and saw a strategic opportunity; their naval intervention at Yorktown is what actually ended the war
A comedian and an economist walk into a bar...
That’s Happy Hour Econ, where I team up with economist Phil Magness for the Free To Choose Network. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.