On the Record at The National Archives

The American Revolution didn't just transform North America. It was part of a global struggle involving competing empires, international alliances and conflict at sea.
In the second of our two-part series of On the Record, we explore the global history of the American Revolution through original records held at The National Archives in Kew, London. From intelligence seized at sea and treaties drawn up between nations to proclamations aimed at those with the most to lose, the records reveal a conflict that stretched far beyond Britain's thirteen American colonies.
How did the global dimension of the American Revolution shape the outcome of the war? And how did the conflict transform the roles Britain and America would go on to play in the world?
Séverine Ange and Graham Moore, historians and records specialists at The National Archives, guide us through the second part of our series on the American Revolution.
Records featured in this episode
Explore original records featured in this episode and discover the events that led to the American Revolution in The causes of the American Revolution.
Further listening and resources
Listen to Part One: The American Revolution: The Other Side of the Story.
Visit our exhibition, Revolution 250: America's Independence Story, 1763-1783, at The National Archives in Kew, London until 29 November 2026.
Listen to our three-part series on The Prize Papers.
Find out more about the Prize Papers project and collections.

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The American Revolution is the origin story of the United States. But what did it look like from the British perspective?
In the first of a two-part series of On the Record, we turn the map around and explore the American Revolution through British records held at The National Archives in Kew, London.
How did decisions made in Westminster fuel rebellion three thousand miles away? What does an appeal to the king reveal about Britain's ambitions for its North American empire? And what do private letters tell us about a war that divided families and communities?
Dan Gosling and Sean Cunningham, historians and records specialists at The National Archives, explore the American Revolution and American War of Independence through original records, revealing the conflict from the British side of the Atlantic.
Records featured in this episode
Explore original records featured in this episode and discover the events that led to the American Revolution in The causes of the American Revolution.
Further listening and resources
Continue the story in Part Two: The American Revolution: A Global War
Discover more about the American Revolution through our exhibition, Revolution 250: America's Independence Story, 1763–1783, at The National Archives in Kew, London until 29 November 2026
Explore the events leading to the American Revolution in our episode on the Boston Tea Party

Follow The National Archives
The official archive and publisher for the UK Government, and for England and Wales. We are the guardians of over 1,000 years of iconic documents.
Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn for more stories from our collections.
Tell us what you think
Enjoying On the Record? Take our short listener survey and help shape future episodes.

The American Revolution is the origin story of the United States. But what did it look like from the British perspective?
In a special two-part series of On the Record, the podcast from The National Archives, we explore the American Revolution from the British perspective, using original records held at The National Archives in Kew, London.
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In this episode of On the Record, we explore Chartism, Britain's first mass political movement, driven by the working classes.
It emerged in response to the failure of the 1832 Reform Act to extend the right to vote beyond those who owned property. The Chartists published newspapers, organised mass rallies, and, in some cases, took up arms, becoming a driving force for reform.
To guide us through this movement, we're joined by Joe Cozens, a historian at The National Archives whose work explores working-class politics.

In 1647, inside St Mary's Church in Putney, army generals sat alongside ordinary soldiers to debate nothing less than the future of the nation. Should political power remain in the hands of property owners, as it always had? Or could it be a birthright - something every man possessed simply by being born?
In this episode, we step into the Putney Debates, where soldiers, radicals, and reformers wrestled with bold, world shaping ideas about rights, representation, and how society should be governed.
This is part two of People and Power, our miniseries exploring how people across British history have challenged authority and fought for their voices to be heard. Our guests are Dr Neil Johnston, historian at The National Archives, and Dr Erica Canela, a public historian.