Colonial Williamsburg master bookbinder Bruce Plumley describes hand bookbinding and discusses the value of books during the colonial era, including the value of Thomas Jefferson's personal library.

Curator John Davis describes what he looks for when determining if a piece of metalwork is truly colonial in origin.

Brooke Welborn, a journeywoman milliner and mantua maker at Colonial Williamsburg, describes colonial women's undergarments, the ways in which dress determined or was determined by women's social roles and class, and the trade of millinery and mantua making. For more information on 18th century clothing, click here.

Medical historian Susan Pryor describes the role of the apothecary in the colonial society, and looks at colonial understanding of disease and treatment.

Historian Cathy Hellier explains the differences between modern American English and the English of the colonists during the 1700s; she looks also at new ideas on the dialect of African Americans in the Williamsburg area at the time. Click here to learn more about 18th century speech.

Colonial Williamsburg museum educator Anne Willis discusses the youths and marriage of Edmund Randolph and Elizabeth Nicholas, a colonial couple, married in 1776, whose families stood on opposites sides of political and religious ideology.

Note: this podcast is no longer available. To view a transcript of the original podcast, click here.

Naturalist Mark Catesby (1683-1749) studied and made watercolors of the wildlife and plants of colonial America. Interpreter Robb Warren talks about the man and his art.

Colonial Williamsburg public sites interpreter Alex Clark details the effect of Thomas Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense" on the American colonies.

Historian Nancy Milton describes the English influences on the U.S. Constitution, including documents reaching as far back as the Magna Carta.

Britain's tax on paper goods was unremarkable in itself, but the colonies' furious response surprised two continents. Historian Linda Rowe talks about the Stamp Act.