Dave Does History – Liberty 250: The First World War

Dave Does History – Liberty 250: The First World War
Transcript from Bill Mick Live – Hour 3
Originally aired on May 20, 2025, on 92.7 FM WMMB

Bill Mick:

Glad you’re with us. Per hour 3 of a Tuesday morning, May 20th, the 2025 the MacPherson Financial Group bringing you this hour of Bill Mick Live.

And if it’s. Tuesday at 8:00, Dave Bowman’s with us and it is Dave, does history our second in a series, Dave’s calling Liberty 250 and we’re taking a look to March. The July 4th of 1776 started significantly before that, Dave, where we setting up on this today.

Dave Bowman:

When we think of the First World War, our minds automatically go to 1914 to 1918.

Bill Mick:

That’s only because that’s what. We called it the First World War. Yeah, but why do?

Dave Bowman:

We call it that.

Bill Mick:

That’s a good question. I didn’t get it. I they didn’t ask for my vote, so.

Dave Bowman:

I don’t know. In fact, back then they called it the Great War, and then 20 years later, they had the war. It really isn’t until the end of World War 2 what we call World War 2 that they started calling out world. War One because.

They called the War of 1939 to 1945 the Second World War, but really. It it raises a lot of questions, bill. Number one, what is a World War? And if you go in that vein, I’m going to tell you that we’re what we call World War One was actually World War 3. World War 2 was World War 4. Long before any of this stuff started, there was a World War. That was the many people called the First World War and the reason they call it the First World War is because it’s the first war in our history of humanity that is literally fought on five continents. It has brought everywhere from India, arguably Asia, the the Far East, but but certainly from India to Africa to Europe to North and South America. It is fought around the world. And the interesting thing about what we’re going to call the First World War is that we here in America don’t call it that. We call it the French. And Indian war. And it started. Two years before the actual war was declared. And it started in a place where the Monongahela and the Allegheny rivers meet to form the Ohio River. You know where this is, right?

Bill Mick:

West “By Gawd” Virginia, my friend.

Dave Bowman:

Pittsburgh.

Bill Mick:

Which is de facto West Virginia. Just so you know, we own the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Dave Bowman:

Well, and the guy who started it might surprise you because you know who it is. What you probably don’t know at the point where the American Revolution really gets started is right there on the shores of the Ohio River, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George Washington.

Bill Mick:

How cool is that? We pick it up. In just a minute on WMMB.

Back to Dave Does History. So we’re in Pittsburgh starting what we’re going to call the First World War and George Washington is at fault. Tell me, Dave.

Dave Bowman:

Well, at fault might be the might be a little bit of a misnomer but but yeah. The problem is that the French are actually in control of most of North America in. 1754. We don’t think in those terms, but really. The French had most of. The what we would call. The central part of the country, what is the country now? And of course, Canada was French. Spanish have most of the West Coast. It’s just these 13 little colonies on the East Coast that the British control. And to the British, these 13 colonies, by the way, are economically not that important. The Caribbean far more important to to England than than these 13 little colonies. But the French are annoying the the American colonialists. The French are using the Native American tribes to harass the colonial colonials. Their their impeding American westward movements. And there’s a lot of friction between the French and the Americans. And their Indian allies on both sides. And in 1754, the spring of 1754, a 22 year old Lieutenant Colonel by the name of George Washington. Leads a small force of Virginia militiamen into the Ohio Valley. Again, sounds fancy. It’s we’re talking about West Virginia and Pittsburgh here. He leads these guys over there. And they accidentally, as they get to what is then known as Fort Duchane they it’s Pittsburgh. It’s it’s where 3 River stadium is OK. They stumble across a French contingent of French troops. And there’s confusion and there’s. You know it’s it’s like anything else and somehow or another shots get fired. The French commander is killed. And essentially, a war starts between France and the 13 American colonies. England at the same time is annoyed with France. They’re competing with France. They don’t like the French, which is, you know, pretty much normal.

But they have a problem and the problem is England is massively in debt already. They are economically struggling, but they can’t not respond to this. And so for a year they debate what are we going to do about this incursion in America? They finally decide in 1755 to send troops to America. They send the British Army to America under the guy on the command of a guy named. Braddock. Who is a typical English aristocrat? And an egotist who thinks that because he’s a professional soldier, he knows everything and promptly leads the British into a massive defeat at the hands of the French and the Indians because he won’t listen to George Washington and he doesn’t realize that fighting in the forest is not the same thing as fighting on the fields of Flanders. And of course. The British get trashed in this in this battle Braddock gets killed and Washington. Comes to be noticed because a he survives the battle and B he’s been telling Braddock you’re doing this wrong. But nobody listened to him. So what’s going to happen? Well, the British kind of reaction to this is going to be the interesting one. The colonials, at the same time start forming former militias Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts. They begin fighting the French and the Indians everywhere they can, raising money, organizing supplies. They see themselves, however, as different from the British troops they see themselves as defending their homeland. Not necessarily. You know, formal troops. The French have their alliances, of course, with the Iroquois. The Huron, the Ottawa and they are just wreaking havoc on Britain’s frontier settlements. They are just. Tearing things up. Even after the 1755 defeat, Britain’s parliament is still very hesitant to enter a formal war. They they don’t like the fact that the French are pushing the colonials around. They don’t like the fact that the Brits are, you know, that the French are doing this. But they have that problem, Bill, which is, you know, we don’t have a lot of money here. And we have the French on the continent. We have the Spanish over there, we have the Portuguese, we got, we got all these threats that we have to deal, we. Got. India, where the French are in India by the way, how many of you knew that?

Bill Mick:

I did not.

Dave Bowman:

We’ve got all these threats going on. How can we deal with this effectively? Without spending a. Lot of money. And this is the argument in Parliament, this is the this is the problem that they’re facing. They have an even bigger problem that we here in America really don’t get, which is that the King of England at this time is a guy by the. Name of King George the second. King George the second is German. He speaks German. He is an Elector of Hanover and he has a vested interest in the German state and keeping the German state safe from the French. To the point where he’s willing to ally England. With a guy by the name of Frederick the Great, the Prussian. To help defend Hanover from France. Ohh, and he’s willing to. Pay for it. So now you have these entangling alliances. From England to Prussia to Hanover, France to Huron to the sound like World War One, again with entangling alliances all over the place. And the problem is, once the shooting starts because Washington gets himself caught on the Monongahela River. The whole thing is going to just like the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. The whole thing is. Going to spill? Over. And turn into what we’re going to call the First World War. And when we come back after the break, we’ll talk about how Britain finally decides, over the objections of the. Prince of Wales. To go ahead and get involved with World War One.

Bill Mick:

While you have the opportunity to make WMB that first preset on your iHeartRadio app, we’re already number one in the county. We just want to keep it that way and we’re back with Dave. Does history in moments.

LINER

Our weekly dive into history, Dave Bowman joins us on Bill Nick Live.

Bill Mick:

The McPherson Financial Group bringing you this hour of the show, looking at our First World War and Dave getting us up to speed on that, Dave, where we picking this up?

Dave Bowman:

So in 17. 55 After the defeat of General Bracket Braddock, sorry. Parliament in England and. London really starts to debate this stuff. And there are two schools of thought in England, King George the second is very concerned about his role in Hanover, Germany. He has allied himself, not only allied himself, but he’s paying Frederick the Great to protect Hanover from the French and presumably from the Austrian. So when you read. About Frederick the Great and all his military victories. It’s all that he’s also taking on Russia, some other countries as well. He really has no chance of winning. But the British are just kind of hoping. That. He annoys them enough that he’ll keep them busy. The other side of the of the. Argument. Comes from the Prince of Wales, a guy by the name of George. Because you know, King George is a common name in England, I guess. And George, Prince of Wales, is the grandson of the King George. The second he will eventually become George the third. We as Americans have this certain view of we think of George the third as an absolute tyrant. We think of him. I often compare him to King Herod the great. In the Bible we see him as we’ve been conditioned to see him. But George Prince George, the the the Prince of Wales, is adamantly against a ground war in Europe. He he is a fiscal conservative. Believe me when I tell you this listeners as generally conservative people. We would have. Loved Prince George. He was a fiscal conservative to the point of he believed that taxation was theft. He believed that the government wasting money. Was a crime. He was absolutely dead set against this war in Europe because it was going to cost too much money and he didn’t think that Britain could afford it. However, he will lose the argument. And ultimately, the new Prime Minister, Gavin and in the pit will decide that we’re going to fight this war. But instead of fighting in Europe, where we’re paying Frederick the great to do this, we’re going to fight over in America. We’re going to make an America first policy. Campaign it’s it’s what he called it. You. You you’ve heard the name before, right? He’s going to make that the policy. And he is going to send massive quantities of troops. To America now, keep in mind that the colonials are already fighting this war they have. Been fighting it. For two years. But on May 17th, 1756, just a couple of days ago, Britain formally declares war on France. And begins what we call the French. And Indian war. But in reality it is. In fact, the First World War.

Bill Mick:

So we’re gonna, at least for now and for. The next well. At least portions of the next year, we’re going to like Prince George until he becomes King George the third. We’ve got this war started, Dave and and we were in it for two years before they got here. Where’s it going now? Well, and they were lies. Really. The story here is that.

Dave Bowman:

These British troops start pouring into North America. And. At the same time, there’s still these colonial militias from Virginia and Pennsylvania and Massachusetts and South Carolina and all these places that are that are fighting this war and. This is important. Bill, who are paying for it? These colonial legislators legislators are levying taxes. They are collecting money. They are even seeking donations to pay for the colonial troops. And now these British troops who are coming in here to fight. What’s more? I mean. It really is our. War. If you think about it, we’re trying to get rid of the French and that’s now the British policy is get the French. Out of North America. Which I’m all in favor. Of anyway, but the the bottom. Line is we’re paying for this and it’s expensive. And these colonial governments are going into debt. We could spend a lot of time talking about the conduct of the war. I don’t want to spend a lot of time on it, but the bottom. Line is that the British? Start listening to Washington a little bit and they start thinking to themselves, well, there there’s really, it’s a different way of fighting and we need to learn that way of fighting.

Dave Bowman:

Which once again will bring up, you know, later on. Did they really learn or did? They just think they learned. They don’t, but. For the moment anyway, they managed to kick the French out of Canada in one of the most brilliant campaigns ever ever conducted. We actually we, the British and Americans capture Quebec and we throw the French out of Canada. We throw the French out of the Western. Part of of. Of the United States, what will become the United States? And through this all, it’s colonial soldiers that are fighting alongside the regulars.

They’re treated like they’re secondary, and in fact there are cases where the British generals will use the colonial militias basically as cannon fodder to save his own troops. They will send the colonial militias on suicide missions, get them mauled, and get them torn up. And this is starting to grate on the colonials this that we’re starting to notice the fact that the British officers treat the colonials with a great deal of arrogance. They really look down on us, even though we’re on the front lines. There is a massive pay discrepancy disparity between what the British soldier gets paid and what a colonial militia guy gets paid for doing the same job. In fact, in some cases we’re doing more than the British soldiers are doing. But we’re not getting paid for it. We’re not getting as well supplied. We don’t get the the, the BESSY rifles, we don’t. Get the the heavy. Duty cannons. We don’t get the stuff that Britain is providing for its own army, let alone those sharp looking uniforms. You know, with the red coats on them, which we wouldn’t have anyway. We wouldn’t have worn anyway because we’re not stupid, but there’s this. There’s this arrogance to this whole thing that’s really starting to. Pardon my French, but it’s really starting to **** *** America. That’s. Because by 1759. The war is really going in our favor. But we’re being treated like we’re second class citizens here. Are we partners in this? Are we trying to throw the French out of North America for all of our benefits or for just for yours is kind of the question that Americans start asking, and the British Parliament is starting to say things like we need some money. From you for this. Even though. You’re paying for it. One of the big myths of. This whole thing is that the British needed us to pay for that war. We paid for that war. But the British treated us like we didn’t. And we’re starting to wonder, are we partners in this whole thing or are we just pawns? Are we just? Being used by. You to accomplish your goals without ours. And then, of course, in the middle of all this, King George, the second dies. And all of a sudden the Prince of Wales is now King George the third. Is he still the same guy? You know, a fiscal conservative well, not from our point of view, but we’ll get there next.

Bill Mick:

And we chase it down when we continue on Bill Mccloy live here on WMB.

LINER

All Bill now 321-768-1240.

Bill Mick:

The McPherson Financial Group this hour sponsor. You have thoughts on this First World War that we kind of know was the French and Indian War. We’ll let you in on it before the day is done. And don’t forget Florida round table this weekend. We’re going to take a look at safety on Florida’s waterways and our podcast from last week is Chris Morrow, political scientists. Taking a look at the situation with the legislature and the governor and the inability to get a budget done. All of that for you, top of the page, head bill nick.com. So Dave King George the third, now has ascended to the throne, known to be a fiscal conservative, at least up to this point, what happens as we?

Dave Bowman:

By the way, the British called this the Seven Years War. We call it the French and Indian War. Truly, the First World War. You got the Continental Wars with Frederick the great. You got. You got so much stuff going on here. It’s not even crazy. But yeah, King George comes to the throne and. I guess fiscal conservative. Skinflint. You know cheap guy. However you want to look at it. By 1760, the. War is won. Really. Here in America, I mean, that’s the British strategy, America first, the the the French have been thrown out of Canada. They’re still holding on to the Western provinces in the in the sense of New France. But they don’t really have any people there to help out. This one of the most remarkable things about America, the North American continent, particularly prior to the American Revolutionary War, is how few people are actually involved with this. The the Spanish will conquer basically the American Southwest and the American West with about. 1000 people. They’ll send out these missionaries and these troops and there’s there’s not a lot of people walking around out here, but they’re put planting the flag and claiming the French kind of do the same thing in the interior of the country. And now that they’ve lost Canada, they really don’t have much of A control. In fact, part of the settlement for those wars, they’re going to give. New France what we will call Louisiana to Spain. So the French are gone. I mean, they’re they’re just, they’re just done. The war is over and everybody’s happy, right? Now the the actual fighting is going to continue in India, Canada, not Canada. The Caribbean, Germany, those areas until about 1763 when the Treaty of Paris will be signed. But for the, for all practical purposes here in the North American continent, it’s over. The Americans are celebrating. We are drinking toasts to the king and country because, you know, look what we’ve done. Look what we’ve done for you. But. There’s this undercurrent, bill. As the veterans from this war began to come home. They’re expecting pensions. Hey, we served the king, right. If I was a if I was a British soldier, I would get a pension. Or maybe they’re expecting land. The American Colonials are looking at this going, hey, we threw the French out, now we can start moving W, you know, towards Pittsburgh, into West Virginia and 10 of what will become Tennessee and Alabama and those areas we can, we can start moving West, right. And all this new land and all these cool things that are over there. So we’re going to be able to do that. There’s empty promises from the British government about how. We’re going to take care. Of you. But. There’s this growing awareness in American colonials that we had organized, supplied. Paid for and fought viciously fought. We had served very well in the seven Years War. The French and Indian war. Whatever you want to call it. The First World War. And. This growing awareness is that despite having done all that. We’re not getting the the fruits of victory here. The veterans, the speculators with their eyes on land in the Ohio Valley that had been liberated from French control. Aren’t getting the the results that they wanted. The native tribes have not been pacified by the way. There are small uprisings and those raids continues. But the British, they still kind of have to police this a little bit. So they’re they’re a little concerned about that. After all this, though, Bill. There are some alarming things happening. The British sent all these troops to America to fight this America first strategy. What should happen when the war ends? They should get on their ships and go back to England, right?

Bill Mick:

That’s what one would think, yes.

Dave Bowman:

You don’t need them. But they don’t. They stay here, they stay garrisoned in American forts and American cities, where they begin to take over people’s houses and quartering themselves. In those houses. And. They start treating us like we’re not the victors, but like they’re there now to police. US. And now we have a standing army from a king who’s increasingly pushing for us to fork over a bunch of money to him. And he’s leaving his troops here to. Intimidate us. Is that what you want to call it? We’ll talk about this a little bit later, but King George is kind of. Shifting a little bit. He’s looking down at the colonials, and in fact he gives a speech in 1763 in which he praises the British government for its handling of this war. And encourages us, encourages Parliament to push the colonies to fork over a bunch of money because, as he predicted, the British national debt has doubled, even though they won this war. This will lead a guy by the name of. John Wilkes. To write a a pamphlet, a newspaper known as the North Britain Version 45 or Episode 45. Or. Volume 45, whatever they call it. Which will criticize the king. Now again, if you have a First Amendment, if you have freedom of speech, that shouldn’t be an issue, right? But you don’t have that. And the king actually has John Wilkes, who is praising the colonials for having done such a great job. Not the British Government gets arrested for sedition. Which will lead to riots and stuff in England. We’ll talk about all that in the future episode, but but for right now, we’re starting to see a king who is pushing suppressive issues. And leaving his troops here in America. And he wants. Us to pay for it. All. And he wants us to. Fork over a bunch of money and to pull up with his troops and put up with all this stuff. Even though we carried the burden of the war. The British Empire has never been stronger. It’s never looked as large as it has right now. In 1763, France is gone, Spain has been pushed back the continent, thanks to Frederick the Great, belongs to the Crown. Or so it seems. But what’s going to happen now? What’s going to happen to that frontier? What’s going to happen to these soldiers? What’s going to happen to all those promises that the British made us during the war about, you know, thanks for your help. Here’s this new land. Here’s. Here’s what you can do. Here’s your pen. Option. What happens when London decides? Well, now that we’ve conquered this land in North America, we should govern it. The way we want to govern it. 4000 miles away across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1763, the King of England, King George the third. Is going to. Draw a line. And despite all the American sacrifices, despite all the American money, despite all the American efforts in the French and Indian War, the Seven Years War of. The First World War. King George the third is going to proclaim. That none of that matters. He doesn’t want any more money spent. So here there. Are two shalt thou come and no further? He’s going to tell the American call this. I don’t care what you did for me. You don’t get any of the benefits. Of the victory. And that. Is really. Where the problem begins.

Speaker

And we’ll pick it.

Bill Mick:

Up in just 30 seconds on WMB. So the the colonists and the Brits, they. Didn’t just defeat the. French and their Indian allies, but they are acting as if they also defeated and subjugated these colonies.

Dave Bowman:

It almost feels that way. There’s this. There’s this feeling in America that not only did we do all this for you, but there’s a no appreciation which you know that’s that’s not good. But there’s this. Perspective from London that the colony. These need to pay for more. We, you know, we’re we’re broke. So all these forts, these supply chains, these Indian nations agents, these civil administrators, it all cost money. So the colonies should contribute. To that, all of a sudden. Now from London standpoint, maybe that makes sense. The colonies they think are safer, richer, more expensive than ever before. Why shouldn’t they pay for it? But from the colonialist perspective, it’s a different story. We had already paid for this. We paid in blood. We paid in taxes, we paid in. Neighbor, we’ve fought and died for the empire, and now it seems to be shifting their tone. They seem to be changing things. Where once we had been seen as partners. Now we’re being to be made to feel. Like we’re just wards of the state. Or worse, targets of imperial discipline like like OK, we beat the French. Now we need somebody else to pick on. Now in 1763, this is an open rebellion, yet it’s confusion, it’s frustration. It’s a low rumble, not a Thunder clap. Calling us, though, are beginning to ask what was this really war really about? What kind of piece did we actually win? And as the calendar rolls through 1763 colonial leaders are looking to London for guidance. And what they’re going to get instead is a proclamation. Motion. We’re going to talk about that proclamation of 1763 next week, but for now, the colonies are victorious, but they’re really uneasy. The war ends with flags waving, drums beating toast to the king. But behind all this, there’s a sense that something has changed, and something that has changed is fundamental. The colonies us had defended the empire. But now the empire is redefining its relationship with us. And for many Americans, the new arrangements less like gratitude. And more like thou shalt do what we say. Commandments. And we.

Bill Mick:

To.

Dave Bowman:

Be honest, it kind of is. It’s who exactly are the British subjugating here? Well, we threw the French out. So because we have to subjugate the American settlers. It’s.

Bill Mick:

Is the is the. Word from Britain to the to the. Colonials that we’re keeping these troops. Here, for your safety, for your protection. To to be able to help you because you need it.

Dave Bowman:

Always starts that way, doesn’t it? Sending in troops because.

Bill Mick:

Come into the Orlando airport for Uber.

Dave Bowman:

Drive public safety. Public safety but. But there’s that uneasy. Feeling that we don’t want them here, we don’t need them here and. Here they are. This makes you wonder. You know why? Are you here? But.

Bill Mick:

None of these things happen. In a vacuum and and as we’re learning here it is. Much more than one event that’s taken us to July 4th of 1776. I guess that’s why we’re devoting better than a year to getting this.

Dave Bowman:

It would, it would take us really a lot longer than that but, but yeah, it’s we’re going to take this year, we’re going to learn this stuff and and again this is. Where the British? Claim that they’re. They’re wrong because they cost so much money, but we paid. And they forgot.

Bill Mick:

That in more ways than one. Apparently yes, we did, and it’s going to get us there. Dave Bowman, always great with Dave, does history. Thank you much, my friend. Appreciate you being here all day. Thank you. To McPherson Financial Group for this hour tomorrow will wide open Wednesday for you. We’ll see what’s on your mind. So get your stuff together. Have your story ready to tell and we’ll talk. In the morning, Dave Bowman, thank you. We’ll talk to you next Tuesday. See you then. Alright. And we’ll see you in the morning.