Our Sacred Honor: Smuggling, Mercantilism and the Road to 1776 │ BardsFM

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Episode 4262 │ November 2, 2026

“Mercantilism actually didn’t have an official end, and in fact, it has never ended.” — Scott Kesterson.

WHAT THIS EPISODE COVERS

Scott Kesterson and Rochelle Porto return to Our Sacred Honor to trace how colonial smuggling, from John Hancock's sloop Liberty to the burning of the Gaspee, pushed the colonies toward 1776. They connect the mercantile system of the 1700s to today's tariffs, rare earths and digital payment gates, and close with the Declaration of Independence and a prayer. Next up is a line-by-line look at the Declaration's grievances.

KEY QUESTIONS ADDRESSED

What role did smuggling play in the American Revolution?

What was the Gaspee affair, and why did colonists burn a British ship?

Is mercantilism still shaping trade and tariffs today?

About BardsFM

BardsFM is an independent podcast covering faith, liberty, history, information warfare, and sovereign technology. Hosted by Scott Kesterson — Emmy Award-winning photojournalist and combat photographer, documentary filmmaker, veteran, recipient of the Phyllis Schlafly Award, dog owner, rancher and follower of Christ. Over 4,200 episodes and 51 million downloads. New episodes Tuesday through Friday. Follow at https://www.bards.fm/.

This episode was researched and produced under the Spatial Terra Intelligence Methodology (STIM v5) with AI-assisted research synthesis at a 70/30 human/AI authorship ratio, fully disclosed.