The American Revolution on trial : a new nation confronts the burden of independence / T.H. Breen.
| Author/creator | Breen, T. H. author. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication | Charlottesville : University of Virginia Press, 2026. |
| Copyright Date | ©2026 |
| Description | 220 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm. |
| Subjects |
| Series | Revolutionary age Revolutionary age (Charlottesville, Va.) ^A1458109 |
| Contents | Introduction: On Prospect Hill -- Soft colonialism -- Theater of war -- Encounters on the road -- Living with the enemy -- Breach of public faith -- American at the bar -- Enemy for the prosecution -- For the defense -- Epilogue: After Cambridge. |
| Abstract | "Relates a Revolutionary War episode-in which a captured British general attempted to court-martial an American colonel over treatment of British POWs-to demonstrate how American cultural identity, rejecting aristocratic privilege, came into being during the Revolution"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Abstract | "A master historian uncovers a spellbinding story illustrating the stakes for the new nation in the American War for Independence. How does a new country demonstrate to the world that it is prepared to uphold the rule of law? During the winter of 1778, in the midst of revolution, a bizarre and dramatic court-martial forced an American community to confront the full implications of its independence from Great Britain-and produced a frank reexamination of a struggling nation's cultural and political values. British General John Burgoyne, a prisoner of war, accused an American colonel of mistreating fellow British prisoners. Angry and embarrassed after surrendering his army at Saratoga, he demanded an unprecedented full trial before an American jury. In a stunning decision, American military officers not only acquiesced to an unprecedented request for a court-martial but also allowed Burgoyne, an enemy commander, to serve as prosecutor. Why were the Americans so accommodating of this audacious request? Burgoyne's challenge, as T. H. Breen shows, had become about much more than an American soldier's individual transgression-it sparked an emotional rejection of aristocratic privilege that went to the heart of the revolutionary cause itself. The American Revolution on Trial spectacularly illustrates how the platform provided to Burgoyne offered the new, rebellious republic an opportunity to demonstrate, to themselves and the world, that they were sufficiently civilized to deliver genuine justice. This saga and its larger significance address questions about the rule of law and a nation's honor that challenge us to this day"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Issued in other form | Online version http://id.loc.gov/entities/relationships/onlineversion Breen, Timothy Hall, 1942- American Revolution on trial Charlottesville : University of Virginia Press, 2026 9780813954998 |
| LCCN | 2025054298 |
| ISBN | 9780813954974 hardback |
| ISBN | 0813954975 hardback |
| ISBN | ebook |