The Trials of Allegiance - Treason, Juries, and the American Revolution (Hardcover)

The Trials of Allegiance examines the law of treason during the American Revolution: a convulsive, violent civil war in which nearly everyone could be considered a traitor, either to Great Britain or to America. Drawing from extensive archival research in Pennsylvania, one of the main centers of the revolution, Carlton Larson provides the most comprehensive analysis yet of the treason prosecutions brought by Americans against British adherents: through committees of safety, military tribunals, and ordinary criminal trials. Although popular rhetoric against traitors was pervasive in Pennsylvania, jurors consistently viewed treason defendants not as incorrigibly evil, but as fellow Americans who had made a political mistake. This book explains the repeated and violently controversial pattern of acquittals. Juries were carefully selected in ways that benefited the defendants, and jurors refused to accept the death penalty as an appropriate punishment for treason. The American Revolution, unlike many others, would not be enforced with the gallows. More broadly, Larson explores how the Revolution's treason trials shaped American national identity and perceptions of national allegiance. He concludes with the adoption of the Treason Clause of the United States Constitution, which was immediately put to use in the early 1790s in response to the Whiskey Rebellion and Fries's Rebellion. In taking a fresh look at these formative events, The Trials of Allegiance reframes how we think about treason in American history, up to and including the present.

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	October 2019
Authors:	Carlton F.W. Larson (Professor of Law)
Dimensions:	242 x 165 x 34mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	416
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-093274-9
Categories:	Books > Law > Jurisprudence & general issues > Legal history Books > Humanities > History > World history > 1750 to 1900 Books > Humanities > History > American history > 1500 to 1800 Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Military history Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > War & defence operations > Battles & campaigns Books > History > American history > 1500 to 1800 Books > History > History of specific subjects > Military history Books > History > World history > 1750 to 1900 Promotions
LSN:	0-19-093274-0
Barcode:	9780190932749

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!