American Sanctuary: Mutiny, Martyrdom, and National Identity in the Age of Revolution

In 1797, the British navy suffered the bloodiest mutiny in its history aboard the HMS Hermione. The ringleader, impressed seaman Jonathan Robbins, was relentlessly pursued and soon apprehended in Charleston, SC. Robbins's subsequent extradition and brutal execution sparked a fierce controversy in the young American republic over the rights of accused citizens and the limits of executive power over the judiciary, ultimately affecting the outcome of the election of 1800 and becoming a rallying cry for backers of the War of 1812. Historian Ekirch (At Day's Close) does an extraordinary job relating how, in an age of revolutionary foment, America became an asylum for political dissidents and the ways in which the concept of being an American came to be based as much on personal conviction as nativity. Narrator Tom Zingarelli's skillful use of geographic and class accents enlivens the many characters in this riveting story. Ekirch's extensive use of primary sources, particularly contemporary newspapers, brings immediacy to a little-known chapter of our history.