The trials of allegiance : treason, juries, and the American revolution /

Although we tend to think of the American Revolution as an act of treason against Great Britain (which it was), revolutionary Americans regularly employed the law of treason against those people perceived as aiding the British. But, in revolutionary Pennsylvania, juries did something astonishing; th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Larson, Carlton F. W. (Author)
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2019.
Subjects:
Online Access:Connect to the full text of this electronic book
Description
Summary:Although we tend to think of the American Revolution as an act of treason against Great Britain (which it was), revolutionary Americans regularly employed the law of treason against those people perceived as aiding the British. But, in revolutionary Pennsylvania, juries did something astonishing; they regularly acquitted people accused of treason. The Trials of Allegiance explains why: the juries were carefully selected in ways that benefited the defendants, and jurors did not believe that the death penalty was the appropriate punishment for treason. The American Revolution, unlike many others.
Physical Description:1 online resource (xiii, 404 pages) : illustrations
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:9780190932770
0190932775
9780190932763
0190932767
0190932759
9780190932756