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. Thomas Paine famously proclaimed that 'in America law is King.' In The American Revolution On Trial , T.H. Breen demonstrates with engaging prose and keen insight just how far American Patriots were willing to go to make the rule of law central to the new nation’s identity―for themselves and for their reputation in the world. ― Annette Gordon-Reed, Harvard University, author of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy A marvelous study of a little-known event of the American Revolution, in which T.H. Breen tells a fantastic story, discovers great personalities, and reveals great stakes: how Americans understand who we are, and whether we can live up to our hope to be both a great and a good nation. ― Douglas Bradburn, President and CEO of George Washington’s Mount Vernon One of the most interesting stories of the American Revolution appears to have been hiding in plain sight. This timely, surprising, and important book raises fundamental questions about what it meant for Americans to no longer be British subjects, and what propelled them to embrace cultural separation. The American Revolution on Trial is a deft blend of compelling narrative development and thoughtful analysis, and reflects Breen's deep mastery of the field and of the pen. ― Walter Woodward, Connecticut State Historian emeritus After two hundred and fifty years, it would be reasonable to ask ourselves if there is really anything new to say about the American Revolution. That would be a mistake: here, buried in an obscure pamphlet published in the middle of the Revolutionary War, is the proof. T.H. Breen spins a rich and twisting tale that reveals so much about how Americans achieved the cultural independence that was no less significant that the political independence that we celebrate every July 4. ― R. Scott Stephenson, CEO of the Museum of the American Revolution Breen uses an obscure and unusual case to engage the problem of honor in revolutionary America, not simply the honor of the men involved, but that of a still toddling nation seeking to claim its place among the community of nations. As always, Breen tells us that story with engaging writing and careful research. ― John A. Ragosta, Virginia Humanities, author of For the People, For the Country: Patrick Henry’s Final Political Battle Written by one of the foremost historians of early America, in engaging and lively prose The American Revolution on Trial reveals the obsession of the revolutionaries with proving their civility and maintaining a code of conduct comparable to Europe, a concern that explains a great deal about the course of the conflict. ― Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy, University of Virginia, author of The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind: Thomas Jefferson’s Idea of a University Written by one of the foremost historians of early America, in engaging and lively prose The American Revolution on Trial reveals the obsession of the revolutionaries with proving their civility and maintaining a code of conduct comparable to Europe, a concern that explains a great deal about the course of the conflict. ― Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy, University of Virginia, author of The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind: Thomas Jefferson’s Idea of a University T. H. Breen has taught American History at Northwestern, Oxford, and Cambridge U