451 The Court-Martial That Put The American Revolution on Trial
From Ben Franklin's World · 01:05:10
Show by Liz Covart
In December 1777, Continental Army Colonel David Henley climbed off his horse to discipline a drunk British prisoner of war who was screaming epithets about Americans and vowing to fight for his king. Henley struck the prisoner, one of 6,000 in his care, with his sword.The wound was minor, but Major General John Burgoyne cited this incident when he accused Henley of plotting to murder British prisoners of war. Burgoyne demanded a formal court-martial.Professor Timothy Breen joins us to examine Henley’s trial with details from his new book, The American Revolution on Trial. Timothy asks a question most grand narratives of the American Revolution skip past: What did it actually feel like, in real towns among real people, to stop being British? What did it mean to be American?Timothy’s BookShow notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/451EPISODE OUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:04:43 The 250th Anniversary and the Limits of Grand Narratives00:09:31 How Timothy Found the Henley Court-Martial Transcript00:13:26 Major General John Burgoyne and Aristocratic Privilege00:23:00 Competing Ideas of Honor During the Revolution00:29:53 Inside the Cambridge Prisoner of War Camps00:36:23 The Two Incidents that Led to the Court-Martial00:45:25 The Verdict and What Happened Next for Henley and Burgoyne00:48:37 How Early Americans Judged the Revolution and the New Nation00:53:41 What Happened to the British and German POWs in CambridgeRECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 048: Dangerous Guests: Enemy Captives During the War for Independence🎧 Episode 122: The Men Who Lost America🎧 Episode 374: The American Revolutionary War in the West🎧 Episode 414: Robert Newburgh’s Trials: Queerness & Reputation in Revolutionary America🎧 Episode 434: The Frank Brothers: Freeborn Black Soldiers in the American RevolutionSUPPORT OUR WORK🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s WorldREQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 [email protected] YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩💻 Join the BFW Listener Community🌍 Join the History Explorers ClubTAKE THE QUIZ🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes)👉 https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/quizLISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify🎶 Amazon Music🛜 PandoraCONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s WebsiteSAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify*Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast.
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