Synopses & Reviews
The tragic untold story of how a nation struggling for its freedom denied it to one of its own.
In 1775, Thomas Jeremiah was oneand#160;of fewer than five hundred and#8220;Free Negrosand#8221; in South Carolina and, with an estimated worth of and#163;1,000 (about $200,000 in todayand#8217;s dollars), possibly the richest person of African descent in British North America. A slaveowner himself, Jeremiah was falsely accused by whitesand#8212;who resented his success as a Charleston harbor pilotand#8212;of sowing insurrection among slaves at the behest of the British.
Chief among the accusers was Henry Laurens, Charlestonand#8217;s leading patriot, a slaveowner and former slave trader, who would later become the president of the Continental Congress. On the other side was Lord William Campbell, royal governor of the colony, who passionately believed that the accusation was unjust and tried to save Jeremiahand#8217;s life but failed. Though a free man, Jeremiah was tried in a slave court and sentenced to death. In August 1775, he was hanged and his body burned.
J. William Harris tells Jeremiahand#8217;s story in full for the first time, illuminating the contradiction between a nation that would be born in a struggle for freedom and yet deny itand#8212;often violentlyand#8212;to others.
Review
"A searing portrayal of the central paradox of the American Revolutionand#8212;the centrality of slavery to the struggle for political liberty.andnbsp; By focusing on a single event, it exposes another paradox as welland#8212;that making a story small can also make it bigger."and#8212;Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Harvard University
Review
and#8220;Beautifully written, this intense study of the conflict between liberty and slavery is told through the lives of colonial Americans in Charleston, South Carolina. In unraveling the mystery of a slave insurrection plot, Harris provides a wonderfully thick description of colonial life in Charles Town, South Carolina, in 1775. Harris weaves together lives of three slaveowners: wealthy merchant Henry Laurens, son of a British duke William Campbell, and harbor pilot, African American Thomas Jeremiah. This model microhistory opens up wonderful new insights about liberty in the context of the American Revolution: what liberty meant and for whom. This is history at its best, history as it should be.and#8221;and#8212;Orville Vernon Burton, author of
The Age of LincolnReview
"This well told tale, brilliantly illustrating the American contradiction, centers on a black slaveholder, dubiously hung for allegedly fomenting a slave revolt at the time of colonial whites' revolt against English 'enslavement.'andnbsp; The book's excruciating dedication reinforces its continued relevance to consistency about human liberty."and#8212;William W. Freehling, author of The Road to Disunion
Review
Honorable Mention in the Non-Fiction category of the 2009 New England Book Festival sponsored by the Larimar St. Croix Writers Colony, The Hollywood Creative Directory; eDivvy, Shopanista and Westside Websites
Review
and#8220;Fast-paced, deeply researched. . . . gripping. . . .andnbsp;andnbsp;Harrisand#8217; book reminds us that throughout history, liberty for some has rested on the denial of freedom for others.and#8221;and#8212;John David Smith,
Raleigh News and ObserverReview
and#8220;Intrepid historian Harris presents a carefully researched account. . . . Readers will learn much about the darker side of American institutions; students of American history and civil rights will appreciate Harrisand#8217;s impassive approach and thorough standards.and#8221;and#8212;Publishers Weekly
Review
and#8220;J. William Harris tells a fascinating and finely researched story of principles in conflict and of individuals holding conflicting principles.and#8221;and#8212;
Charleston City PaperReview
A Best Book of 2009,
Library JournalReview
Winner of the Silver Medal in the History category for the 2009 Book of the Year Award, presented by ForeWord magazine
Review
"This detailed examination of a little-known episode provides an insightful reflection and commentary on the vexed relationships among liberty, slavery, and the British Empire in the era of the Declaration of Independence."and#8212;Richard D. Brown, The Journal of Law and History Review
Review
"[An] engrossing, eminently readable study of one of the most intriguing figures in the history of the Old West."and#8212;Ray Olson,and#160;Booklist starred review
Review
"Utterly convincing. An engaging contribution to LGBT history; highly recommended."and#8212;Richard J. Violette, Library Journal
Review
"Benemann's storytelling abilities are on display in this engaging and highly readable biography, which is also a worthy contribution to queer-focused early American history."and#8212;Christopher Lee Cochran, Gay and Lesbian Review/Worldwide
Review
"This is an informative biography and an entertaining story that provides a rather novel view of gender and sexuality in the early West."and#8212;Peter Boag, Journal of American History
Review
andquot;Wonderfully written and extensively researched.andquot;andmdash;Justin M. Carroll, Great Plains Quarterly
Review
andquot;[A] fascinating biography.andquot;andmdash;Brian Dempsey, History Scotland
Synopsis
The American West of the nineteenth century was a world of freedom and adventure for men of every stripeand#8212;not least also those who admired and desired other men. Among these sojourners was William Drummond Stewart, a flamboyant Scottish nobleman who found in American culture of the 1830s and 1840s a cultural milieu of openness in which men could pursue same-sex relationships.and#160;This book traces Stewartand#8217;s travels from his arrival in America in 1832 to his return to Murthly Castle in Perthshire, Scotland, with his French Canadianand#8211;Cree Indian companion, Antoine Clement, one of the most skilled hunters in the Rockies. Benemann chronicles Stewartand#8217;s friendships with such notables as Kit Carson, William Sublette, Marcus Whitman, and Jim Bridger. He describes the wild Renaissance-costume party held by Stewart and Clement upon their return to Americaand#8212;a journey that ended in scandal. Through Stewartand#8217;s letters and novels, Benemann shows that Stewart was one of many men drawn to the sexual freedom offered by the West. His book provides a tantalizing new perspective on the Rocky Mountain fur trade and the role of homosexuality in shaping the American West.
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About the Author
J. William Harris is professor of history at the University of New Hampshire. He is the author of The Making of the American South, Deep Souths (finalist for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize in history), and Plain Folk and Gentry in a Slave Society. He lives in Arlington, MA.