A. Roger Ekirch

Ekrich examines the reasons for eighteenth-century North Carolina's political factionalism, social violence, and governmental paralysis. Especially disruptive were the opening of new areas of settlement and the influx of migrant groups with high material hopes, particularly since the colony's economy remained underdeveloped during much of the century. Fresh analyses are drawn of Governor Burrington's fiery administration, the Granville district turmoil...

"The book is a triptych, beginning with the mutiny on the Hermione and the ensuing manhunt for members of her crew. The second section recounts the arrival of a handful of mutineers in the United States, including Jonathan Robbins, before examining in depth the political crisis that engulfed John Adams and the Federalist Party. The final three chapters focus on the election of 1800 and the protracted consequences of Robbins's martyrdom during the...