American Sanctuary
Mutiny, Martyrdom, and National Identity in the Age of Revolution

This book, American Sanctuary” by A. Roger Ekirch, deals with the Jay Treaty of 1795 which provided for extradition for very few crimes. Murder was one crime which extradition was allowed. On the night of 21 September 1797, the men of the 32-gun British frigate HMS Hermione, then in the Mona Passage......more

As Historian Gordon Wood said, "a fascinating account of mutiny, martyrdom and politics in the early American republic.." Ekirch writes with "the flair of a seasoned novelist..actually a superb historian." Beautiful prose and an engaging read, the story of the political battles of Adams and Jefferson......more

Well documented history of a little known event that led at least in part to Jefferson’s defeat of John Adams for a second term. First half or so easy to read but the last third or so was a bit challenging to follow with Ekirch’s descriptions of interacting political events......more

American Sanctuary is A. Roger Ekirich’s recounting of the mutiny aboard the HMS Hermione in 1799 that led to the American extradition of Jonathan Robbins aka Thomas Nash who allegedly murdered Hermione’s brutal captain and led the mutiny. The extradition led to Robbins execution by the British and......more

It is interesting how the past is a funhouse-mirror reflection of the present. This book recounts a time in American history of intense partisanship, apocalyptic fears of foreign powers, dishonest media intent on electioneering, and xenophobic fears of who is "really American." Or, to be more specif......more