Originally published on January 29, 2020 (Episode 145)
Introduction
On March 15, 1783, a group of some 100 officers of the Continental Army were gathered in the Temple of Virtue, a meeting hall built in their winter encampment near New Windsor, NY (a reconstruction is pictured above). They were there to “consider the late letter from our Representative in Philadelphia” read an unsigned note that circulated around the army’s camp and “what measure (if any) should be adopted, to obtain that redress of grievances, which they seem to have solicited in vain.”
This was the crisis moment of what historians have taken to calling the Newburgh Conspiracy. But what was it? Who was conspiring, if anyone, and what were their goals? And was the American Revolution really in jeopardy at this moment? These and other questions are addressed by David Head in his book A Crisis of Peace: George Washington, the Newburgh Conspiracy, and the Fate of the American Revolution.
About the Guest
David Head is Associate Lecturer of History at the University of Central Florida. He grew up in Western New York and earned his B.A. in history from Niagara University and his Ph.D. in history from the University at Buffalo. He has published five books, including A Crisis of Peace, which received honorable mention for the Journal of the American Revolution’s Best Book Award and was a finalist for the 2020 George Washington Book Prize.
Most recently, he co-edited A Republic of Scoundrels: The Schemers, Intriguers, and Adventurers Who Created a New American Nation, which we discussed in a conversation on this podcast.
Listen & Discuss
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