{"product_id":"captives-of-liberty-prisoners-of-war-and-the-politics-of-vengeance-in-the-american-revolution-9781512823684","title":"Captives of Liberty: Prisoners of War and the Politics of Vengeance in the American Revolution","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003eThe American Revolutionary War was not a limited and restrained struggle for political self-determination, as British authorities viewed their American foes as traitors and abused American prisoners. Captives of Liberty examines how America's founding generation grappled with the problems posed by prisoners of war, and how this influenced the wider social and political legacies of the Revolution. The book argues that the violence of the Revolutionary War had a profound impact on the character and consequences of the American Revolution. \u003c\/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat\u003c\/strong\u003e: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLength\u003c\/strong\u003e: 336 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublication date\u003c\/strong\u003e: 12 July 2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher\u003c\/strong\u003e: University of Pennsylvania Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eContrary to popular belief, the American Revolutionary War was not a limited and restrained struggle for political self-determination. From the onset of hostilities, British authorities viewed their American foes as traitors to be punished, and British abuse of American prisoners, both tacitly condoned and at times officially sanctioned, proliferated. Meanwhile, more than seventeen thousand British and allied soldiers fell into American hands during the Revolution. For a fledgling nation that could barely afford to keep an army in the field, the issue of how to manage prisoners of war was daunting.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCaptives of Liberty examines how America's founding generation grappled with the problems posed by prisoners of war, and how this influenced the wider social and political legacies of the Revolution. When the struggle began, according to T. Cole Jones, revolutionary leadership strove to conduct the war according to the prevailing European customs of military conduct, which emphasized restricting violence to the battlefield and treating prisoners humanely. However, this vision of restrained war did not last long. As the British denied customary protections to their American captives, the revolutionary leadership wasted no time in capitalizing on the prisoners' ordeals for propagandistic purposes. Enraged, ordinary Americans began to demand vengeance, and they viewed British soldiers and their German and Native American auxiliaries as appropriate targets. This cycle of violence spiraled out of control, transforming the struggle for colonial independence into a revolutionary war.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn illuminating this history, Jones contends that the violence of the Revolutionary War had a profound impact on the character and consequences of the American Revolution. Captives of Liberty not only sheds light on the human cost of the conflict but also on the complex web of motivations that drove the American Revolution. By exploring the experiences of prisoners of war, this book provides a fresh perspective on one of the most pivotal periods in American history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimension\u003c\/strong\u003e: 229 x 152 (mm)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN-13\u003c\/strong\u003e: 9781512823684\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"T. Cole Jones","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":44247397925114,"sku":"9781512823684","price":19.63,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0522\/4297\/2845\/products\/1684505315026_book.jpg?v=1684738171","url":"https:\/\/shulphink.com\/products\/captives-of-liberty-prisoners-of-war-and-the-politics-of-vengeance-in-the-american-revolution-9781512823684","provider":"Shulph Ink","version":"1.0","type":"link"}