Insurrection, Corruption & Murder in Early Vermont: Life on the Wild Northern Frontier

During America's Early Republic, Vermont's pastoral villages and forests experienced significant conflict rather than peace. Tensions along the Canadian border intensified when Thomas Jefferson imposed a ban on American exports to France and Great Britain, prompting some Vermonters to turn to smuggling. A federal seizure of a boat called the "Black Snake" resulted in violence that killed three men, with another death following in what became Vermont's first hanging execution. The War of 1812 brought thousands of troops to the state, introducing drunkenness, disease, and violations of civil rights, including the use of extra-legal military trials. Gary Shattuck draws on extensive legal knowledge to examine this turbulent period in Vermont's history.