Vicious and Immoral: Homosexuality, the American Revolution, and the Trials of Robert Newburgh

by John Gilbert McCurdy Narrated by John Gilbert McCurdy

Overview

On the eve of the American Revolution, the British army considered the case of a chaplain, Robert Newburgh, who had been accused of having sex with a man. Newburgh's enemies cited his flamboyant appearance, defiance of military authority, and seduction of soldiers as proof of his low character. His opponents claimed that these supposed crimes against nature translated to crimes against the king.



In Vicious and Immoral, historian John McCurdy tells this compelling story of male intimacy and provides an unparalleled glimpse inside eighteenth-century perceptions of queerness. By demanding to have his case heard, Newburgh invoked Enlightenment ideals of equality, arguing passionately that his style of dress and manner should not affect his place in the army or society. His accusers equated queer behavior with rebellion, and his defenders would go on to join the American cause. Newburgh's trial offers some clues to understanding a peculiarity of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century: while gay acts were prohibited by law in much of the British empire, the newly formed United States was comparatively uninterested in legislating against same-sex intimacy. McCurdy imagines what life was like for a gay man in early America and captures the voices of those who loved and hated Newburgh, revealing how sexuality and revolution informed one another.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 04/15/2024

The 1774 trial of British army chaplain Robert Newburgh (1742–1825) for “vicious and immoral behavior” sheds valuable light on contemporaneous ideas about homosexuality, according to this revelatory study from historian McCurdy (Quarters). On the eve of the American Revolution, a British military tribunal in New York debated whether Newburgh was guilty of “buggery.” McCurdy demonstrates that rumors of same-sex relationships had dogged Newburgh for years (flamboyant dress was among the evidence cited in court), but that he also had a reputation for aiding enlisted men embroiled in disputes with superiors. Partly for the latter reason, his 1774 court-martial also accused him of disobeying command and “arousing mutiny.” Revealing the fascinating extent to which these accusations of sexual deviance and rebelliousness intermingled, McCurdy explains that on the prosecution’s side, “the same words that were used to prosecute Newburgh were used to discourage American independence.... Sodomy and rebellion in the same breath.” Meanwhile, Newburgh used “the rhetoric of the Revolution” to “ himself by proclaiming his liberties.” One of Newburgh’s staunchest defenders, British lieutenant Alexander Fowler, would eventually defect to join the revolution. McCurdy’s accessible narrative is steeped in interpersonal strife and courtroom drama. The result is a spectacularly fine-grained look at the interplay between sexual and revolutionary politics. (June)

From the Publisher

McCurdy's accessible narrative is steeped in interpersonal strife and courtroom drama. The result is a spectacularly fine-grained look at the interplay between sexual and revolutionary politics.
—Publishers Weekly (starred)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940192673522
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	06/18/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged

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