Vicious and Immoral: Homosexuality, the American Revolution, and the Trials of Robert Newburgh - Author Talk with John McCurdy

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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 appearance, defiance of military authority, and seduction of soldiers as proof. In Vicious and Immoral, historian John McCurdy tells this compelling story of male intimacy and provides an unparalleled glimpse inside eighteenth-century perceptions of sexuality. 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 his 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 same-sex relations were prohibited by law in much of the British empire, the newly formed United States was comparatively uninterested in legislating against them. Presented by John Gilbert McCurdy, professor of history at Eastern Michigan University and author of Vicious and Immoral: Homosexuality, the American Revolution, and the Trials of Robert Newburgh.