Justifying revolution : law, virtue, and violence in the American War of Independence / edited by Glenn A. Moots and Phillip Hamilton.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Class of 1924 Book Fund.

Moots, Glenn A., editor.

Hamilton, Phillip, 1961- editor.

Series:

Political violence in North America

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

War (Philosophy).

History.

Just war doctrine.

United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Moral and ethical aspects.

United States.

Ethics.

Just war doctrine--History--18th century.

War (Philosophy)--History--18th century.

Genre:

History.

Conference papers and proceedings.

Physical Description:

viii, 327 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Norman : University of Oklahoma Press, [2018]

Summary:

"The American imagination still exalts the "Founding Fathers" as the prime movers of the Revolution, and the War of Independence has become the stuff of legend. But America is not simply the invention of great men or the outcome of an inevitable political or social movement. The nation was the product of a hard, bloody, and destructive war. Justifying Revolution explores how the American Revolution's opposing sides wrestled with thorny moral and legal questions. How could revolutionaries justify provoking a civil war, how should their opponents subdue the uprising, and how did military commanders restrain the ensuing violence? Drawing from a variety of disciplines and specialties, the authors assembled here examine the Revolutionary War in terms of just war theory: jus ad bellum, jus in bello, and jus post bellum--right or justice in going to, conducting, and concluding war. The chapters situate the Revolution in the context of early modern international relations, moral philosophy, military ethics, jurisprudence, and theology. The authors invite readers to reconsider the war with an eye to the justice and legality of entering armed conflict; the choices made by officers and soldiers in combat; and attempts to arrive at defensible terms of peace. Together, the contributions form the first sustained exploration of Americans' and Britons' use of just war theory as they battled over American independence. Justifying Revolution raises important questions about the political, legal, military, religious, philosophical, and diplomatic ramifications of eighteenth-century warfare--questions essential for understanding America's origins.-- Provided by publisher.

"Explores how the American Revolution's opposing sides wrestled with thorny moral and legal questions with an eye to the justice and legality of entering armed conflict; the choices made by officers and soldiers in combat; and attempts to arrive at defensible terms of peace"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part I Jus ad Bellum

1 Just War Theory in the Image of Emer de Vattel 21 / Andreas Harald Aure

2 Just Revolution: Protestant Precedents for Resistance and Rebellion 35 / Glenn A. Moots and Valerie Ona Morkevicius

3 Emer de Vattel's Law of Nations in America's Independence 64 / Theodore Christov

4 Justifying Fratricidal War: The American Revolution as a Case Study 83 / Jack P. Greene

Part II Jus in Bello

5 "Where the power of law ceases, there war begins": The British Army's Implementation of Martial Law in Boston, 1768-1776 103 / John D. Roche

6 "A Contest of Virtue with vice": Henry Knox's Just and Honorable War for Independence 127 / Phillip Hamilton

7 Liberty or Death! Jus in Bello and Existential Warfare in the American Revolution 147 / Mark Edward Lender and James Kirby Martin

8 "Disreputable among civilized Nations": Destroying Homes during the Revolutionary War 168 / Benjamin L. Carp

9 "To annoy Rebels, or other Enemies in Arms against Us": The Limits of Legitimate Violence against Civilians during the American Revolution 190 / William P. Tatum III

10 "Elated with victory, and reeking with revenge": The Yorktown Prisoners and the Laws of War in Revolutionary America 210 / T. Cole Jones

Part III Jus post Bellum

11 "The cause of God, of human nature and posterity": John Jay and Justice in the American Revolution 243 / Jonathan Den Hartog

12 An End to Empire? British Strategy in the American Revolution and in Making Peace with the United States 264 / William Anthony Hay

13 Neutrality, Race, and Wars of Extermination: Native Americans in the Aftermath of the American Revolution 286 / Daniel R. Brunstetter.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Class of 1924 Book Fund.

ISBN:

9780806160139

0806160136

OCLC:

1029069818