• Home
• Membership
• Sexuality on trial in colonial America

Sexuality on trial in colonial America

John Gilbert McCurdy explores attitudes to sexuality and liberty on the eve of revolutionary war, by examining the trials of Robert Newburgh

• Elinor Evans

Published: February 25, 2025 at 5:04 PM

Save

• Share on facebook
• Share on twitter
• Share on whatsapp
• Email to a friend

In 1774, as Britain’s colonies in America teetered on the brink of revolution, one regiment was torn apart by the trials of a British army chaplain – Robert Newburgh – who was accused of having sex with another man. In this episode, John Gilbert McCurdy examines evolving attitudes to sexuality and liberty in the colonies on the eve of revolutionary war, and explores how Newburgh's trials became a flashpoint for wider fears of moral and political disorder.

Ad

(Ad) John Gilbert McCurdy is the author of Vicious and Immoral: Homosexuality, the American Revolution, and the Trials of Robert Newburgh (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon

Authors

Elinor EvansHead of digital (web and video)

Elinor Evans is head of digital (web and video)

• Visit us on Twitter

Ad

Ad

Loading...

Ad

Loading...