{"id":20729,"date":"2025-09-05T16:41:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T20:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/?page_id=20729"},"modified":"2025-12-26T10:47:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T15:47:40","slug":"a-perfect-frenzy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/a-perfect-frenzy\/","title":{"rendered":"A Perfect Frenzy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling fusion-no-small-visibility\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-top:30px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-margin-top:0px;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\" style=\"--awb-content-alignment:center;--awb-margin-top:30px;\"><p>BOOK AUTHOR | MAGAZINE WRITER | TRAVELER<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-1 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-center fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-one\" style=\"--awb-margin-top-small:10px;--awb-margin-right-small:0px;--awb-margin-bottom-small:10px;--awb-margin-left-small:0px;\"><h1 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-center fusion-responsive-typography-calculated\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Public Sans&quot;;font-style:normal;font-weight:900;margin:0;letter-spacing:10px;--fontSize:38;line-height:1.1;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Public Sans'; font-weight: 900;\" data-fusion-font=\"true\" data-fusion-google-font=\"Public Sans\" data-fusion-google-variant=\"900\">ANDREW LAWLER<\/span><\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-2 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling fusion-no-medium-visibility fusion-no-large-visibility\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-top:30px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-margin-top:0px;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-padding-bottom-small:0px;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2 fusion-text-no-margin\" style=\"--awb-content-alignment:center;--awb-font-size:12px;--awb-margin-top:30px;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;\"><p>BOOK AUTHOR | MAGAZINE WRITER | TRAVELER<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-2 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-center fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-one\" style=\"--awb-margin-top-small:10px;--awb-margin-right-small:0px;--awb-margin-bottom-small:10px;--awb-margin-left-small:0px;--awb-font-size:25px;\"><h1 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-center fusion-responsive-typography-calculated\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Public Sans&quot;;font-style:normal;font-weight:900;margin:0;letter-spacing:6px;font-size:1em;--fontSize:25;line-height:1.1;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Public Sans'; font-weight: 900;\" data-fusion-font=\"true\" data-fusion-google-font=\"Public Sans\" data-fusion-google-variant=\"900\">ANDREW LAWLER<\/span><\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-3 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling fusion-no-small-visibility fusion-no-medium-visibility\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-2 fusion_builder_column_1_3 1_3 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:33.333333333333%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:0%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:39px;--awb-spacing-left-large:11.808%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-image-element\" style=\"--awb-caption-title-font-family:var(--h2_typography-font-family);--awb-caption-title-font-weight:var(--h2_typography-font-weight);--awb-caption-title-font-style:var(--h2_typography-font-style);--awb-caption-title-size:var(--h2_typography-font-size);--awb-caption-title-transform:var(--h2_typography-text-transform);--awb-caption-title-line-height:var(--h2_typography-line-height);--awb-caption-title-letter-spacing:var(--h2_typography-letter-spacing);\"><span class=\" fusion-imageframe imageframe-none imageframe-1 hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"713\" height=\"1024\" title=\"a-perfect-frenzy-cover\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/a-perfect-frenzy-cover-713x1024.png\" alt class=\"img-responsive wp-image-14255\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/a-perfect-frenzy-cover-200x287.png 200w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/a-perfect-frenzy-cover-400x574.png 400w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/a-perfect-frenzy-cover-600x861.png 600w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/a-perfect-frenzy-cover-800x1148.png 800w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/a-perfect-frenzy-cover.png 836w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-3 fusion_builder_column_2_3 2_3 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:20px;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:66.666666666667%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:2.88%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:0%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-testimonials classic awb-testimonials-layout-fade awb-testimonial-content-flex-start awb-speech-bubble-show awb-testimonial-author-inline fusion-testimonials-1\" style=\"--awb-flex-align-items:stretch;--awb-backgroundcolor:#fffcfc;--awb-testimonial-border-style:solid;--awb-testimonial-border-color:#fffcfc;--awb-testimonial-text-font-size:18px;--awb-testimonial-text-line-height:1.5;--awb-textcolor:#747474;--awb-content-valign:center;--awb-initials-bg-color:var(--primary_color);--awb-initials-text-color:#ffffff;--awb-testimonial-icon-size:2em;--awb-navigation-size:12px;--awb-margin-top:20px;--awb-margin-right:20px;--awb-margin-left:20px;--awb-border-top-left-radius:0px;--awb-border-top-right-radius:0px;--awb-border-bottom-left-radius:0px;--awb-border-bottom-right-radius:0px;--testimonial-border-width-top:0px;--testimonial-border-width-right:0px;--testimonial-border-width-bottom:0px;--testimonial-border-width-left:0px;\"><div class=\"reviews awb-carousel awb-swiper awb-swiper-dots-position-below\" data-touchscroll=\"touch\" data-loop=\"yes\" data-pagination=\"bullets\" data-autoplay=\"yes\" data-autoplayspeed=\"3000\" data-autoplaypause=\"no\" style=\"--awb-arrow-bgcolor:#999999;--awb-arrow-color:#fff;--awb-arrow-hover-bgcolor:#808080;--awb-arrow-hover-color:#fff;--awb-dots-align:center;--awb-arrow-position-vertical-transform:none;\" data-slide-effect=\"fade\" data-itemmargin=\"0\"><div class=\"swiper-wrapper\"><div class=\"swiper-slide review alignment-left no-avatar\"><blockquote><div class=\"awb-quote\"><div class=\"awb-quote-content\">\n<h3>\u201cA Perfect Frenzy\u201d is a sharp-eyed look at the messy, sometimes absurd, often cruel birth pangs of a nation.&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p><em>&#8211;The New York Times<\/em><\/div><\/div><span class=\"awb-triangle\"><\/span><\/blockquote><div class=\"author\"><span class=\"company-name\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide review alignment-left no-avatar\"><blockquote><div class=\"awb-quote\"><div class=\"awb-quote-content\">\n<h3>\u201cAndrew Lawler finds fresh voices and novel ways of looking at the start of the Revolution\u2014and, best of all, he offers the historian\u2019s holy grail of an original argument.\u201d<\/h3>\n<p><em>&#8211;Woody Holton, author of Liberty is Sweet<\/em><\/div><\/div><span class=\"awb-triangle\"><\/span><\/blockquote><div class=\"author\"><span class=\"company-name\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide review alignment-left no-avatar\"><blockquote><div class=\"awb-quote\"><div class=\"awb-quote-content\">\n<h3>\u201cA riveting and illuminating account of a pivotal episode in American history \u2013 a polished gem of a book.\u201d<\/h3>\n<p><em>&#8211;David Zucchino, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Wilmington\u2019s Lie<\/em><\/div><\/div><span class=\"awb-triangle\"><\/span><\/blockquote><div class=\"author\"><span class=\"company-name\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide review alignment-left no-avatar\"><blockquote><div class=\"awb-quote\"><div class=\"awb-quote-content\">\n<h3>\u201cElegantly written and impeccably researched, this pathbreaking book is a gift this troubled nation needs as it approaches its 250th anniversary.\u201d<\/h3>\n<p><em>&#8211;Gerald Horne, author of The Counter-Revolution of 1776<\/em><\/div><\/div><span class=\"awb-triangle\"><\/span><\/blockquote><div class=\"author\"><span class=\"company-name\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide review alignment-left no-avatar\"><blockquote><div class=\"awb-quote\"><div class=\"awb-quote-content\">\n<h3>&#8220;A masterful job&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p><em>&#8211;Virginian Pilot<\/em><\/div><\/div><span class=\"awb-triangle\"><\/span><\/blockquote><div class=\"author\"><span class=\"company-name\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-pagination testimonial-pagination\" id=\"fusion-testimonials-1\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-3\" style=\"--awb-margin-top:30px;\"><h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Order <em>A Perfect Frenzy <\/em>now, or visit your local bookstore!<\/h5>\n<\/div><div style=\"text-align:center;\"><a class=\"fusion-button button-flat 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style=\"--awb-padding-top:20px;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:66.666666666667%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:2.88%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:0%;--awb-width-medium:66.666666666667%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:2.88%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:0%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-testimonials classic awb-testimonials-layout-fade awb-testimonial-content-flex-start awb-speech-bubble-show awb-testimonial-author-inline fusion-testimonials-2\" style=\"--awb-flex-align-items:stretch;--awb-backgroundcolor:#fffcfc;--awb-testimonial-border-style:solid;--awb-testimonial-border-color:#fffcfc;--awb-testimonial-text-font-size:18px;--awb-testimonial-text-line-height:1.5;--awb-textcolor:#747474;--awb-content-valign:center;--awb-initials-bg-color:var(--primary_color);--awb-initials-text-color:#ffffff;--awb-testimonial-icon-size:2em;--awb-navigation-size:12px;--awb-margin-top:20px;--awb-margin-right:20px;--awb-margin-left:20px;--awb-border-top-left-radius:0px;--awb-border-top-right-radius:0px;--awb-border-bottom-left-radius:0px;--awb-border-bottom-right-radius:0px;--testimonial-border-width-top:0px;--testimonial-border-width-right:0px;--testimonial-border-width-bottom:0px;--testimonial-border-width-left:0px;\"><div class=\"reviews awb-carousel awb-swiper awb-swiper-dots-position-below\" data-touchscroll=\"touch\" data-loop=\"yes\" data-pagination=\"bullets\" data-autoplay=\"yes\" data-autoplayspeed=\"3000\" data-autoplaypause=\"no\" style=\"--awb-arrow-bgcolor:#999999;--awb-arrow-color:#fff;--awb-arrow-hover-bgcolor:#808080;--awb-arrow-hover-color:#fff;--awb-dots-align:center;--awb-arrow-position-vertical-transform:none;\" data-slide-effect=\"fade\" data-itemmargin=\"0\"><div class=\"swiper-wrapper\"><div class=\"swiper-slide review alignment-left no-avatar\"><blockquote><div class=\"awb-quote\"><div class=\"awb-quote-content\">\n<h3>\u201cA Perfect Frenzy\u201d is a sharp-eyed look at the messy, sometimes absurd, often cruel birth pangs of a nation.&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p><em>&#8211;The New York Times<\/em><\/div><\/div><span class=\"awb-triangle\"><\/span><\/blockquote><div class=\"author\"><span class=\"company-name\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide review alignment-left no-avatar\"><blockquote><div class=\"awb-quote\"><div class=\"awb-quote-content\">\n<h3>\u201cAndrew Lawler finds fresh voices and novel ways of looking at the start of the Revolution\u2014and, best of all, he offers the historian\u2019s holy grail of an original argument.\u201d<\/h3>\n<p><em>&#8211;Woody Holton, author of Liberty is Sweet<\/em><\/div><\/div><span class=\"awb-triangle\"><\/span><\/blockquote><div class=\"author\"><span class=\"company-name\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide review alignment-left no-avatar\"><blockquote><div class=\"awb-quote\"><div class=\"awb-quote-content\">\n<h3>\u201cA riveting and illuminating account of a pivotal episode in American history \u2013 a polished gem of a book.\u201d<\/h3>\n<p><em>&#8211;David Zucchino, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Wilmington\u2019s Lie<\/em><\/div><\/div><span class=\"awb-triangle\"><\/span><\/blockquote><div class=\"author\"><span class=\"company-name\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide review alignment-&#8221;left&#8221; &#8221;none&#8221;\"><blockquote><div class=\"awb-quote\"><div class=\"awb-quote-content\">\n<h3>\u201cElegantly written and impeccably researched, this pathbreaking book is a gift this troubled nation needs as it approaches its 250th anniversary.\u201d<\/h3>\n<p><em>&#8211;Gerald Horne, author of The Counter-Revolution of 1776<\/em><\/div><\/div><span class=\"awb-triangle\"><\/span><\/blockquote><div class=\"author\"><span class=\"testimonial-thumbnail doe\"><\/span><span class=\"company-name\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide review alignment-left no-avatar\"><blockquote><div class=\"awb-quote\"><div class=\"awb-quote-content\">\n<h3>&#8220;A masterful job&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p><em>&#8211;Virginian Pilot<\/em><\/div><\/div><span class=\"awb-triangle\"><\/span><\/blockquote><div class=\"author\"><span class=\"company-name\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-pagination testimonial-pagination\" id=\"fusion-testimonials-2\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-4\" style=\"--awb-margin-top:30px;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\">Order <em>A Perfect Frenzy <\/em>now, or visit your local bookstore!<\/p>\n<\/div><div style=\"text-align:center;\"><a class=\"fusion-button button-flat fusion-button-default-size button-default fusion-button-default button-2 fusion-button-default-span fusion-button-default-type\" style=\"--awb-margin-top:20px;--awb-margin-bottom:20px;--button-border-radius-top-left:0;--button-border-radius-top-right:0;--button-border-radius-bottom-right:0;--button-border-radius-bottom-left:0;\" target=\"_self\" href=\"#\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".fusion-modal.aperfectfenzybuyingoptions2pad\"><span class=\"fusion-button-text awb-button__text awb-button__text--default\">BUY NOW<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"fusion-modal modal fade modal-2 aperfectfenzybuyingoptions2pad\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-heading-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"--awb-border-color:#ebebeb;--awb-background:#f6f6f6;\"><div class=\"modal-dialog modal-lg\" role=\"document\"><div class=\"modal-content fusion-modal-content\"><div class=\"modal-header\"><button class=\"close\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button><h3 class=\"modal-title\" id=\"modal-heading-2\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\">A Perfect Fenzy<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"modal-body fusion-clearfix\">\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Order <em>A Perfect Frenzy<\/em> at these booksellers, or visit your local bookstore!<\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"flex-container\" style=\"display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 10px; justify-content: center;\">\n<div class=\"flex-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/a.co\/d\/iyk9J8y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"no-border wp-image-3718 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/amazon.png\" alt=\"Amazon logo\" width=\"96\" height=\"37\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.booksamillion.com\/p\/Perfect-Frenzy\/Andrew-Lawler\/9780802164131?id=9343143510626\" 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style=\"--awb-flex-align-items:stretch;--awb-backgroundcolor:#fffcfc;--awb-testimonial-border-style:solid;--awb-testimonial-border-color:#fffcfc;--awb-testimonial-text-font-size:18px;--awb-testimonial-text-line-height:1.5;--awb-textcolor:#747474;--awb-content-valign:center;--awb-initials-bg-color:var(--primary_color);--awb-initials-text-color:#ffffff;--awb-testimonial-icon-size:2em;--awb-navigation-size:12px;--awb-margin-right:20px;--awb-margin-left:20px;--awb-border-top-left-radius:0px;--awb-border-top-right-radius:0px;--awb-border-bottom-left-radius:0px;--awb-border-bottom-right-radius:0px;--testimonial-border-width-top:0px;--testimonial-border-width-right:0px;--testimonial-border-width-bottom:0px;--testimonial-border-width-left:0px;\"><div class=\"reviews awb-carousel awb-swiper awb-swiper-dots-position-below\" data-touchscroll=\"touch\" data-loop=\"yes\" data-pagination=\"bullets\" data-autoplay=\"yes\" data-autoplayspeed=\"3000\" data-autoplaypause=\"no\" style=\"--awb-arrow-bgcolor:#999999;--awb-arrow-color:#fff;--awb-arrow-hover-bgcolor:#808080;--awb-arrow-hover-color:#fff;--awb-dots-align:center;--awb-arrow-position-vertical-transform:none;\" data-slide-effect=\"fade\" data-itemmargin=\"0\"><div class=\"swiper-wrapper\"><div class=\"swiper-slide review alignment-left no-avatar\"><blockquote><div class=\"awb-quote\"><div class=\"awb-quote-content\">\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cA Perfect Frenzy\u201d is a sharp-eyed look at the messy, sometimes absurd, often cruel birth pangs of a nation.\u201d<\/h3>\n<p><em>&#8211;The New York Times<\/em><\/div><\/div><span class=\"awb-triangle\"><\/span><\/blockquote><div class=\"author\"><span class=\"company-name\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide review alignment-left no-avatar\"><blockquote><div class=\"awb-quote\"><div class=\"awb-quote-content\">\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cAndrew Lawler finds fresh voices and novel ways of looking at the start of the Revolution\u2014and, best of all, he offers the historian\u2019s holy grail of an original argument.\u201d<\/h3>\n<p><em>&#8211;Woody Holton, author of Liberty is Sweet<\/em><\/div><\/div><span class=\"awb-triangle\"><\/span><\/blockquote><div class=\"author\"><span class=\"company-name\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide review alignment-left no-avatar\"><blockquote><div class=\"awb-quote\"><div class=\"awb-quote-content\">\n<h3>\u201cA riveting and illuminating account of a pivotal episode in American history \u2013 a polished gem of a book.\u201d<\/h3>\n<p><em>&#8211;David Zucchino, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Wilmington\u2019s Lie<\/em><\/div><\/div><span class=\"awb-triangle\"><\/span><\/blockquote><div class=\"author\"><span class=\"company-name\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide review alignment-left no-avatar\"><blockquote><div class=\"awb-quote\"><div class=\"awb-quote-content\">\n<h3>\u201cElegantly written and impeccably researched, this pathbreaking book is a gift this troubled nation needs as it approaches its 250th anniversary.\u201d<\/h3>\n<p><em>&#8211;Gerald Horne, author of The Counter-Revolution of 1776<\/em><\/div><\/div><span class=\"awb-triangle\"><\/span><\/blockquote><div class=\"author\"><span class=\"company-name\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide review alignment-left no-avatar\"><blockquote><div class=\"awb-quote\"><div class=\"awb-quote-content\">\n<h3>&#8220;A masterful job&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>&#8212;<em>Virginian Pilot<\/em><\/div><\/div><span class=\"awb-triangle\"><\/span><\/blockquote><div class=\"author\"><span class=\"company-name\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-pagination testimonial-pagination\" id=\"fusion-testimonials-3\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-5\" style=\"--awb-margin-top:30px;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\">Order <em>A Perfect Frenzy <\/em>now, or visit your local bookstore!<\/p>\n<\/div><div 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class=\"close\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button><h3 class=\"modal-title\" id=\"modal-heading-3\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\">A Perfect Fenzy<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"modal-body fusion-clearfix\">\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Order <em>A Perfect Frenzy<\/em> at these booksellers, or visit your local bookstore!<\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"flex-container\" style=\"display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 10px; justify-content: center;\">\n<div class=\"flex-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/a.co\/d\/iyk9J8y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"no-border wp-image-3718 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/amazon.png\" alt=\"Amazon logo\" width=\"96\" height=\"37\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex-item\"><a 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href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/audiobooks\/details\/Andrew_Lawler_A_Perfect_Frenzy?id=AQAAAEDyzV-NvM&amp;hl=en_US&amp;gl=US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"no-border wp-image-3721 size-full\" title=\"Google Play\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/google-play.png\" alt=\"Google Play logo\" width=\"96\" height=\"37\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/a-perfect-frenzy\/21527951?ean=9780802164131\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"no-border wp-image-17970 size-full\" title=\"Bookshop.org\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/boookshop2.png\" alt=\"Bookshop.org logo\" width=\"98\" height=\"39\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/audiobook\/a-perfect-frenzy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"no-border wp-image-3725 size-full\" title=\"Kobo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/kobo.png\" alt=\"Kobo logo\" width=\"96\" height=\"37\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"modal-footer\"><button class=\"fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\">Close<\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-6 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-8 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div style=\"text-align:center;\"><a class=\"fusion-button button-flat fusion-button-default-size button-default fusion-button-default button-4 fusion-button-default-span fusion-button-default-type\" style=\"--button-border-radius-top-left:0;--button-border-radius-top-right:0;--button-border-radius-bottom-right:0;--button-border-radius-bottom-left:0;\" target=\"_self\" href=\"#\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".fusion-modal.frenzyquestions\"><span class=\"fusion-button-text awb-button__text awb-button__text--default\">Frequently Asked Questions about A Perfect Frenzy<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"fusion-modal modal fade modal-4 frenzyquestions\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-heading-4\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"--awb-border-color:#ebebeb;--awb-background:#f6f6f6;\"><div class=\"modal-dialog modal-lg\" role=\"document\"><div class=\"modal-content fusion-modal-content\"><div class=\"modal-header\"><button class=\"close\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button><h3 class=\"modal-title\" id=\"modal-heading-4\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Frequently asked questions about A Perfect Frenzy<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"modal-body fusion-clearfix\"><strong>What\u2019s the inspiration behind <em>A Perfect Frenzy<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Andrew Lawler: \u201cI grew up in a history-minded family in Virginia. A few years ago, while doing a magazine story, I learned that much of what I had been taught about the Revolution\u2019s start in my home state was incomplete at best. That motivated me to dig into what really took place\u2013and why.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s the book, <em>A Perfect Frenzy<\/em> about?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As the American Revolution broke out in New England in the spring of 1775, dramatic events unfolded far to the south that proved every bit as decisive as the battles of Lexington and Concord in uniting the colonies against Britain. Virginia, the largest, wealthiest, and most populous province in British North America, was governed by Lord Dunmore, a pugnacious Scottish earl.<\/p>\n<p>Outgunned and outmanned, he allied with the colony\u2019s enslaved Africans, who made up two of every five Virginians and were eager to gain their freedom. Dunmore emancipated those who would fight for King George III and sent them into battle against their patriot owners as part of the first corps of Black soldiers in American history. The crisis that gripped Virginia in 1775 and 1776 has long been relegated to the background by historians. That is due in large part to the uncomfortable fact that the conflict pitted two groups of liberty-seeking Americans against one another.<\/p>\n<p><em>A Perfect Frenzy: A Royal Governor, His Black Allies, and the Crisis That Spurred the American Revolution<\/em> shows how the upheaval in Virginia shaped the course of the Revolution\u2013and sheds light on the issues of race, gun control, immigration, and the split between city and country that continue to divide the nation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width:100%;\"><div class=\"fusion-separator-border sep-single sep-solid\" style=\"--awb-height:20px;--awb-amount:20px;border-color:#e0dede;border-top-width:1px;\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong>How can I contact Andrew Lawler?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I want Andrew Lawler to give a presentation in my area to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.<br \/>\n<\/strong>Reach out to Andrew regarding potential speaking opportunities:<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/contact\/\"><strong>Contact Andrew Lawler Here<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019m with the Press\/Media, how can I schedule an interview\/meeting with Andrew Lawler?<br \/>\n<\/strong>Contact Andrew and include the name of your publication, podcast, or website:<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/contact\/\"><strong>Contact Andrew Lawler Here<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width:100%;\"><div class=\"fusion-separator-border sep-single sep-solid\" style=\"--awb-height:20px;--awb-amount:20px;border-color:#e0dede;border-top-width:1px;\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/events\/\">Book Tour Dates<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>How do I keep up-to-date on what\u2019s happening with Andrew Lawler, his latest articles, and the book tour?<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>Follow Andrew Lawler on social media:<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-social-links fusion-social-links-1\" style=\"--awb-margin-top:0px;--awb-margin-right:0px;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-margin-left:0px;--awb-box-border-top:0px;--awb-box-border-right:0px;--awb-box-border-bottom:0px;--awb-box-border-left:0px;--awb-icon-colors-hover:rgba(190,189,189,0.8);--awb-box-colors-hover:rgba(232,232,232,0.8);--awb-box-border-color:var(--awb-color3);--awb-box-border-color-hover:var(--awb-color4);\"><div class=\"fusion-social-networks color-type-custom\"><div class=\"fusion-social-networks-wrapper\"><a class=\"fusion-social-network-icon fusion-tooltip fusion-facebook awb-icon-facebook\" style=\"color:#bebdbd;font-size:16px;\" data-placement=\"top\" data-title=\"Facebook\" data-toggle=\"tooltip\" title=\"Facebook\" aria-label=\"facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AndrewLawlerAuthor\"><\/a><a class=\"fusion-social-network-icon fusion-tooltip fusion-twitter awb-icon-twitter\" style=\"color:#bebdbd;font-size:16px;\" data-placement=\"top\" data-title=\"X\" data-toggle=\"tooltip\" title=\"X\" aria-label=\"twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Andrew_F_Lawler\"><\/a><a class=\"fusion-social-network-icon fusion-tooltip fusion-instagram awb-icon-instagram\" style=\"color:#bebdbd;font-size:16px;\" data-placement=\"top\" data-title=\"Instagram\" data-toggle=\"tooltip\" title=\"Instagram\" aria-label=\"instagram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/andrew_f_lawler\/\"><\/a><a class=\"fusion-social-network-icon fusion-tooltip fusion-linkedin awb-icon-linkedin\" style=\"color:#bebdbd;font-size:16px;\" data-placement=\"top\" data-title=\"LinkedIn\" data-toggle=\"tooltip\" title=\"LinkedIn\" aria-label=\"linkedin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/andrew-lawler-9b5a064a\/\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong>How can I learn more?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Purchase a copy of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/a-perfect-frenzy\/\">A Perfect Frenzy<\/a><\/em> at your local bookstore<br \/>\n\u2022 Check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/events\/\">calendar<\/a> and attend one of Andrew\u2019s talks<br \/>\n\u2022 Post a review on Goodreads or Amazon<br \/>\n\u2022 Comment on the social media posts about the book<\/div><div class=\"modal-footer\"><button class=\"fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\">Close<\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-7 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-top:0px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-background-image:linear-gradient(180deg, #efefef 0%,#ffffff 100%);--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-center fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-9 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:19px;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:9.6%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-3 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-one\" style=\"--awb-text-color:#000000;--awb-margin-left:40px;--awb-margin-top-small:10px;--awb-margin-right-small:0px;--awb-margin-bottom-small:10px;--awb-margin-left-small:0px;--awb-font-size:1.5em;\"><h1 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-left fusion-responsive-typography-calculated\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Public Sans&quot;;font-style:normal;font-weight:900;margin:0;letter-spacing:6px;font-size:1em;--fontSize:22.5;line-height:1.1;\">REVIEWS<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-8 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-10 fusion_builder_column_1_2 1_2 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:50%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:3.84%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:5.568%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><a class=\"fusion-modal-text-link\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".fusion-modal.nyt5\" href=\"#\">\n<h3>Editor&#8217;s Choice &#8212; New York Times<\/h3>\n<\/a><div class=\"fusion-modal modal fade modal-5 nyt5\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-heading-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"--awb-border-color:#ebebeb;--awb-background:#f6f6f6;\"><div class=\"modal-dialog modal-lg\" role=\"document\"><div class=\"modal-content fusion-modal-content\"><div class=\"modal-header\"><button class=\"close\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button><h3 class=\"modal-title\" id=\"modal-heading-5\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\">EDITOR&#x27;S CHOICE -- THE NEW YORK TIMES<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"modal-body fusion-clearfix\"><strong>EDITORS\u2019 CHOICE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>New Books We Recommend This Week<\/p>\n<p>Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times.<\/p>\n<p>Feb. 6, 2025,\u00a04:04 p.m. ET<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/27\/books\/review\/a-perfect-frenzy-andrew-lawler.html\">A PERFECT FRENZY:<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/27\/books\/review\/a-perfect-frenzy-andrew-lawler.html\">A Royal Governor, His Black Allies, and the Crisis That Spurred the American Revolution<\/a><br \/>\n<em>Andrew Lawler<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Lawler recounts the story of John Murray, the Earl of Dunmore, a Scotsman installed as the governor of colonial Virginia shortly before the American Revolution who, among other efforts on Britain\u2019s behalf, created a regiment of formerly enslaved Black soldiers to help fight the war. The author \u2014 a journalist who proves himself at home in historical archives \u2014 deftly dissects Dunmore\u2019s choices in the midst of mounting revolutionary crises, revealing a man caught between competing loyalties and a rapidly shifting political landscape.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA sharp-eyed look at the messy, sometimes absurd, often cruel birth pangs of a nation. It prompts readers to question the simplistic narratives that have shaped our understanding of this pivotal period.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: inherit;\"><strong>From Alexis Coe\u2019s review<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"modal-footer\"><button class=\"fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\">Close<\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:10px;width:100%;\"><\/div><a class=\"fusion-modal-text-link\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".fusion-modal.nyt4\" href=\"#\">\n<h3>New York Times<\/h3>\n<\/a><div class=\"fusion-modal modal fade modal-6 nyt4\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-heading-6\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"--awb-border-color:#ebebeb;--awb-background:#f6f6f6;\"><div class=\"modal-dialog modal-lg\" role=\"document\"><div class=\"modal-content fusion-modal-content\"><div class=\"modal-header\"><button class=\"close\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button><h3 class=\"modal-title\" id=\"modal-heading-6\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\">THE NEW YORK TIMES<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"modal-body fusion-clearfix\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/27\/books\/review\/a-perfect-frenzy-andrew-lawler.html?unlocked_article_code=1.sU4.7gKl.BXH5NSOhqRZv&amp;smid=url-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read on nytimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>By\u00a0Alexis Coe<\/p>\n<p>The Ironic Fight Against Liberty in the American Revolution<\/p>\n<p>In \u201cA Perfect Frenzy,\u201d Andrew Lawler reveals the hypocrisies of the patriots on the battleground of colonial Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDamn Virginia,\u201d thundered John Murray, the Earl of Dunmore, at news of his gubernatorial reassignment in the American colonies. The reluctant Scottish aristocrat saw no advantage to his relocation from cosmopolitan New York to the \u201ctorpid and sickly rural backwater\u201d of Virginia. The year was 1771. It ended up being so much worse than he imagined.<\/p>\n<p>But first, there was a honeymoon. The tartan-clad royal import went full Virginian, buying two forced labor camps and enough enslaved people to work them. He cut a wide swath through colonial high society, discussing architecture with Thomas Jefferson and planter concerns with George Washington.<\/p>\n<p>Then came the revolutionary tempest that had been brewing beneath the surface of every genteel exchange. By June 1775, Dunmore stood at the helm of a collapsing system of governance: Patriots ignored orders, courts closed and dissolved the General Assembly after Virginia\u2019s colonists pledged support for Massachusetts\u2019s tea-tossers. Dunmore removed gunpowder from the Williamsburg magazine to a British ship. The revolutionaries called him a liar, a rapist and a dunce. Washington condemned him as \u201cthat arch-traitor to the rights of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the story the journalist Andrew Lawler learned as a boy in Virginia, but after a Black History Month assignment for National Geographic sent him poking around old historic haunts, he stumbled upon the Ethiopian Regiment; in 1775, Dunmore armed hundreds of Black volunteers who\u2019d fled their patriot enslavers in exchange for freedom. Lawler began to wonder if the crown\u2019s maligned minion was actually a complex figure caught in the maelstrom of revolutionary fervor.<\/p>\n<p>The absorbing result of his meticulous research is \u201cA Perfect Frenzy,\u201d a new exploration of the crucible of colonial America. The author deftly dissects Dunmore\u2019s choices in the midst of mounting revolutionary crises, revealing a man caught between competing loyalties and a rapidly shifting political landscape.<\/p>\n<p>Lawler is especially good at casting a spotlight on the hypocrisy of the early insurrectionists as well as the double bind of Black Americans forced to navigate the treacheries of the Revolution. Fleeing an alarming number of men who were nearing the capital by land, Lord Dunmore established a \u201cfloating town\u201d of 100 vessels off the coast of Virginia that became less a fief and more a purgatory, desperately cruising the Chesapeake in search of a friendly shore. A patriot-leaning Williamsburg newspaper chronicled his alleged \u201cpromiscuous ball\u201d with \u201cBlack ladies\u201d as guests but the grim reality was far from festive. These ships were floating petri dishes where typhus and smallpox played a deadly duet in the crowded holds. The Black passengers, already trying to escape one form of oppression, found themselves trapped in another, suffering disproportionately from cold, hunger and abysmal sanitation. More than 100 people died.<\/p>\n<p>To underscore how intense the tension was on deck and on ground, the \u201ccrisis\u201d in Lawler\u2019s subtitle hasn\u2019t even happened yet. It was \u201cDunmore\u2019s Proclamation,\u201d in November 1775, that promised freedom to enslaved people who joined the British military, that struck terror into the hearts of Virginia\u2019s patriots. There was one exception: Enslaved people belonging to loyalists were promptly returned; the nearly 100 people Dunmore held in bondage fell in that category and he did nothing to help them out.<\/p>\n<p>The proclamation wasn\u2019t just an announcement and the Ethiopian Regiment wasn\u2019t just a military unit; they were glitches in the colonial matrix, a paradox that short-circuited the Enlightenment narrative. \u201cHow is it that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of Negroes,\u201d mused the English moralist Samuel Johnson.<\/p>\n<p>Operating under the royal governor\u2019s aegis, the regiment spread a contagion of hope through the enslaved population. Dunmore\u2019s Black regiment reportedly wore uniforms that bore the phrase \u201cLiberty for Slaves\u201d \u2014 a nod to the revolutionary cry of \u201cLiberty or Death.\u201d For the patriots, it was a nightmare made flesh: armed, free Black men empowered to fight back. Dunmore\u2019s proclamation, which was echoed and amplified by other British generals, became a catalyst rivaling the Boston Tea Party and the Battles of Lexington and Concord in its power to galvanize the patriots. \u201cLord Dunmore has commenced hostilities in Virginia,\u201d wrote Jefferson, who enslaved over 600 people during his lifetime. \u201cIt has raised our country into a perfect frenzy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The irony of the rebel position apparently occasioned some thought but little deep reflection. As Lund Washington wrote to his now world-famous cousin George in December 1775, the \u201cdreaded proclamation\u201d might lead some of those enslaved at Mount Vernon to escape. Who could blame them, he went on: \u201cLiberty is sweet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, while General Washington, commander in chief of the Continental Army, waxed poetic about freedom on far-flung battlefields, more than a dozen of the hundreds of people he held in perpetual bondage would eventually vote with their feet, fleeing his five farms for a sworn enemy. They ran to the British lines even after pragmatism trumped prejudice and Washington\u2019s ban on Black soldiers in the fight for independence was lifted. (When the war was over, the general demanded that the men who had taken refuge with the British Army be returned to him. The request was denied.)<\/p>\n<p>Ignited by a resolve forged in defiance, the patriots were ready to burn it all down. On Jan. 1, 1776, Dunmore\u2019s forces unleashed a cannonade on Norfolk, a loyalist stronghold overtaken by patriots. But it was the patriots themselves, spurred on by Jefferson and colonial authorities, who transformed this military action into wholesale destruction. After plundering the town, they set it aflame, leaving not a single church standing. In three days, Norfolk was reduced to ashes.<\/p>\n<p>Lawler calls this \u201cthe greatest single war crime of the conflict,\u201d a dubious honor long pinned on Dunmore, though it needn\u2019t be. A 1777 patriot investigation revealed the stark truth: Of 1,333 buildings razed, patriots torched 1,279 to Dunmore\u2019s 54. Yet this report was buried for six decades, allowing the myth of Dunmore\u2019s villainy to make its merry way into our collective memory.<\/p>\n<p>Just about every early American historian \u2014 yours truly included \u2014 has touched on Virginia\u2019s last royal governor\u2019s last year in America, distilling the highlights into our broader narratives. And there\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pulitzer.org\/winners\/alan-taylor-0\">have been<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pulitzer.org\/winners\/rhys-l-isaac\">excellent books<\/a>\u00a0on free and enslaved Black people in Virginia. Still, Lawler\u2019s laser focus on Dunmore\u2019s tumultuous swan song stands out as a rare, if not singular, feat. He isn\u2019t a historian but when it comes to research, he does an excellent impression of one. (There are some tells along the way: I clutched imaginary pearls at a chapter titled \u201cDunmore\u2019s Dunkirk,\u201d but in the end, such moments were few and far between.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA Perfect Frenzy\u201d is a sharp-eyed look at the messy, sometimes absurd, often cruel birth pangs of a nation. It prompts readers to question the simplistic narratives that have shaped our understanding of this pivotal period in American history. \u201cWe can feel revulsion for the acts of patriots,\u201d Lawler argues, \u201cand respect their enemy without betraying the founders\u2019 call for a more just and equitable society.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The struggle for racial justice, the ever-contentious role of government and the moral failures behind the pursuit of freedom are specters that continue to haunt us today. As we approach America\u2019s 250th in 2026, Lawler\u2019s history offers us the kind of challenge we should be posing to our revolutionary mythology. In Dunmore\u2019s story, we find an uncomfortable truth: Our most cherished narratives can cast the deepest shadows.<\/div><div class=\"modal-footer\"><button class=\"fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\">Close<\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:10px;width:100%;\"><\/div><a class=\"fusion-modal-text-link\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".fusion-modal.kirkus4\" href=\"#\">\n<h3>Kirkus<\/h3>\n<\/a><div class=\"fusion-modal modal fade modal-7 kirkus4\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-heading-7\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"--awb-border-color:#ebebeb;--awb-background:#f6f6f6;\"><div class=\"modal-dialog modal-lg\" role=\"document\"><div class=\"modal-content fusion-modal-content\"><div class=\"modal-header\"><button class=\"close\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button><h3 class=\"modal-title\" id=\"modal-heading-7\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Kirkus<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"modal-body fusion-clearfix\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kirkusreviews.com\/book-reviews\/andrew-lawler\/a-perfect-frenzy\/\">Read on\u00a0kirkusreviews.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Accounts of the American Revolution\u2019s outbreak often focus on Massachusetts, but there was plenty of action in Virginia, the largest colony.<\/p>\n<div class=\"first-alphabet book-content text-left\">\n<p>Journalist and historian Lawler, author of\u00a0<i>The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke<\/i>, introduces John Murray, the Earl of Dunmore (1730-1809), Virginia\u2019s royal governor from 1771 until he fled in 1775. As governor he represented British authority but could make no laws and possessed no police or military force. This caused no problems at first because he and Virginia\u2019s elite shared the same goal\u2014to enrich themselves by acquiring huge lands beyond the Appalachians by expelling the Indians (already expelled from Virginia itself). After a few years, his popularity plummeted as he tried to discourage opposition to new parliamentary taxes and then suppress an increasingly organized rebellion. To strengthen his minuscule forces, he issued the famous Dunmore\u2019s Proclamation in November 1775, promising freedom to slaves who volunteered to bear arms for the crown. This produced\u2014in addition to outrage among Virginia patriots\u2014a few thousand Black volunteers. Formed into fighting units, they skirmished with rebels and didn\u2019t do badly. But preoccupied elsewhere, Britain gave Dunmore little help. After a year of steady retreating, he abandoned Virginia, sailing off with ships packed with loyalists and escaped slaves. He continued to urge superiors to recruit enslaved people. Many considered it a good idea, but it was never official policy. Lawler joins a new generation of scholars who have determined that the earl\u2019s proclamation makes him a pioneering hero in the campaign against slavery. He also gives Britain high marks for refusing to return the former slaves. This infuriated America\u2019s leaders, Washington and Jefferson included, who maintained that they were stolen property who rightfully belonged to their owners.<\/p>\n<p>A convincing rehabilitation of Dunmore, plus another dollop of clay added to the feet of our Founding Fathers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row content-row mt-5\">\n<div class=\"col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-12 col-xs-12\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"modal-footer\"><button class=\"fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\">Close<\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:10px;width:100%;\"><\/div><a class=\"fusion-modal-text-link\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".fusion-modal.JournalofAmericanRevolution\" href=\"#\">\n<h3>Journal of the American Revolution<\/h3>\n<\/a><div class=\"fusion-modal modal fade modal-8 JournalofAmericanRevolution\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-heading-8\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"--awb-border-color:#ebebeb;--awb-background:#f6f6f6;\"><div class=\"modal-dialog modal-lg\" role=\"document\"><div class=\"modal-content fusion-modal-content\"><div class=\"modal-header\"><button class=\"close\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button><h3 class=\"modal-title\" id=\"modal-heading-8\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Journal of the American Revolution<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"modal-body fusion-clearfix\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/allthingsliberty.com\/2025\/02\/a-perfect-frenzy-a-royal-governor-his-black-allies-and-the-crisis-that-spurred-the-american-revolution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read on allthingsliberty.com<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"date\">February 10, 2025<br \/>\nby Patrick H. Hannum<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\">Andrew Lawler\u2019s recent text artfully focuses on an important and understudied American Revolutionary period, Virginia in 1775 and 1776, and topic, slavery. The title, A Perfect Frenzy: A Royal Governor, His Black Allies, and the Crisis that Spurred the American Revolution, describes his theme. His text follows the story of John Murray, Lord Dunmore, the last royal governor of the Colony of Virginia, and his efforts to build an army to counter Virginia\u2019s Patriots and retain royal authority in the colony in the early years of the American Revolution. Dunmore\u2019s most loyal and reliable allies in this effort were the thousands of enslaved Virginians that made up one third of the colony\u2019s population.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">This is an important work because Lawler gives a voice to thousands of unnamed individuals as he describes events unfolding in Virginia. He follows Dunmore with his assignment as Virginia\u2019s royal governor in 1771 that ends with his first departure from North America in 1776. Although he returned to Great Britian, Dunmore did not relinquish his position as royal governor. The author includes a discussion of Dunmore\u2019s return to North America late in the war in an attempt to regain royal control of Virginia, again advocating for the recruitment and training of Black soldiers. He also explains how effective Patriot propaganda and messaging influenced the negative characterization of Dunmore that continues to this day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">While describing an extensive series of political and military events, the author weaves in his overarching theme addressing the enslaved Virginians that rallied to Dunmore in search of freedom. Lawler includes discussion of all the key military and political events including but not limited to engagements at Hampton, Kemp\u2019s Landing, Great Bridge, Norfolk, Gwynn\u2019s Island and St. George\u2019s Island, Maryland. Dunmore formally announced his policy to liberate the enslaved and indentured servants in an emancipation proclamation issued in November 1775 in Princess Anne County, now the City of Virginia Beach, following the engagement at Kemp\u2019s Landing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Dunmore\u2019s story and that of his Black allies is not a particularly happy one; there are few winners, at best mostly survivors. Slavery was a brutal system of human control and war only made it uglier. Many of Dunmore\u2019s Black supporters died from disease, and some were captured, executed or returned to slavery. With a lack of land forces, support from the British Navy was a critical component in keeping Dunmore in the fight and assisting his allies. Lawler does not overstate the importance of slavery; the author provides a balanced and thoughtful discussion and analysis on the impact slavery had on the Revolution in Virginia. Virginia\u2019s history of slave labor is a sensitive subject for many but Lawler mindfully describes Dunmore\u2019s careful balancing act with emancipation, citing its wartime necessity to preserve British colonial rule in the hemisphere and crush the rebellion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Anyone who attempts to research and report on individuals of color, free, enslaved, native, Patriot and Loyalist will become frustrated with the lack of surviving individual Revolutionary era records, similar to the challenges faced in African-American genealogy. With a few exceptions, individual stories are very difficult to document because of the lack of written records. Lawler solves this challenge by using surviving records from the period. Simply based on proximity, numbers and other surviving records, Lawler documents that individuals of color were active participants in the Revolution. In 1775, 200,000 of Virginia\u2019s 600,000 residents were Black, most enslaved. The author brings life to the story of thousands without knowing their names. Most were not literate but Lawler uses surviving official government accounts and personal records naming Dunmore and his allies to explain their roles and contributions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Andrew Lawler is an accomplished writer and conducted extensive research for this text. He identified and referenced an impressive list of primary sources in his endnotes. He clearly consulted a wide body of secondary material. More importantly, his analysis provides contemporary relevance to the enduring issues he identifies. He draws parallels between Lincoln\u2019s Emancipation Proclamation of 1862 and Dunmore\u2019s of 1775. He also describes Dunmore\u2019s role in helping 8,000 formerly enslaved people leave the United States for freedom in other parts of the world as the Revolution ended. Interestingly, he describes how Virginia\u2019s insistence on the authority and control of individual colony or state legislatures influenced the development and authority of the federal government, highlighting the concept of states\u2019 rights. He brings relevance to contemporary issues of state vs. federal control.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Anyone with an interest in Virginia or Revolutionary history will find something of value to take from this text. Those who study slavery, government, or civil rights will find Lawler\u2019s work insightful. Although dense with information on events and scholarly research, the text is neatly organized, well written and easy to read. Recreational readers or historians will enjoy the read. The release of this book in early 2025 makes it a valuable resource for Revolution 250 activities and events.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row content-row mt-5\">\n<div class=\"col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-12 col-xs-12\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"modal-footer\"><button class=\"fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\">Close<\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:10px;width:100%;\"><\/div><a class=\"fusion-modal-text-link\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".fusion-modal.wallstreetjournal2\" href=\"#\">\n<h3>The Wall Street Journal<\/h3>\n<\/a><div class=\"fusion-modal modal fade modal-9 wallstreetjournal2\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-heading-9\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"--awb-border-color:#ebebeb;--awb-background:#f6f6f6;\"><div class=\"modal-dialog modal-lg\" role=\"document\"><div class=\"modal-content fusion-modal-content\"><div class=\"modal-header\"><button class=\"close\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button><h3 class=\"modal-title\" id=\"modal-heading-9\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\">The Wall Street Journal<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"modal-body fusion-clearfix\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/arts-culture\/books\/a-perfect-frenzy-review-the-virginia-rising-639cfb3b?mod=books_news_article_pos1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read on thewallstreetjournal.com<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"date\">March 16, 2025<br \/>\nby Gerard Helferich<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u2018A Perfect Frenzy\u2019 Review: The Virginia Rising<\/p>\n<p>As tensions grew between American colonists and the British crown, the strategic importance of the largest, wealthiest colony became clear.<\/p>\n<p>When we recall the places where the simmering feud between Great Britain and its American colonies boiled into revolution, we may think of Boston, with its eponymous massacre and tea party; Lexington and Concord, scene of \u201cthe shot heard round the world\u201d; and Philadelphia, site of the Continental Congresses. But in \u201cA Perfect Frenzy,\u201d Andrew Lawler reminds us that Virginia, not Massachusetts or Pennsylvania, was the largest and wealthiest of the 13 colonies, and that without the crucial events that unfolded through the 1770s in places such as Williamsburg, Norfolk and Richmond, the Declaration of Independence might never have been signed.<\/p>\n<p>The grievances of mercantile New England centered on issues such as taxes and trade restrictions. But in his compelling, impeccably researched account, Mr. Lawler, a journalist and author whose previous books include an investigation of the Lost Colony of Roanoke, shows that Virginians were galvanized by a different threat. They feared the emancipation and arming of their enslaved workers, who constituted a large slice of the colony\u2019s population and the majority of their owners\u2019 wealth.<\/p>\n<p>As in the northern colonies, revolution came gradually to Virginia. In June 1774, Virginia\u2019s House of Burgesses responded to Britain\u2019s punitive closure of Boston\u2019s port with a resolution calling for a day of fasting and prayer in support of the Massachusetts patriots. After Lord Dunmore, the Scottish earl who was governor of Virginia, dissolved the body in response, the burgesses continued to meet in a nearby tavern, joining the call for a general congress of all the colonies. In March 1775, the Virginia Convention, the burgesses\u2019 revolutionary successor, convened in Richmond and took the provocative step of establishing a volunteer militia, after Patrick Henry challenged, \u201cIs life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?. . . I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the colonies edged closer to rebellion, both loyalists and patriots recognized Virginia\u2019s unique importance. Its manpower and resources were crucial to the American struggle, and its central location made it a strategic keystone. As Mr. Lawler writes: \u201cWithout Virginia\u2019s firm support, the patriot cause might collapse into small regional rebellions, uprisings more easily extinguishable by London.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>In the end, it was Dunmore who tipped the colony toward revolution. On April 21, 1775 (two days after the fighting at Lexington and Concord, though word of the battles hadn\u2019t yet reached Virginia), the governor pre-emptively spirited kegs of gunpowder from the colony\u2019s Williamsburg arsenal to a waiting ship. Fearing an imminent attack by British troops and a rumored uprising by their own enslaved workers, some armed residents took to the city\u2019s streets. Dunmore warned that if the colonists resorted to violence, he would free the slaves, furnish them with arms and turn them on their former masters. Mr. Lawler suggests that this ultimatum, rather than the confiscated gunpowder, provided \u201cthe real explosive.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Dunmore fled the capital with his family and took refuge on a British naval ship anchored at Norfolk, which was Virginia\u2019s chief port and largest city. As the rebels closed in, he made good on his threat, freeing all enslaved workers who enlisted in the British army and raising a so-called Ethiopian Regiment with hundreds of volunteers. During the war, thousands of enslaved men, women and children would cross the British lines in what Mr. Lawler calls \u201cthe largest insurrection of enslaved people in North America prior to the Civil War.\u201d Patriots stitched \u201cLiberty or Death\u201d on their shirts, while black Loyalists displayed \u201cLiberty for Slaves\u201d on sashes. \u201cIn the conflict about to unfold,\u201d writes Mr. Lawler, \u201cboth sides claimed to fight for freedom.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>In Virginia, the arming of enslaved workers stiffened white colonists\u2019 resolve. The Revolution\u2019s first battle in the South was fought in October 1775, when Patriots repulsed the British navy at Hampton, Va., opening a new front in the war and providing a welcome boost to rebel morale. In Philadelphia to attend the Continental Congress, Thomas Jefferson wrote, \u201cLord Dunmore has commenced hostilities in Virginia. It has raised our country into [a] perfect frenzy.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>In early December the Virginian rebels scored another victory at the village of Great Bridge, then later that month occupied Norfolk after a British retreat. But it was apparent that the rebels couldn\u2019t hold the city, and on Jan. 1, 1776, rather than let it revert to the British, they burned Norfolk utterly, in what Mr. Lawler calls \u201cthe largest single war crime of the American Revolution.\u201d The colonists blamed the destruction on the British, and for generations history books repeated their claim.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Later in that tumultuous January, Thomas Paine published his pamphlet \u201cCommon Sense,\u201d while American newspapers printed a recent address by George III, which called on Parliament to support a war against American rebels. Reconciliation began to seem impossible. In May, Virginia instructed its delegates in the Continental Congress to vote for independence, and on June 7, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a resolution to that effect. On July 2, the body gave its approval and two days later adopted the Declaration of Independence, drafted principally by the Virginian Thomas Jefferson.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>And so, Mr. Lawler concludes, it was \u201cnot the famous firebrands of New England\u201d but a collection of slave-owning Virginia aristocrats who \u201cwould transform the rebellion into a truly continental revolution while deftly maintaining their own grip on power.\u201d Fittingly, the war would draw to a close in Virginia, on Oct. 19, 1781, when the British general Charles Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington at Yorktown. Though the Treaty of Paris wouldn\u2019t be signed for another two years, the hostilities were effectively over. For the Americans\u2019 enslaved workers, Mr. Lawler points out, \u201cthe patriot victory at Yorktown meant\u201d not liberty but \u201ca return to a lifetime of servitude.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"modal-footer\"><button class=\"fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\">Close<\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:10px;width:100%;\"><\/div><a class=\"fusion-modal-text-link\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".fusion-modal.thevirginianpilot2\" href=\"#\">\n<h3>The Virginian Pilot<\/h3>\n<\/a><div class=\"fusion-modal modal fade modal-10 thevirginianpilot2\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-heading-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"--awb-border-color:#ebebeb;--awb-background:#f6f6f6;\"><div class=\"modal-dialog modal-lg\" role=\"document\"><div class=\"modal-content fusion-modal-content\"><div class=\"modal-header\"><button class=\"close\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button><h3 class=\"modal-title\" id=\"modal-heading-10\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\">The Virginian Pilot<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"modal-body fusion-clearfix\">\n<p>By TIMOTHY J. LOCKHART | Correspondent<br \/>UPDATED: March 28, 2025 at 9:14 AM EDT<\/p>\n<p>Book review: \u2018A Perfect Frenzy\u2019: Who torched Norfolk in 1776?<br \/>Blame the Patriots more than the cunning Dunmore. Andrew Lawler\u2019s latest book is a lively gathering of research into area\u2019s importance to the Revolution.<\/p>\n<p>Many students of American history know that the Revolutionary War effectively ended at Yorktown, Virginia, when in 1781 the British forces under Lord Charles Cornwallis surrendered to the American and French forces under Gen. George Washington. But far fewer know about the important role that the rest of Hampton Roads, particularly Norfolk, played in the months before and after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Andrew Lawler\u2019s interesting and important book \u201cA Perfect Frenzy\u201d should do much to close that gap.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA Perfect Frenzy: A Royal Governor, His Black Allies, and the Crisis That Spurred the American Revolution\u201d by Andrew Lawler. (Atlantic Monthly Press)<\/p>\n<p>Although most of the information in Lawler\u2019s book has long been known, the author does a masterful job of assembling it in one place in a lively and readable manner. His two main arguments are that the Patriots, not the British, were primarily responsible for burning Norfolk in early 1776 and that British emancipation of enslaved people in late 1775 and early 1776 was a major cause of the Revolution. Lawler does a commendable job of providing facts and figures, many from primary sources, to support his claims, with the result that readers get a fresh look at a key turning point in American and world history.<\/p>\n<p>Tensions between the Virginia colony and the crown rose a few years after the appointment in 1771 of the Scot John Murray, fourth Earl of Dunmore, as governor. He became a slave owner, prosecuted \u201cLord Dunmore\u2019s War\u201d against the Shawnee and Mingo in the trans-Appalachian region of the colony, and developed a friendship with Washington. But he had difficult relations with Virginia\u2019s House of Burgesses, and his hold on power waned as the colonists\u2019 desire for separation from Great Britain grew, famously exemplified by Patrick Henry\u2019s \u201cGive me Liberty or give me Death!\u201d speech in March 1775.<\/p>\n<p>Dunmore fled the Colonial capital of Williamsburg and, after being wounded by rebels, took refuge aboard a British naval vessel. Eventually he and his forces retreated to what he called \u201cthe dirty little borough of Norfolk.\u201d Actually, Norfolk was the largest town in Virginia and the eighth-largest town in the Colonies. Home to a number of Scottish-born merchants and characterized by more social mixing of the races than anywhere else in Virginia, the seaport was known for its strong Loyalist sympathies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPart of the Province of Virginia.\u201d A pen-and-ink and watercolor map from the era, about 1791, showing \u201cPrincess Ann County,\u201d Norfolk County and part of Nansemond County. It places north at the bottom and south at the top. Great Bridge and Kemp\u2019s Landing \u2014 sites of major battles \u2014 are visible just to the left of the southern and eastern branches of the \u201cElisabeth River.\u201d (Library of Congress)<\/p>\n<p>Dunmore was astute enough to realize that Virginia\u2019s large enslaved population \u2014 more than 200,000 people, almost half the Colonies\u2019 total \u2014 was a major vulnerability. Hence, in November 1775 he issued his \u201cOffer of Emancipation,\u201d which granted freedom to enslaved people \u201cable and willing to bear Arms\u201d who left Patriot owners to join the British cause. A few days earlier Thomas Jefferson had claimed that a recent British naval raid on Hampton had \u201craised our countrymen into [a] perfect frenzy,\u201d and Dunmore\u2019s offer must have contributed to that feeling. Although the exact numbers are uncertain, enough formerly enslaved people came to Dunmore for him to form the \u201cEthiopian Regiment,\u201d composed of several hundred Black soldiers. (Washington subsequently allowed free African Americans to serve in his army.)<\/p>\n<p>Dunmore\u2019s forces won the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.battlefields.org\/learn\/revolutionary-war\/battles\/great-bridge\">Battle of Kemp\u2019s Landing<\/a>on Nov. 15, 1775, but lost the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.battlefields.org\/learn\/revolutionary-war\/battles\/great-bridge\">Battle of Great Bridge<\/a>on Dec. 9. (Those sites are in today\u2019s Virginia Beach and at the Elizabeth River in Chesapeake.) Then Dunmore, his white and Black soldiers, and many Loyalist civilians took refuge aboard British naval and merchant ships in the Hampton Roads harbor \u2014 perhaps as many as 3,000 people on 200 ships, large and small. Faced with sniping by Patriot \u201cshirtmen\u201d (soldiers wearing hunting shirts), Dunmore ordered a ships\u2019 cannon bombardment of Norfolk on Jan. 1, 1776, and sent troops ashore to burn waterfront warehouses that the shirtmen used for cover.<\/p>\n<p>Angered by the bombardment, which lasted from seven to 11 hours, the burning of the warehouses, and the Norfolk Loyalists\u2019 provisioning of Dunmore\u2019s \u201cfleet,\u201d the poorly disciplined shirtmen set fire to much of the rest of Norfolk. The combination of Dunmore\u2019s attacks and the Patriots\u2019 response left Norfolk largely a charred ruin. In late 1777, Virginia\u2019s new government conducted a study which concluded that of 1,333 buildings, the British had destroyed 54 and the Patriots 1,279. But that study was not made public for 60 years, and Dunmore has received most of the blame for the town\u2019s burning.<\/p>\n<p>From Lord Dunmore\u2019s siege on Jan. 1, 1776: A cannonball and one of the few buildings that survived \u2014 what\u2019s now St. Paul\u2019s Episcopal Church, on St. Paul\u2019s Boulevard in downtown Norfolk. (Gary C. Knapp, freelance \/ File)<\/p>\n<p>As Lawler notes, among the many reasons the Declaration of Independence gives for separation from Great Britain are that the British \u201cburnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people\u201d and \u201cexcited domestic insurrections amongst us,\u201d that is, revolts by enslaved people. Dunmore was also thought to have endeavored to incite Native Americans to attack colonists, and the Declaration accuses the British of that as well.<\/p>\n<p>Dunmore\u2019s fleet left Hampton Roads in May 1776, and the British held out for a time on Gwynn\u2019s Island in the Chesapeake Bay about four miles southeast of modern Deltaville. But disease, including smallpox, and lack of supplies reduced the number of effective troops to a few hundred, and in August Dunmore left for New York. (He was later governor of the Bahamas, where he again became a slave owner.) In 1776 Abigail Adams wrote that although she was \u201cwilling to allow [Virginia] great merit for having produced a Washington,\u201d she thought Virginians had \u201cbeen shamefully duped by a Dunmore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In giving readers this fresh look, Lawler generally succeeds in being even-handed among Patriots, Loyalists and the British. But his understandable desire to realistically portray the Patriots occasionally leads him to cast them in a worse light than perhaps the facts warrant. For example, he writes of the British planning a \u201csurprise\u201d attack when three pages earlier he characterized the Patriots as making a \u201csneak\u201d attack (a more loaded word often used to describe the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941). More seriously, he twice calls the Patriots\u2019 burning of Norfolk buildings a \u201cwar crime,\u201d but he never identifies any legal framework of that era under which their actions would have been considered a crime. He also does not make clear whether Dunmore\u2019s hours-long bombardment of Norfolk \u2014 a largely civilian target that housed many women and children \u2014 and his own burning of numerous buildings were part of that alleged crime or a separate crime or any crime at all.<\/p>\n<p>Although not a perfect read (what book is?), \u201cA Perfect Frenzy\u201d is a well-researched, well-written, and colorful retelling of a tale with which more people should be familiar. Lawler, an experienced and widely published journalist, wrote the national bestseller \u201cThe Secret Token,\u201d about the Lost Colony of Roanoke, and \u201cUnder Jerusalem,\u201d about the archaeological history of what he calls \u201cthe world\u2019s most contested city\u201d; that book was honored by the Archaeological Institute of America. A contributing editor for Archaeology magazine and a contributing writer for the journal Science, he grew up in Norfolk and lives in Asheville, North Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>Dunmore does not deserve the amount of blame he received back then and since, but his actions in Virginia in 1775 and 1776 ensured that history would not treat him kindly. Journalism has been called \u201cthe first draft of history,\u201d and the Williamsburg Gazette reported in December 1775 that because of his hostility toward the Patriots, his erstwhile constituents \u201cNorfolk, Hampton, and all the river settlements are threatened with fire and sword.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Timothy J. Lockhart is a Norfolk lawyer, a retired Navy Reserve captain, and the author of six mystery and thriller novels, all from Stark House Press.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"modal-footer\"><button class=\"fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\">Close<\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-11 fusion_builder_column_1_2 1_2 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:50%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:3.84%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:3.84%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><a class=\"fusion-modal-text-link\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".fusion-modal.styleweekly2\" href=\"#\">\n<h3>Style Weekly<\/h3>\n<\/a><div class=\"fusion-modal modal fade modal-11 styleweekly2\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-heading-11\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"--awb-border-color:#ebebeb;--awb-background:#f6f6f6;\"><div class=\"modal-dialog modal-lg\" role=\"document\"><div class=\"modal-content fusion-modal-content\"><div class=\"modal-header\"><button class=\"close\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button><h3 class=\"modal-title\" id=\"modal-heading-11\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Style Weekly<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"modal-body fusion-clearfix\">\n<p>By Karen Newton<br \/>\nJune 10, 2025<\/p>\n<p>When author and journalist Andrew Lawler was growing up, history wasn\u2019t in books, it was what his family did on weekends. Apart from Appomattox, there isn\u2019t a colonial or Civil War battlefield site in Virginia that the family didn\u2019t visit.<\/p>\n<p>Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown were as familiar as Lawler\u2019s own home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy grandparents would see an old house and shamelessly knock on the door to ask for a tour,\u201d he recalls. \u201cWhen we spoke of the author of the Declaration of Independence, it was of\u00a0Mr.\u00a0Jefferson.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lawler\u2019s latest book, \u201cA Perfect Frenzy: A Royal Governor, His Black Allies, and the Crisis that Spurred the American Revolution\u201d explores the little-known story of the early American Revolution in Virginia, focusing on Lord Dunmore, an earl and the colony\u2019s royal governor. \u00a0Lawler comes to the Library of Virginia to discuss the book as part of the library\u2019s programming commemorating Virginia\u2019s role in the 250th anniversary of American independence.<\/p>\n<p>After writing a piece on Lord Dunmore\u2019s Ethiopian Regiment a few years ago, Lawler realized that much of what he\u2019d been taught was either incomplete or inaccurate. The earl was not the villain he\u2019d learned of as a child. Using his journalistic instincts to probe the historical record, Lawler discovered a history radically different from the expected tale of good guys versus bad guys.<\/p>\n<p>He spent three years pulling the story together, probing archives in Scotland and England as well as the U.S. He found himself going down multiple rabbit holes to unearth more, learning of the earl\u2019s youth fighting for Bonnie Prince Charlie in the 1745 rebellion against King George II and the important role played by the Shawnee and other indigenous tribes as the Revolution gathered force.<\/p>\n<p>Readers may be surprised to learn the full story of the crisis that spurred the revolution. While New Englanders were upset about taxes on tea, elite Virginians in 1775 were far more focused on King George III\u2019s refusal to allow them to own land west of the Appalachians. People like George Washington wanted indigenous lands in the Ohio Valley, but Britain wanted to avoid an expensive war.<\/p>\n<p>With the prospect of owning more land, Virginia\u2019s conservative gentry considered the radical step of independence. \u201cAnd Dunmore\u2019s move to free their enslaved workers felt to them like a dagger to their social and economic well-being,\u201d Lawler says. \u201cThe liberty of others was a threat to their own notion of freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for how it could be that Lord Dunmore had Black allies at that time, Lawler says it\u2019s as simple as war making odd bedfellows. Dunmore was a slave-owning member of the gentry, but with British troops based in Boston, he needed a local army to fight the patriots. \u201cFour out of ten Virginians were enslaved, and eager to gain their liberty,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, both had an interest in allying with the other to defeat the rebels. And they very nearly succeeded.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lawler\u2019s most moving \u2013 and disturbing \u2013 research moment came when he opened a box in the Library of Virginia that contained heartrending depositions made by eyewitnesses to the burning of Norfolk on Jan. 1, 1776. They describe patriot soldiers ruthlessly and intentionally burning the town, forcing women in labor from their beds, setting pharmacies aflame, and looting the homes of the elderly. \u201cIt was all so awful, made worse by the fact that this truth was intentionally covered up by patriot leaders,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s high time we face up to such ugly realities of the conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On a lighter note, Lawler found it a treat to research in the archives of Blair Castle, the ancient home of the earl\u2019s Murray clan. He\u2019s hoping the Internal Revenue Service understands why he wrote off his return trip on the Queen Mary. \u201cIt was the only way I could gain a feeling for what Dunmore experienced crossing the Atlantic in 1770,\u201d he says. \u201cMy ship was bigger, but I bet his cabin was more spacious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Through extensive research, Lawler learned that his childhood villain was anything but the incompetent and brutal drunk of patriot propaganda. Worse, that caricature had long been accepted as fact by historians. In truth, Dunmore was incredibly well educated and had hobnobbed in Scotland with well-known intellectuals such as James Boswell, Adam Smith and David Hume.<\/p>\n<p>When he arrived in Virginia, Lord Dunmore brought one of the largest private libraries then in the colonies. Years later, James Madison ended up buying many of his books for a song. Dunmore also brought an impressive suite of scientific and musical instruments. \u201cHe was a gregarious Highlander who loved fast horses, fancy clothes, theater, and fine food and drink,\u201d Lawler says. \u201cThat explains why he was such a close friend of George Washington. And why he was always deep in debt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA Perfect Frenzy: A Royal Governor, His Black Allies, and the Crisis that Spurred the American Revolution\u201d is Lawler\u2019s fourth book, all of which deal with different aspects of world history. He acknowledges the changes he\u2019s experienced as a writer since his first book was published in pre-pandemic 2014. One lesson is to let the story unfold in its own time, rather than trying to make it fit his own ideas and timeline.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s all so mysterious and maddening,\u201d he says. \u201cThe more patience I have, the more open my mind and the less control I assert, the better the outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cA Perfect Frenzy: A Royal Governor, His Black Allies, and the Crisis that Spurred the American Revolution,\u201d a book talk with Andrew Lawler, will be held on Thursday, June 12 at 6 p.m. at the Library of Virginia.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"modal-footer\"><button class=\"fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\">Close<\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:10px;width:100%;\"><\/div><a class=\"fusion-modal-text-link\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".fusion-modal.thevirginianpilot22\" href=\"#\">\n<h3>The Virginian Pilot (2)<\/h3>\n<\/a><div class=\"fusion-modal modal fade modal-12 thevirginianpilot22\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-heading-12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"--awb-border-color:#ebebeb;--awb-background:#f6f6f6;\"><div class=\"modal-dialog modal-lg\" role=\"document\"><div class=\"modal-content fusion-modal-content\"><div class=\"modal-header\"><button class=\"close\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button><h3 class=\"modal-title\" id=\"modal-heading-12\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\">The Virginian Pilot<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"modal-body fusion-clearfix\">\n<p>By WILFORD KALE | Correspondent<br \/>\nPUBLISHED:\u00a0June 26, 2025 at 12:26 PM EDT<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kale on Books: Was Lord Dunmore actually a villain? This books sheds some light<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For the past six to eight weeks, Virginians in central and eastern Virginia have been celebrating the 1775 campaign of the colony\u2019s last royal governor, John Murray, the 4th Earl of Dunmore, who fled the capital in Williamsburg for a safer haven aboard a British ship off Norfolk.<\/p>\n<p>Journalist and author Andrew Lawler, known for his fascinating book, \u201cThe Secret Token: Myth, Obsession and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke,\u201d has written recently about an amazing saga, \u201cA Perfect Frenzy: A Royal Governor, His Black Allies and the Crisis that Spurred the American Revolution\u201d (Atlantic Monthly Press, 666 pgs., $30 hardback).<\/p>\n<p>Obviously timed for the 250th anniversary of Lord Dunmore\u2019s Virginia activities, it is a largely unknown story that has been lost amid the battles of Lexington and Concord, \u201cthe shot heard round the world,\u201d and the deliberations of the Continental Congresses.<\/p>\n<p>Gerard Helferich in The Wall Street Journal said: \u201c\u2018A Perfect Frenzy\u2019 reminds us that \u2018Virginia, not Massachusetts or Pennsylvania, was the largest and wealthiest of the 13 colonies and that without the crucial events that unfolded through the 1770s in places such as Williamsburg, Norfolk and Richmond, the Declaration of Independence might never have been signed.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dunmore, who early on was a close friend of George Washington, began to build his stronghold in Norfolk with the proviso that enslaved people who joined the British ranks would be freed. That concept \u2014 an Ethiopian regiment \u2014 brought trouble and fear to the white colonists. Black soldiers, Dunmore declared, would be sought if the colonists continued their rebellion.<\/p>\n<p>They did and he did, as Lawler so graphically details.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas Jefferson wrote that Dunmore\u2019s actions \u201chas raised our country into (a) perfect frenzy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With the former slaves actively involved in military action around Norfolk, a response was necessitated, Lawler explains. The result was the burning of Norfolk on Jan. 1, 1776. The crime was blamed on Dunmore, but it was really the action of patriots.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, a 1777 investigation revealed that of 1,333 buildings razed, the patriots burned 1,279 while Dunmore\u2019s men accounted for only 54. \u201cYet this report was buried for six decades, allowing the myth of Dunmore\u2019s villainy to make its way into our collective memory,\u201d Lawler says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2019A Perfect Frenzy\u2019 is a sharp-eyed look at the messy \u2014 sometimes absurd, often cruel \u2014 birth pangs of a nation,\u201d Alexis Coe wrote in his New York Times review of the book. \u201cIt prompts readers to question the simplistic narratives that have shaped our understanding of this pivotal period in American history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dunmore\u2019s part in Virginia\u2019s insurrection in 1775-76 pushed Virginia\u2019s colonial leaders (rebels in the eyes of the British) to ultimately urge the Continental Congress to debate a resolution for independence. Shortly after the approval of independence, Dunmore and his Black allies withdrew from Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>Lawler \u201cdeftly dissects Dunmore\u2019s choices in the midst of mounting revolutionary crises, revealing a man caught between compelling loyalties and a rapidly shifting political landscape,\u201d Coe wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Dunmore, the man Virginians loved to hate, may not have been so bad after all.<\/p>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<h4>Siblings, beer and hiking<\/h4>\n<p>Take a sister and brother, English and Jim Knowles, who like to hike and then add beer and microbreweries and familiar locales and you have the makings of a new book.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeer Hiking Virginia, North Carolina and DC: The Mountains, Beaches, and Breweries from the Blue Ridge to the Outer Banks\u201d (Helvetiq, 288 pgs., $24.95 paperback) is an adventure worth your while.<\/p>\n<p>This is a guide for hikers and beer fans, but it is also a mini-history of some of the sites that surround various beer haunts. The hikes range in various lengths. For example, the duo has outlined a 2-mile, hour-and-a-half hike around Maymount Gardens in Richmond with turn-by-turn directions to make sure you see the best things in the Japanese Garden, its primary feature.<\/p>\n<p>Your hike, or simple meander, will take you through the award-winning gardens of a Gilded Age estate at Maymount that includes an arboretum, wildlife habitat and stately mansion. Then, \u201chead to Scott\u2019s Addition, a gentrified industrial neighborhood\u201d not far away. It\u2019s \u201cbooming with breweries and eateries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The book is also part of a wide-ranging series of beer-hiking books by other authors, including \u201cBeer Hiking\u201d in Chicago; Pennsylvania and New Jersey; New England; and New York \u2014 all by the same publisher.<\/p>\n<p>These 40 hikes are from the mountains to the sea \u2014 from the Blue Ridge to Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks to Grandfather Mountain. They include hikes around battlefields, mountains and sandy coasts of Virginia and North Carolina. And, oh, don\u2019t forget, amazing and tasty beer along the way.<\/p>\n<p>The Knowles siblings came upon their beer and hiking love from different directions. English, who splits her time between the Shenandoah Valley and Chamonix, France, developed her interest in craft beer while working in the fermentation industry in California.<\/p>\n<p>Jim got his taste for ale and hiking while living in the Scottish Highlands in the 1990s. Currently, he is a professor in the English department at North Carolina State University and calls Durham, North Carolina, his home.<\/p>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<h4>Is someone really guilty?<\/h4>\n<p>Using his 38 years of legal experience, Ashville, North Carolina, lawyer Frank Abrams has crafted a novel about injustice and redemption, \u201cThe Cockfight\u201d (Frank Abrams, 262 pgs., $15.95 paperback).<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, a notion has developed, he writes, that once charged with a crime \u2014 always guilty. Society now seems slow to recognize the fact that individuals are presumed to be innocent and that the burden of proof is on the government to prove guilt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany individuals,\u201d Abrams says, \u201csuffer injustice under the color of law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Teach \u2014 William Bradford \u2014 becomes one of the victims as he is charged and convicted of a heinous sex crime in Georgia. The riveting saga, laid out by Abrams, details how the alleged crime wound its way through the justice system. Teach, the \u201cTeacher of the Year,\u201d was convicted and served 10 years in prison. But once out, he wanted to prove he was innocent.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s Abrams\u2019 story. Eventually, lawyers, not the court-appointed barrister he first had, learned of his plight and realized he was not guilty. In the end, Teach was successful and was vindicated.<\/p>\n<p>Normally, I don\u2019t feature books that are self-published. However, this story is a goodie and I made an exception. Some publishers just missed the opportunity for a winner. Congratulations to Frank Abrams!<\/p>\n<p><em>Have a comment or suggestion for Kale? Contact him at <a href=\"mailto:Kalehouse@aol.com\">Kalehouse@aol.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"modal-footer\"><button class=\"fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\">Close<\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:10px;width:100%;\"><\/div><a class=\"fusion-modal-text-link\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".fusion-modal.researchingrevolution\" href=\"#\">\n<h3>Reseaching the American Revolution<\/h3>\n<\/a><div class=\"fusion-modal modal fade modal-13 researchingrevolution\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-heading-13\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"--awb-border-color:#ebebeb;--awb-background:#f6f6f6;\"><div class=\"modal-dialog modal-lg\" role=\"document\"><div class=\"modal-content fusion-modal-content\"><div class=\"modal-header\"><button class=\"close\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button><h3 class=\"modal-title\" id=\"modal-heading-13\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Researching the American Revolution<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"modal-body fusion-clearfix\">\n<p>By Gene Prockow <br \/>PUBLISHED: June 27, 2025<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lawler, Andrew.&nbsp;<em>A Perfect Frenzy: A Royal Governor, His Black Allies, and the Crisis That Spurred the American Revolution<\/em>. First Grove Atlantic hardcover edition. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2025.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Few books about the American Revolution tell the story from the perspectives of the British, Loyalist Americans, and enslaved Blacks. Veteran journalist and author thoughtfully adds to the incomplete historical record with his first book on the American Revolutionary Era. Lawler crafts a compelling narrative of the early moments of the American War for Independence in Virginia and its last Royal Governor, John Murray, 4<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;Earl of Dunmore. Lord Dunmore is best known for leading a pre-Revolutionary military expedition, known as Lord Dunmore\u2019s War, to defeat the Shawnee Nation, thereby gaining significant territory for land-hungry Virginians. The Scotsman is less recognized for his efforts to prevent rebellion in Virginia during the first two years of the Revolutionary War.<\/p>\n<p>Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Lawler centers his story on Dunmore\u2019s effort to hold the bustling port city of Norfolk and wrest the Southeastern counties from Rebel control. Scottish merchants and loyalist-leaning farmers dominated the region, supplying Lord Dunmore with resources and militia fighters. To strengthen his forces and weaken the Patriot economy, Dunmore issued a proclamation freeing enslaved people who would cross into the British lines and swear allegiance to the Crown. To better illustrate the plight of the enslaved Blacks, Lawler uses the phrase \u201cforced labor camps\u201d to describe what many call plantations. Readers find plenty of opportunities to reflect on his more vivid and realistic descriptions of the conditions under which enslaved Africans labored. To support the British war effort, able-bodied and militarily inclined Black men formed a regiment that Lord Dunmore honored with the title \u201cEthiopian Regiment.\u201d By all accounts, this all-black but white officer-led unit acquitted itself well in combat in multiple battles.<\/p>\n<p>The core of Lawler\u2019s narrative is the battle for and the ultimate destruction of Norfolk, Virginia\u2019s largest and most commercial city. When the British Navy destroyed several warehouses concealing Patriot sharpshooters, a small blaze broke out. Later, the Patriot forces set fire to the rest of the town. Subsequently, the Patriot leaders ordered a complete evacuation of the city and nearby counties, displacing up to twenty thousand people. Lawler offers four key arguments about the devastation of the Norfolk area that arouse further debate.<\/p>\n<p>First, he contends that the Patriot militias committed the greatest war crime of the American Rebellion by refusing to extinguish the conflagration started by the British and then burning down the entire city. Revolutionary Era historians might cringe at the use of a twentieth-century term, and informed readers could argue that the British prisoner-of-war hulks caused far more loss of life. While Norfolk\u2019s destruction was horrific, it would have been interesting to assess whether denying the British access to a strategic warm-water port influenced the outcome of the war. Control over New York and Newport contributed significantly to the British efforts, but sandbars, winter freezes, and the lack of access to food and supplies limited their effectiveness. The author notes that Virginia might have been a more suitable location for the British to restore Crown control.<\/p>\n<p>Second, the former Norfolk native believes that Norfolk\u2019s destruction by the Patriots occurred partly because the planter class, including Thomas Jefferson, harbored deep hostility towards the Scottish merchants. Many quotes from prominent Virginia politicians support this claim. One point that could have been explored more is Robert Howe\u2019s role as the Patriot commander. This North Carolina Continental Army general was not necessarily driven by intra-Virginia animus.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Third, Lawler argues that participants and, later, historians concealed the fact that the Rebels burned Norfolk, blaming all the destruction on the British. The Patriot press won the propaganda battle, spreading the idea across Revolutionary America that Norfolk was destroyed by British treachery, just like Charlestown and Falmouth in Massachusetts. Lawler cites several historians from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who echo the patriot propaganda, showing that historians also misrepresent the real cause of Norfolk\u2019s devastation. However, later historians such as Rick Atkinson\u2019s book,&nbsp;<em>The British Are Coming,<\/em>&nbsp;and the most recent biographers of Robert Howe, Charles E. Bennett and Donald R. Lennon in&nbsp;<em>A Quest for Glory,<\/em>&nbsp;attribute the conflagration to the Patriot forces. In any event, Lawler provides a well-documented account regardless of your views on whether there was any military necessity to destroy the port.<\/p>\n<p>Fourth, Lawler asserts that the Rebels\u2019 order to evacuate the Norfolk area was one of the most significant non-Native American forced relocations in American history. Whether readers come up with counterexamples or not, this area-wide evacuation was unprecedented in the Revolutionary Era. In other regions, differing loyalties divided societies, with individuals migrating based on family preferences, community pressure, or in response to shifting lines of control between the Rebel and Loyalist forces. Lawler\u2019s work raises interesting questions about the efficacy of the Patriot evacuation orders for Southeast Virginia and their long-term effects.<\/p>\n<p>One of the book\u2019s main strengths is its inclusion of the voices of enslaved people. Through detailed research, the author shares the experiences of African Americans who sided with the British and joined Lord Dunmore\u2019s forces as soldiers, workers, and residents. Readers will gain insight into the hardships faced by these newly freed individuals and the struggles they endured. Their extraordinary, often tragic stories make Lawler\u2019s account essential for understanding the cruelty of slavery and how far people will go to find freedom. Lawler generally depicts Lord Dunmore in a positive light, citing his commitment to protecting his Ethiopian regiment and the lives of the other Black refugees. However, he notes that British authorities did not always treat the formerly enslaved people, such as returning to bondage individuals who escaped from loyalist owners. Conversely, British officers in New York City refused to surrender formerly enslaved Blacks at the war\u2019s end, which angered Virginia planters, including George Washington.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the book, Lawler demonstrates an incisive understanding of Lord Dunmore, providing a more well-rounded view of his character, accomplishments, and highlighting several of the Earl\u2019s legacies. The author presents a compelling case that Lord Dunmore\u2019s proclamation, which freed the enslaved population of Virginia to support the rebels, had a lasting impact, despite the British Earl\u2019s ultimately unsuccessful attempt to regain control of the colony of Virginia. He contends that Dunmore influenced Abraham Lincoln\u2019s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and Frederick Douglass\u2019s efforts to end slavery. He also quotes a historian who claims that Lord Dunmore should be considered an American founder, as the Scotsman issued the first emancipation proclamation in America. While this may be a stretch, readers will appreciate Lawler\u2019s effort to deepen their understanding of Lord Dunmore, his Loyalist allies, and the lives of former slaves who risked everything to join the Earl\u2019s fight against the Rebels.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"modal-footer\"><button class=\"fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\">Close<\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:10px;width:100%;\"><\/div><a class=\"fusion-modal-text-link\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".fusion-modal.GloucesterMathewsGazetteJournal\" href=\"#\">\n<h3>The Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal<\/h3>\n<\/a><div class=\"fusion-modal modal fade modal-14 GloucesterMathewsGazetteJournal\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-heading-14\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"--awb-border-color:#ebebeb;--awb-background:#f6f6f6;\"><div class=\"modal-dialog modal-lg\" role=\"document\"><div class=\"modal-content fusion-modal-content\"><div class=\"modal-header\"><button class=\"close\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button><h3 class=\"modal-title\" id=\"modal-heading-14\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\">The Gloucester-Mathews-Gazette-Journal<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"modal-body fusion-clearfix\">\n<p>By BOB RUEGSEGGER<br \/>PUBLISHED: Nov 20, 2025&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/A7-Dunmore-Ethiopians-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20812\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/A7-Dunmore-Ethiopians-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1791\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/A7-Dunmore-Ethiopians-200x286.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/A7-Dunmore-Ethiopians-210x300.jpg 210w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/A7-Dunmore-Ethiopians-400x572.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/A7-Dunmore-Ethiopians-600x858.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/A7-Dunmore-Ethiopians-716x1024.jpg 716w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/A7-Dunmore-Ethiopians-768x1098.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/A7-Dunmore-Ethiopians-800x1144.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/A7-Dunmore-Ethiopians-1074x1536.jpg 1074w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/A7-Dunmore-Ethiopians-1200x1716.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/A7-Dunmore-Ethiopians-1432x2048.jpg 1432w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/A7-Dunmore-Ethiopians-scaled.jpg 1791w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1791px) 100vw, 1791px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"modal-footer\"><button class=\"fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\">Close<\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:10px;width:100%;\"><\/div><a class=\"fusion-modal-text-link\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".fusion-modal.rollcall\" href=\"#\">\n<h3>Roll Call<\/h3>\n<\/a><div class=\"fusion-modal modal fade modal-15 rollcall\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-heading-15\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"--awb-border-color:#ebebeb;--awb-background:#f6f6f6;\"><div class=\"modal-dialog modal-lg\" role=\"document\"><div class=\"modal-content fusion-modal-content\"><div class=\"modal-header\"><button class=\"close\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button><h3 class=\"modal-title\" id=\"modal-heading-15\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Roll Call<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"modal-body fusion-clearfix\">\n<h1>Hill Insiders share favorite books of 2025.<\/h1>\n<h3 class=\"subtitle single\">As America\u2019s 250th birthday approaches, they have history on the brain<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rollcall.com\/2025\/12\/08\/hill-insiders-share-favorite-books-of-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Full Story Here<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Between a government shutdown, three vote-a-ramas in the Senate and a new president taking office, it\u2019s been a busy year for members of Congress. But spending bills weren\u2019t the only page-turners they read.<\/p>\n<p>Every December, we ask lawmakers, lobbyists, think tank types and other Beltway insiders the same question: What did you read this year?&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With America\u2019s semiquincentennial approaching, history was a particularly hot topic this time around. Add in some naval strategy, fabulist noir and reflections on going home, and you have the book list that propelled them through 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u201cA Perfect Frenzy\u201d by Andrew Lawler (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2025)<\/strong>&nbsp;\u201cProvocative book about how Lord Dunmore\u2019s offer to arm enslaved Virginians was a major cause of the American Declaration of Independence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cPaper Girl\u201d by Beth Macy (Penguin Press, 2025)<\/strong>&nbsp;\u201cBeautiful memoir by Virginia\u2019s best listener about going home after years and trying to make sense of what happened to the place where you were raised.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Roswell Encina, president &amp; CEO of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society<\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u201cThe Greatest Sentence Ever Written\u201d by Walter Isaacson (Simon &amp; Schuster, 2025)&nbsp;<\/strong>\u201cI recently watched Isaacson discuss his new book on C-SPAN and was instantly captivated. I ran out to buy it that same day. In just 67 pages, he reminds us of the enduring power of the Declaration of Independence, what binds us together, strengthens our democracy, and fuels our national aspirations. Whether you\u2019ve seen the Declaration at the National Archives or have been fortunate enough to view Jefferson\u2019s handwritten draft at the Library of Congress, this book rekindles a profound truth: America\u2019s promise lives in the words we continue to strive to live up to.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla.&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u201cWorld on the Brink\u201d by Dmitri Alperovitch and Garrett Graff (PublicAffairs, 2024)<\/strong>&nbsp;\u201cPragmatic and does an excellent job of telling the history of our relationship with China and how it is different from our prior Cold War fight with the USSR.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Former Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., senior vice president of U.S. program and policy for The Rockefeller Foundation<\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u201cThe Anthropocene Reviewed\u201d by John Green (Dutton, 2021)<\/strong>&nbsp;\u201cA book I read with my kiddo about the current geological age. Before you think it\u2019s too high-brow, it\u2019s largely a series of essays in which John Green delightfully and informatively reviews elements of life on a five-star scale. His views on Diet Dr. Pepper (4 stars) and the Taco Bell breakfast menu (3.5 stars) made me laugh out loud. And I was genuinely moved by his chapters on the human capacity for wonder (4 stars) and sunsets (5 stars, of course).\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Betsy Fischer Martin, executive director of the Women and Politics Institute, American University&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u201cFar from Home\u201d by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska (Forum Books, 2025)<\/strong>&nbsp;\u201cWhat struck me most was her unflinching honesty about what it takes to maintain your independence in today\u2019s Washington. It\u2019s a political memoir that actually feels authentic.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u201cBelieve: Why Everyone Should Be Religious\u201d by Ross Douthat (Zondervan, 2025)<\/strong>&nbsp;\u201cDouthat\u2019s book was of particular interest to our office, as most of our constituents are religious, and it\u2019s something we really value in our office. We think the rest of the country could benefit from Utah\u2019s example!\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cThe Real Retirement Crisis\u201d by Andrew G. Biggs (AEI Press, 2025)<\/strong>&nbsp;\u201cProvides economic insights into America\u2019s retirement norms. It\u2019s meant to be both informative and thought-provoking for our team.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u201cA Flower Traveled in My Blood: The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of Children\u201d by Haley Cohen Gilliland (Avid Reader Press, 2025)<\/strong>&nbsp;\u201cSpeaks with such grace about resilience \u2014 how the roots we inherit can blossom into courage and compassion. I loved this book because I saw these women in action firsthand with love in Buenos Aires when our congressional delegation joined them in wearing white \u2014 and their story reminds us that even in turbulent times, beauty and hope still find their way forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.<\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u201cCharles Sumner: Conscience of a Nation\u201d by Zaakir Tameez (Henry Holt and Co., 2025)<\/strong>&nbsp;\u201cTells the story I never knew, of how passionate abolitionist Charles Sumner, who hated politics and politicians, ended up in the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts in the first place and then came to be violently assaulted on the Senate floor by South Carolina Rep. Preston Brooks. It then follows Sumner\u2019s difficult convalescence and the central role he played in the coming of the Civil War and everything to follow. Absolutely riveting.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Daniel Schuman, executive director of the American Governance Institute&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u201cDivided Parties, Strong Leaders\u201d by Ruth Bloch Rubin (University of Chicago Press, 2025)<\/strong>&nbsp;\u201cA smart, richly observed look at how party factions shape leadership power and legislative outcomes. Dr. Bloch Rubin is my favorite kind of political scientist \u2014 someone who clearly spends time listening to members and staff, and who captures Capitol Hill as it actually works. Tracing the past half-century, she shows that when parties contain two or more strong factions, leaders can maneuver and legislate; when they don\u2019t, leadership loses the ability to set the agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind.<\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u201cThe Neptune Factor\u201d by Nicholas A. Lambert (Naval Institute Press, 2024)<\/strong>&nbsp;\u201cWell over a century ago, Alfred Thayer Mahan prophesied that a nation\u2019s power was proportional to its influence on the seas. The esteemed naval historian Nicholas Lambert documents the accuracy of this prediction. Describing Mahan as \u2018the first global strategist,\u2019 Lambert presents a timely reexamination of his subject\u2019s theory of \u2018Sea Power.\u2019 A navy\u2019s function was to promote commerce, not merely win decisive battles, Mahan wrote during the \u2018first age of globalization,\u2019 when the flow of ships, goods and money accelerated along with their geostrategic importance.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jason Dick, editor-in-chief of CQ Roll Call<\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u201cShadow Ticket\u201d by Thomas Pynchon (Penguin Press, 2025)<\/strong>&nbsp;\u201cThomas Pynchon is having a moment. His 1990 novel \u2018Vineland\u2019 gets adapted by filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson into \u2018One Battle After Another,\u2019 starring some of the biggest movie stars on the planet (Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro) and becomes an Oscar front-runner. And a few days after the film\u2019s release, Pynchon\u2019s latest novel \u2018Shadow Ticket\u2019 is published, a fabulist noir set in 1932 Wisconsin and Budapest (and many other locales, ranging from Chicago to backroads Balkan boondocks). The protagonist of \u2018Shadow Ticket,\u2019 swing-dancing private detective Hicks McTaggart, finds himself tossed around two continents, caught up in the tides and riptides of economic collapse, a crumbling old world order, the rise of Nazi fascism and a spy- and criminal-filled march toward world war. But it\u2019s not all grim. Come for the International Cheese Syndicate, stay for the BAGEL (Bureau Administering Golems Employed Locally).\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"asc-story_TK152\" data-google-query-id=\"CMPSzKamzJEDFWCUywEdOQMfIw\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"modal-footer\"><button class=\"fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\">Close<\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-9 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-12 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-10 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-top:0px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-background-image:linear-gradient(180deg, #efefef 0%,#ffffff 100%);--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-center fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-13 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:19px;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:9.6%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-4 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-one\" style=\"--awb-text-color:#000000;--awb-margin-left:40px;--awb-margin-top-small:10px;--awb-margin-right-small:0px;--awb-margin-bottom-small:10px;--awb-margin-left-small:0px;--awb-font-size:1.5em;\"><h1 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-left fusion-responsive-typography-calculated\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Public Sans&quot;;font-style:normal;font-weight:900;margin:0;letter-spacing:6px;font-size:1em;--fontSize:22.5;line-height:1.1;\">INTERVIEWS<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-11 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-right:40px;--awb-padding-left:40px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-14 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-padding-right:10px;--awb-padding-left:10px;--awb-bg-color:var(--awb-color1);--awb-bg-color-hover:var(--awb-color1);--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><ul style=\"--awb-line-height:23.8px;--awb-icon-width:23.8px;--awb-icon-height:23.8px;--awb-icon-margin:9.8px;--awb-content-margin:33.6px;--awb-circlecolor:#9e9e9e;--awb-circle-yes-font-size:12.32px;\" class=\"fusion-checklist fusion-checklist-1 fusion-checklist-default type-icons\"><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon awb-icon-check\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mountainx.com\/living\/local-authors-latest-book-sheds-new-light-on-early-u-s-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mountain Express Asheville.<\/a><br \/>\nLocal author\u2019s latest book sheds new light on early U.S. history<\/div><\/li><\/ul><ul style=\"--awb-line-height:23.8px;--awb-icon-width:23.8px;--awb-icon-height:23.8px;--awb-icon-margin:9.8px;--awb-content-margin:33.6px;--awb-circlecolor:#9e9e9e;--awb-circle-yes-font-size:12.32px;\" class=\"fusion-checklist fusion-checklist-2 fusion-checklist-default type-icons\"><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon awb-icon-check\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\">Lectures on Tap, New York<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/scl\/fi\/rxq0i7zq9q1pfov3a9iom\/0430.mov?rlkey=7pe1iv5sw4f9u46tl61qe1o6o&#038;e=1&#038;st=v5szxjaf&#038;dl=0\">Watch the full lecture here.<\/a><\/div><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-12 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-top:0px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-background-image:linear-gradient(180deg, #efefef 0%,#ffffff 100%);--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-center fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-15 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:19px;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:9.6%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-5 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-one\" style=\"--awb-text-color:#000000;--awb-margin-left:40px;--awb-margin-top-small:10px;--awb-margin-right-small:0px;--awb-margin-bottom-small:10px;--awb-margin-left-small:0px;--awb-font-size:1.5em;\"><h1 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-left fusion-responsive-typography-calculated\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Public Sans&quot;;font-style:normal;font-weight:900;margin:0;letter-spacing:6px;font-size:1em;--fontSize:22.5;line-height:1.1;\">PODCASTS<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-13 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-right:40px;--awb-padding-left:40px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-16 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-padding-right:10px;--awb-padding-left:10px;--awb-bg-color:var(--awb-color1);--awb-bg-color-hover:var(--awb-color1);--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><ul style=\"--awb-line-height:23.8px;--awb-icon-width:23.8px;--awb-icon-height:23.8px;--awb-icon-margin:9.8px;--awb-content-margin:33.6px;--awb-circlecolor:#9e9e9e;--awb-circle-yes-font-size:12.32px;\" class=\"fusion-checklist fusion-checklist-3 fusion-checklist-default type-icons\"><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa-microphone fas\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\"><strong>Expanding Horizons, Air Date: 2\/2\/25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Historian and journalist Andrew Lawler reveals how Virginia&#8217;s complex revolution story challenges our traditional understanding of America&#8217;s founding.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=N268TEb8eKk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Listen Here<\/strong><\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon awb-icon-check\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\"><strong>Dispatches, Air Date: 3\/03\/25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This week our guest is author and JAR contributor Andrew Lawler. At the outbreak of the Revolution, Virginia Governor John Murray, Lord Dunmore, shocked the colony when he began arming enslaved men. For more information visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.allthingsliberty.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow ugc\">www.allthingsliberty.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rephonic.com\/podcasts\/dispatches-the-podcast-of-the-journal-of-the-ameri\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Listen Here<\/strong><\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon awb-icon-check\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\"><strong>There&#8217;s More to That (Smithsonian Magazine), Air Date: 4\/17\/25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Dive Into the Deeper Story of the American Revolution on How New England and Virginia United Against the British. Inside the steeple of Old North Church and among the Southern Colonies, less familiar stories of the events from 250 years ago emerge.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/history\/dive-into-deeper-story-american-revolution-how-new-england-virginia-united-against-british-180986438\/?utm_medium=social&#038;utm_source=twitter&#038;utm_campaign=editorial&#038;utm_term=4172025&#038;utm_content=new\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Listen Here<\/strong><\/a><strong> or <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/podcast\/series\/theres-more-to-that\/season-2\/dive-into-deeper-story-american-revolution-how-new-england-virginia-united-against-british\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Here<\/strong><\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon awb-icon-check\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\"><strong>Think Back, Air Date: 4\/17\/25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The Hidden Origins of the American Revolution (with Andrew Lawler)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-hidden-origins-of-the-american\/id1801783545?i=1000703729398\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Listen Here<\/strong><\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon awb-icon-check\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\"><strong>Traveling Through History, Air Date: 5\/09\/25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">&#8220;A Perfect Frenzy&#8221; &#8211; Historical Book Review with Author Andrew Lawler<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CY6AJZPE6r4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Listen Here<\/strong><\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon awb-icon-check\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\"><strong>Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library, Air Date: 5\/20\/25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Andrew Lawler discusses his new book, \u201cPerfect Frenzy\u201d It is the story of the colony of Virginia on the eve of the American Revolution and Lord Dunmore, infamous British villain. But what is fact and what is fiction?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ktgzuWa1ulo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Listen Here<\/strong><\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon awb-icon-check\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\"><strong>Ben Franklin&#8217;s World, Air Date: 11\/04\/25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"entry-title h2 mb-4 mb-sm-4 mb-md-4\">Episode 424: Andrew Lawler, Dunmore\u2019s Proclamation &#038; the American Revolution in Virginia.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/benfranklinsworld.com\/episode-424-andrew-lawler-dunmores-proclamation-the-american-revolution-in-virginia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Listen Here<\/strong><\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon awb-icon-check\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\"><strong>Briar Haus Writes, Air Date: 12\/01\/25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"entry-title h2 mb-4 mb-sm-4 mb-md-4\">World-renowned journalist and author Andrew Lawler as he shares his writing journey and reads from his latest book, A Perfect Frenzy.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UaLgxsTeSRk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Listen Here<\/strong><\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon awb-icon-check\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\"><strong>A Word on Words, Air Date: 10\/05\/25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"entry-title h2 mb-4 mb-sm-4 mb-md-4\">Andrew Lawler talks to Jeremy Finley about A PERFECT FRENZY, his latest history chronicle.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/video.wnpt.org\/video\/a-perfect-frenzy-andrew-lawler-7nh293\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Listen Here<\/strong><\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon awb-icon-check\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\">\n<p><strong>American Ancestors, Air Date: 12\/10\/25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"entry-title h2 mb-4 mb-sm-4 mb-md-4\">Andrew Lawler talks about A PERFECT FRENZY.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanancestors.org\/video-library\/perfect-frenzy-royal-governor-his-black-allies-and-crisis-spurred-american-revolution-andrew\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Listen Here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-14 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-top:0px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-background-image:linear-gradient(180deg, #efefef 0%,#ffffff 100%);--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-center fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-17 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:19px;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:9.6%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-6 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-one\" style=\"--awb-text-color:#000000;--awb-margin-left:40px;--awb-margin-top-small:10px;--awb-margin-right-small:0px;--awb-margin-bottom-small:10px;--awb-margin-left-small:0px;--awb-font-size:1.5em;\"><h1 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-left fusion-responsive-typography-calculated\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Public Sans&quot;;font-style:normal;font-weight:900;margin:0;letter-spacing:6px;font-size:1em;--fontSize:22.5;line-height:1.1;\">VIDEOS<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-15 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-right:40px;--awb-padding-left:40px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-18 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-padding-right:10px;--awb-padding-left:10px;--awb-bg-color:var(--awb-color1);--awb-bg-color-hover:var(--awb-color1);--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><ul style=\"--awb-line-height:23.8px;--awb-icon-width:23.8px;--awb-icon-height:23.8px;--awb-icon-margin:9.8px;--awb-content-margin:33.6px;--awb-circlecolor:#9e9e9e;--awb-circle-yes-font-size:12.32px;\" class=\"fusion-checklist fusion-checklist-4 fusion-checklist-default type-icons\"><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa-play-circle fas\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\">YurView Virginia interviews Andrew Lawler about his newest book, <em>A Perfect Frenzy.<\/em> The 757 meets 1776. The Hampton Roads area is rich in history, and author Andrew Lawler gives some insight into just how big a role the 757 played in the American Revolution. <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/8KLsfKyIWko?si=NzxNX_0Kh5SA5E-W\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Watch Here<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa-play-circle fas\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\">Traveling Through History: Book review with Andrew Lawler<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CY6AJZPE6r4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Watch Here<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa-play-circle fas\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\">Politics and Prose interview with Andrew Lawler<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nvgOTK-IiDk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Watch Here<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa-play-circle fas\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\">The City of Hampton, VA, interview with Andrew Lawler<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yozVEKFSJ1w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Watch Here<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa-play-circle fas\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\">An interview: Andrew Lawler with George Gibson<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=KJ-FXONrRSU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Watch Here<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa-play-circle fas\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\">Expanding Horizons with Andrew Lawler<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=N268TEb8eKk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Watch Here<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\" style=\"\"><span class=\"icon-wrapper circle-yes\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa-play-circle fas\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\">Malaprop&#8217;s Bookstore with Andrew Lawler<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_CF2LbcFbDQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Watch Here<\/a><\/div><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-16 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-top:0px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-background-image:linear-gradient(180deg, #efefef 0%,#ffffff 100%);--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-center fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-19 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:19px;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:9.6%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-7 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-one\" style=\"--awb-text-color:#000000;--awb-margin-left:40px;--awb-margin-top-small:10px;--awb-margin-right-small:0px;--awb-margin-bottom-small:10px;--awb-margin-left-small:0px;--awb-font-size:1.5em;\"><h1 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-left fusion-responsive-typography-calculated\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Public Sans&quot;;font-style:normal;font-weight:900;margin:0;letter-spacing:6px;font-size:1em;--fontSize:22.5;line-height:1.1;\">RELATED READING<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-17 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-20 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-6 fusion-text-no-margin\" style=\"--awb-margin-bottom:10px;\"><a class=\"fusion-modal-text-link\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\".fusion-modal.VirginianPilot33\" href=\"#\">The Virginian-Pilot: How the Battle of Great Bridge cleared Virginia\u2019s path to revolution<\/a>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-modal modal fade modal-16 VirginianPilot33\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-heading-16\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"--awb-border-color:#ebebeb;--awb-background:#f6f6f6;\"><div class=\"modal-dialog modal-lg\" role=\"document\"><div class=\"modal-content fusion-modal-content\"><div class=\"modal-header\"><button class=\"close\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button><h3 class=\"modal-title\" id=\"modal-heading-16\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-hidden=\"true\">The Virginian-Pilot<\/h3><\/div><div class=\"modal-body fusion-clearfix\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pilotonline.com\/2025\/12\/06\/battle-of-great-bridge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Link to Story (paywall)<\/a><\/p>\n<p>By WILFORD KALE | Correspondent<br \/>PUBLISHED:&nbsp;June 26, 2025 at 12:26 PM EDT<\/p>\n<p><strong>How the Battle of Great Bridge cleared Virginia\u2019s path to revolution<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>A short, pivotal fight started the eviction of Virginia\u2019s last royal governor, Lord Dunmore.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/TVP-L-DB-GREAT-BRIDGE-SKETCH-LOSSING_384171.jpg.webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-20808 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/TVP-L-DB-GREAT-BRIDGE-SKETCH-LOSSING_384171.jpg.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/TVP-L-DB-GREAT-BRIDGE-SKETCH-LOSSING_384171.jpg-200x88.webp 200w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/TVP-L-DB-GREAT-BRIDGE-SKETCH-LOSSING_384171.jpg-300x132.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/TVP-L-DB-GREAT-BRIDGE-SKETCH-LOSSING_384171.jpg-400x175.webp 400w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/TVP-L-DB-GREAT-BRIDGE-SKETCH-LOSSING_384171.jpg-600x263.webp 600w, https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/TVP-L-DB-GREAT-BRIDGE-SKETCH-LOSSING_384171.jpg.webp 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cView at the Great Bridge,\u201d looking from the western bank, from Benson John Lossing\u2019s book \u201cThe Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution: or, Illustrations by Pen and Pencil of the History, Biography, Scenery, Relics and Traditions, of the War for Independence.\u201d (Harper and Brothers, 1859). Lossing writes, \u201cGreat Bridge is the name for a comparatively insignificant structure, unless the causeways connected with it may be included in the term.\u201d The bridge is about 40 yards long, with \u201cextensive marshes\u201d on each side of the river \u201cmaking the whole width of morass and stream, at this point, about half a mile wide.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It was a narrow wooden bridge situated over the southern branch of the Elizabeth River in difficult terrain amid bogs and swampland, accessible only by narrow causeways on both the north and south sides.<\/p>\n<p>The redcoats had established an earthen redoubt fortification on the north end, while patriots had thrown up breastworks on the southern side.<\/p>\n<p>A battle here lasting less than one hour just south of Norfolk on Dec. 9, 1775, between British forces and colonial militia \u2014 250 years ago \u2014 was a turning point that led to the departure of Virginia\u2019s last royal governor, John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, and his troops. The patriots taking control of the most populous colony would allow Virginia, home to key founding fathers, to commit to independence and become the backbone of the American Revolution.<\/p>\n<p>The crossing was at the small village of Great Bridge, now located in modern-day Chesapeake. The bridge itself was on the main roadway connection between Norfolk and North Carolina. The Battle of Great Bridge became the first major pitched land battle of the American Revolutionary War in Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>By the fall of 1775, British control of the colony of Virginia was in peril.<\/p>\n<p>Lord Dunmore had vacated his governor\u2019s palace and the colony\u2019s capital in Williamsburg and had fled to a British ship in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. His troops, including the 14th Regiment of Foot, were stationed on other adjacent vessels.<\/p>\n<p>After fleeing from Williamsburg in June 1775, Lord Dunmore operated Virginia\u2019s royal government from a British fleet stationed near Norfolk. \u201cFlight of Lord Dunmore,\u201d Ogden, American Colortype Co., 1907. (Library of Congress)<\/p>\n<p>Dunmore began to recruit his own supporters and starting Oct. 12, \u201cthe British were strong enough to make raids along the Virginia coast,\u201d according to history author Charles A. Mills. Virginia\u2019s Committee of Safety on Oct. 25 directed Capt. William Woodford, commander of the colony\u2019s 2nd Virginia Regiment, to lead his forces southeast across the James River to seize Norfolk and Princess Anne County from Dunmore\u2019s control and drive him from Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>But before Woodford could begin to move his troops, the British on Oct. 26-27 attempted a ship-based attack on Hampton that failed to muster enough strength to overcome the accuracy of colonial riflemen onshore.<\/p>\n<p>However, Dunmore was ready for more substantial action.<\/p>\n<p>On Nov. 7, the governor declared martial law and issued a proclamation \u201cto the end that Peace and good Order may the sooner be restored.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another portion of the proclamation was incendiary and bothered patriot leaders. It declared: \u201cAll indentured Servants, Negroes, or others\u201d who are \u201cable and willing to bear Arms\u201d to support the British would be free. For Black people, it was emancipation and an unprecedented action. Those living around Norfolk feared the worst; Dunmore might increase his attacks with new manpower or the patriot militia might seek vengeance with the citizenry caught in the middle.<\/p>\n<p>Many of the area\u2019s enslaved Black people did everything they could to join the British. Dunmore wrote George Germain, secretary of state for the colonies: \u201cI have been endeavouring to raise two Regiments here, one of White People, the other of Black.\u201d They became known as the Queen\u2019s Own Loyal Virginia Regiment and Lord Dunmore\u2019s Ethiopian Regiment, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>The name Ethiopian was a rare term of respect accorded to Africans by Europeans and referred to the East African Christian kingdom.<\/p>\n<p>Historians have estimated that as many as 800 to 2,000 enslaved men, women and children joined to aid the British and its Ethiopian Regiment. Historian Lawler, in a recent interview, said Dunmore treated enslaved people who joined him \u201cwith remarkable dignity and respect \u2014 certainly not something you can say about Virginia\u2019s patriots.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A topographical map depicting the site of the battle at Great Bridge, Dec. 9, 1775, by Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Marquess of Hastings: &#8220;A view of the Great Bridge near Norfolk in Virginia where the action happened between a detachment of the 14th Regt. &amp; a body of the rebels.\u201d (Courtesy\/William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)<\/p>\n<p>Somewhat surprisingly, Lawler also countered that Dunmore \u201cwas far from the drunk and incompetent leader I was brought up to believe. This view is pure patriotic propaganda. If you examine him more closely, and set aside the vitriol aimed at him after (he ordered the gunpowder seized in Williamsburg), he emerges as a highly educated man of the Scottish Enlightenment who tried to modernize a backward colony, and who nearly doubled the size of Virginia in one brief campaign\u201d \u2014 Lord Dunmore\u2019s War in 1774.<\/p>\n<p>The British troops, with the Ethiopian Regiment, were successful in a brief skirmish against the patriots at Kemp\u2019s Landing a few weeks before the Battle of Great Bridge. It was \u201ca victory ignored by historians,\u201d Lawler added. The major Ethiopian Regiment action came at Great Bridge, with the loss forcing the regiment back with Dunmore to Norfolk and to its eventual collapse.<\/p>\n<p>Leading up to the Dec. 9 battle at Great Bridge, the two adversaries were yards apart. Patriot leader Woodford had his 2nd Regiment troops and a detachment of Culpeper&nbsp;Minutemen ready for whatever assault the British would muster.<\/p>\n<p>At Fort Murray, Capt. Samuel Leslie was the British commander who led the redcoats. Small encounters occurred on Dec. 7 and 8. By the night of the 8th, Woodford\u2019s forces numbered about 900 men.<\/p>\n<p>On the morning of the 9th, Dunmore decided to attack and drive the militia from the approach to Norfolk. His decision was based on erroneous intelligence. One report indicated there were only about 400 Virginia militia and minutemen in their embankments and that artillery and about 500 more patriot troops were on the way from North Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>Woodford considered attacking the British but realized his troops would be exposed to heavy fire across the swamp and marsh. But the stalemate continued.<\/p>\n<p>As Lawler put it, Dunmore \u201ceither had to withdraw or fight and he gambled&nbsp;that the patriots would flee at the sight of marching redcoats \u2014 as they had done at Kemp\u2019s Landing. He lost the gamble, so history has judged him harshly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dunmore\u2019s planned attack began when two British cannons opened fire in an attempt to break apart the patriot breastworks. The plan called for 120 of Leslie\u2019s regulars \u2014 men in red \u2014 to march six men abreast toward the narrow wooden-planked bridge. They fired by platoons. One platoon fired while the other would reload. As the British moved forward, the patriots, hundreds of them, unleashed a withering volley.<\/p>\n<p>The shooting from both sides increased in volume and Woodford\u2019s patriots began to move forward from their camp to nearby trenches.<\/p>\n<p>Leslie\u2019s reserves failed to counter the attack and he was forced to retreat&nbsp;to Fort Murray. Later in the night, the Tories spiked their cannons and abandoned their position and moved back toward Norfolk.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"modal-footer\"><button class=\"fusion-button button-default button-medium button default medium\" type=\"button\" data-dismiss=\"modal\">Close<\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-18 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-21 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-7\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/celebrating-hampton-roads-forgotten-revolution-heroes\/\">The Virginian-Pilot: Celebrating Hampton Roads\u2019 forgotten Revolution heroes<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-19 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-22 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-8\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebulwark.com\/p\/january-6th-rioters-insurrection-1776-patriots-founderes-echoes-ugly-truth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Bullwark: Jan. 6th Rioters Claim They\u2019re Like the Patriots of 1776. Here\u2019s the Ugly Truth.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-20 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-23 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-9\"><p class=\"article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/828newsnow.com\/news\/228822-asheville-author-andrew-lawler-takes-a-new-look-at-the-american-revolution\/\">828 News Now: Asheville author Andrew Lawler takes a new look at the American Revolution<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-21 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-24 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-10\"><p class=\"article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Lincoln-Bulletin-Spring-2025.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Lincoln Forum Bulletin Spring 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-22 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-25 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-11\"><p class=\"article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cardinalnews.org\/2025\/10\/14\/the-revolutions-first-battle-outside-northeast-was-in-virginia-it-started-with-a-dispute-over-a-runaway-slave\/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=Danville%20s%20next%20big%20investment%20is%20in%20its%20students&amp;utm_campaign=Wednesday%2C%20Oct%20%2015%2C%202025\">The Cardinal News: The revolution\u2019s first battle outside Northeast was in Virginia. It started with a dispute over a runaway slave. By Dwayne Yancey, October 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"100-width.php","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-20729","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Perfect Frenzy &#8226; Andrew Lawler<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/a-perfect-frenzy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Perfect Frenzy &#8226; Andrew Lawler\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/a-perfect-frenzy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Andrew Lawler\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AndrewLawlerAuthor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-26T15:47:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.andrewlawler.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/amazon.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"51 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/a-perfect-frenzy\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/a-perfect-frenzy\\\/\",\"name\":\"A Perfect Frenzy &#8226; Andrew Lawler\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/a-perfect-frenzy\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/a-perfect-frenzy\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/content\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/10\\\/amazon.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-05T20:41:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-26T15:47:40+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/a-perfect-frenzy\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/a-perfect-frenzy\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/a-perfect-frenzy\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/a-perfect-frenzy\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Perfect Frenzy\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Andrew Lawler\",\"description\":\"Andrew Lawler is author of four books\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cbc9a5140b6f2e4922d45f0726e70022\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cbc9a5140b6f2e4922d45f0726e70022\",\"name\":\"AndrewLawler\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/content\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/ST-LawlerJacketPic-1x1.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/content\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/ST-LawlerJacketPic-1x1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/content\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/ST-LawlerJacketPic-1x1.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1920,\"caption\":\"AndrewLawler\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.andrewlawler.com\\\/content\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/ST-LawlerJacketPic-1x1.jpg\"},\"description\":\"Andrew Lawler is author of three books, Under Jerusalem: The Buried History of the World\u2019s Most Contested City, The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke, a national bestseller, and Why Did the Chicken Cross the World?: The Epic Saga of the Bird that Powers Civilization. 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