A Republic of Scoundrels: The Schemers, Intriguers, and Adventurers Who Created a New American Nation

by David Head (Editor), Timothy Hemmis (Editor)

The Founding Fathers are often revered as American saints; here are the stories of those Founders who were schemers and scoundrels, vying for their own interests ahead of the nation’s.

We now have a clear-eyed understanding of Founding Fathers such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton; even so, they are often considered American saints, revered for their wisdom and self-sacrificing service to the nation. However, within the Founding generation lurked many unscrupulous figures—men who violated the era’s expectation of public virtue and advanced their own interests at the expense of others. 

They were turncoats and traitors, opportunists and con artists, spies and foreign intriguers. Some of their names are well known: Benedict Arnold and Aaron Burr. Others are less notorious now but were no less threatening. There was Charles Lee, the Continental Army general who offered to tell the British how to defeat the Americans; John Connolly, a Loyalist land-schemer who George Washington wanted to see “crushed”; and James Wilkinson, who served fifteen years as a commanding general in the U.S. Army, despite rumors that he spied for Spain and conspired with traitors.

The early years of the republic were full of self-interested individuals, sometimes succeeding in their plots, sometimes failing, but always shaping the young nation. A Republic of Scoundrels seeks to re-examine the Founding generation and replace the hagiography of the Founding Fathers with something more realistic: a picture that embraces the many facets of our nation’s origins.

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction, American Revolution, Biography, Essays, American

348 pages, Hardcover

Published December 5, 2023

About the author

David Head is an historian, author, and lecturer of history at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Originally from Western New York, he received his B.A. in history from Niagara University and his Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.

Reviews

[KOMET · Rating 4 out of 5]

A REPUBLIC OF SCOUNDRELS: The Schemers, Intriguers, and Adventurers Who Created a New American Nation refutes the triumphalist version we're often taught in school of the young United States as it emerged as a republic in 1789 following the ratification of the Constitution and the election of George Washington as the first U.S. President [under the Constitution]. And that is as a nation blessed with an amazing array of selfless, exceptionally brilliant and insightful men who governed the country and led it wisely through its growing pains. Certainly, in Washington, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton, we had wise leaders who played key, vital roles in the development of the country from the revolutionary period through the 1820s. And yet, there were also corrupt, mendacious, duplicitous, crafty, and wholly self-serving men in the young United States who were determined to get as much for themselves in terms of status, wealth, land, power, and influence as they could accrue for themselves, their friends, and families.

One prime example of such a man was James Wilkinson, who, while commander of the U.S. Army in the 1790s, was also in the employ of Spain as a spy for close to 20 years! What is amazing to me is that this fact about Wilkinson was quietly whispered about by some people in the federal government. But as far as I could determine, there was never any substantial proof furnished that could establish Wilkinson's guilt. He was recognized and promoted for being the clever organizer and ingratiator that he was.

The other scoundrels cited in the book are:

William Blount (first territorial governor of Tennessee Territory and later governor of the State of Tennessee; he was also a notorious land swindler);

Matthew Lyon (a British immigrant who became a fervent Jeffersonian Republican in Congress who was unafraid to speak truth to power as he saw it - for violating the Alien & Sedition Act of 1798, he was put in jail; notwithstanding that, Lyon was re-elected to Congress);

Jason Fairbanks;

Philip Nolan;

Thomas Green;

the Kemper Brothers;

William Augustus Bowles (a Tory from MD who fought on the British side during the American Revolution and later became a self-styled Native American leader set on leading a confederation of Native American tribes in what is now parts of Louisiana, Georgia, and Northern Florida during the 1780s and 1790s);

Aaron Burr (Revolutionary War hero, Tammany Hall lawyer, rival of Alexander Hamilton, and Vice President under Thomas Jefferson);

Benedict Arnold (who, I confess, from the essay written about him in this book, led me to think that he was driven to betray the revolutionary cause and go over to the British side because he was often maligned by his fellow officers who envied him because he had considerable battlefield skills - indeed Arnold's role in the Battle of Saratoga in 1777 was key to the revolutionaries' crushing defeat of the British in that battle which convinced France to side with the United States -- militarily and economically -- to help it achieve its independence);

General Charles Lee (another British expatriate and former army officer who commanded troops under Washington - but had a knack for saying the inappropriate, impolitic things out loud, and having the hubris to think that he could be a better commander than Washington); and to me, one of the most fascinating figures profiled in this book ---

Diego de Gardoqui, a Spaniard who was an astute businessman as well as fluent English speaker, who materially aided the Americans during the Revolution on a massive scale that amazed me. (Later, as a representative of Spain in the U.S., he would intrigue against the U.S. government in support of his country's interests in what was the western frontier of the U.S. during the 1780s.)

On the whole, A Republic of Scoundrels is an interesting book to read, especially for anyone who wants a better understanding as to whom and what helped shape the United States during the first quarter century of its existence.

[Jack Phoenix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find my full review for this book in LIBRARY JOURNAL.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed bag. That's in part due to it being an edited collection of independent essays. On the other hand, the editors chose who they wanted to be writing, and even more, whom they wanted written about.

Benedict Arnold? Anybody more than a "casual fan" of US history knows his whole story of his gradual slide into treason and the disgruntlements behind that. Comes off as clickbait.

Charles Lee? Contra his essayist, he arguably DID commit treason while a POW. No, the British (mainly due to Howe's jealousy of Burgoyne) didn't accept his strategic plan, but he DID offer it. It is a mark of his weirdness that he returned to the Continental Army after being exchanged. (The author doesn't comment on his parole, if I remember correctly, restricting him from taking up arms again.)

Blount? Good. I knew a bit about him already.

Jason Fairbanks? A scoundrel, quite arguably, but had nothing to do with the creation of a new American nation.

Matthew Lyon? Fairly good, but, IMO, not a scoundrel, schemer, intriguer, etc. As with Fairbanks, but for different reasons, why is he here?

James Wilkinson? OK, perhaps pulls punches.

Philip Nolan? Refutes some myths, decent overall. Could have been longer.

Thomas Green and the Kemper Brothers? Unknown to me before, though the general scheming in the eight years between Jay's Treaty and the Louisiana Purchase is generally known to me.

William Augustus Bowles? Also unknown to me. Best chapter in the book.

Diego de Gardoqui? Not a scoundrel. No more a schemer than the typical diplomat. If he did influence the Constitutional Convention to require treaties be approved by 2/3 vote, rather than the simple majority of the Articles of Confederation, he did help create the Constitutional US.

Aaron Burr? All of the above on adjectives. By forming the northern half of the basis of the pre-Civil War Democratic Party, he did help create a new nation.

==

Also, there are people missing from this book. Per Aaron Burr's history, that list starts with Thomas Jefferson. It could, speaking of, also include Alexander Hamilton. And, what about the George Morgan who snitched on Burr?

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege of meeting the editors at a Book Talk last year. The great knowledge of Head and Hemmis, as well as of their twelve contributors, shows through the attentive detail and revealing quotes in each essay. A Republic of Scoundrels introduces traitors and would-be traitors, unscrupulus speculators, and hotheaded men of ambition. Its vignettes don't only lay bare the misdeeds of Americans, but also Spanish people and people with Native ties, giving a multifaceted view of the era. I was especially impressed with the focus on East/West regionalism, which is oft-overlooked for the later North/South sectionalism. Once or twice I found myself skimming, but that may be more an indication of the book's erudite nature and my need for a reading break than a sign of waning interest. With a consistent narrative and amused tone, the authors dive into the interconnected worlds of men whose identity as a patriot or scoundrel is up to the reader to determine. Ultimately, I think they're correctly classified as scoundrels, but I find Lyons to be the most sympathetic, his story a warning about the effects of propaganda and how a misstep on the floor of Congress was especially consequential for a man who dared to challenge the elitist philosophies of his opponents.

[David Dunlap · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of essays about early American scoundrels (as the title says, and the subtitle elaborates). Some of the 'usual suspects' are here (Benedict Arnold, James Wilkinson, Aaron Burr), but there are essays on more obscure figures as well (such as William Augustus Bowles, a would-be leader of Native American tribes in the Old Southwest, and Diego de Gardoqui, Spanish minister to the United States at the time of the Revolution and during the early Federal period). Since each chapter is written by a different person, the quality (it seems to this reader) varies from one to the next, as well as the approach. Some are discussions of the historiography and sources, while others are more strictly biographical. In the opinion of the historian/contributors each of these individuals made a significant contribution to creating the new nation, whether for good or ill. That may be debatable, to be sure, but these figures do contribute to a broader, deeper understanding of the early years of our nation...and for that reason, the book is recommended. (BTW, my favorite chapters were the ones on Arnold and Gardoqui, FWIW...)

[Mark Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A set of essays that portray famous or nearly famous people from the beginning days of the United States of America. These are not complete biographies by any stretch but rather a distillation of the person, character, and impact of persons that influenced the early days of America. It does resonate with today's politics since the ethical and moral attitudes of that day, like now, are fluid, confused, and outright denied. Benedict Arnold and Aaron Burr are revealed in a new light, at least to me. Great history book for the summer.

[Marc S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good insight into what was really happening in the early days of our country. There were definitely great leaders who believed in this new experiment called America, and they were patriotic and dedicated to establishing its success. But at the same time there were lots of men who helped establish this new country but all the while enhancing themselves. So even thought they were scoundrels, they still played a very important part in furthering the success of this new America.

[Marlys Lien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my goodness! So many scoundrels are in our US History! It was interesting to find out about them and how they were mostly focused on themselves and their financial advancement rather then improving the nation, yet many helped do just that.
It is also scary to think about how many people in our political community that are still doing this exact same thing!

We had a great book discussion about the people in this book.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of essays about the men who tried to expand the nascent United States to include all the land from Canada to the Gulf and from the Atlantic to the Mississippi. These people were not trying diplomatic solutions but rather using deception, bribery and other illegal means to achieve the goals, which often weren't the best solution for the US. An interesting read and an understanding that US politics hasn't changed much in 200 years.

[Peggye O'Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

A look at a few of the scoundrels who were around during the American Revolution and found for their own self-gain.

[Eeeps :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about early American history that I did not know. I feel like the time from 1780s-1840s (this book covers 1770s-1820s) is so undertaught in school and underdiscussed in books. This book is a compilation of essays by different authors. Each chapter is about a different American scoundrel. I liked some of the authors’ writing styles better than others. The essays and the introduction and epilogue to the book could get a bit redundant hammering home their point so much. Since this made the book kind of uneven, I rated it 4 stars instead of 5.