Arsonist: The Most Dangerous Man in America

by Nathan Allen

In this landmark work of history, Arsonist reveals the secret role of one man who challenged the foundations of feudalism and instigated the American Revolution.James Otis was disgusted by the anti-democratic feudal structure of society and threatened to set it all “in a flame” though, he confessed, he too would likely be consumed in the fire. By the winter of 1760, this provincial bourgeoisie, one of the wealthiest and most intelligent men in the British colonies, had become fully radicalized. That his words – a promise and a prophecy – came to full fruition and his predictions about the province and his own life were entirely accurate would be unbelievable if it didn’t actually happen.After an analysis of colonial political, social, legal and religious evolution prior to Otis’s threat, Arsonist provides a detailed, lively illumination of the issues and personalities involved in overthrowing the local government of the world’s greatest empire. A group of largely forgotten men – Otis, Sam Adams, Oxenbridge Thatcher, Jonathan Mayhew, Thomas Cushing, Patrick Henry – conceived the new country, after which men such as Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton midwifed it. The conception of the new nation, so vital yet so ignored, occurred in the violent though fertile grounds of Boston and Virginia in the 1760s. And no one was so instrumental to that conception as James Otis, Jr., the forgotten infantry soldier who made the general’s glory possible.

Genres: Nonfiction, American History, American Revolution

516 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 4, 2011

Reviews

[Lyle A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the kick I needed to realize that the Revolution started way before the Boston Tea Party. It is not an easy read - as words are misspelled (in today's standards) - as well as the different style of writing from the period. I have since purchased several other books on James Otis Jr - trying to fill out the information in this book. Apparently after James was beaten - he had brain damage - and started to destroy his written documents - he eventually was killed by a lightening bolt at his sisters farm. The life of this man and family was a progression of the need for the United States to come into being.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of a brilliant man who started the colonies thinking about liberty. This was at times fascinating and also a bit heavy in the writing, but worth the read.