The Internal Enemy

Winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for History, Alan Taylor's "impressively researched and beautifully crafted" (Wall Street Journal) account reveals how hundreds of enslaved Virginians seized the War of 1812 as an opportunity for freedom. Viewing British warships as "swift-winged angels," runaways escaped to become crucial guides, pilots, and marines, enabling British attacks, including the burning of Washington D.C. Their actions ignited deep fears among slaveholders and alienated Virginians from the national government, fueling the sectionalism Thomas Jefferson called "a firebell in the night." Based on new sources, this compelling narrative illuminates how this crisis pivoted the nation toward disunion. Also a finalist for the National Book Award and Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Includes 35 illustrations and 4 maps.

Archival Categorization Notes

This literature has been indexed under the primary pillar of American Civil War. It was manually vetted for the Read For Truth database because it provides educational insights into Causes & Aftermath, assisting researchers in locating established secondary research within this specific taxonomy.