Shout Treason: the Trial of Aaron Burr

The most famous trial of the early republic began when the nation turned on its own former Vice President. In 1807, Aaron Burr stood accused of treason, scheming to tear the western territories from the Union and crown himself king of a new republic. President Thomas Jefferson, his former running mate turned mortal enemy, pursued the case with naked political fury. Chief Justice John Marshall presided over a trial that would define the meaning of treason for America forever. This is the gripping account of that courtroom battle, of witnesses who lied, evidence that vanished, and the impossible verdict that finally came. For anyone who believes the American experiment was always a gamble with power, this book reveals the first great Constitutional crisis and the man caught in its center.