Empire Ablaze: The American Revolution and the Atlantic Working Class

In 1776, while Britain wages war on American rebels, one man sets out to bring the empire down from within

As revolution raged in North America, James Aitken – house painter, highwayman, and escaped indentured servant – wandered the colonies formulating a dramatic plan to cripple the British navy by destroying Portsmouth dockyard and Bristol harbour. He was determined to burn down the empire to hasten American independence.

Through this overlooked story of British insurrection and America’s f...