Crimes Against the State: Sedition, Rebellion, and Treason Since America's Founding

This work provides an authoritative survey of America's long and turbulent history of rebellion, sedition, and treason against government authority and institutions.

Crimes against the State is an even-handed and illuminating one-stop resource for understanding acts of rebellion and sedition against government authorities and institutions throughout US history, as well as the motivations driving those actions. Special care is taken to differentiate between hostile acts and actors that seek to overthrow or otherwise damage the state and/or targeted demographic groups through violence and acts and actors that seek to defy, reform, or improve laws and institutions of the state through nonviolent action.

Within these pages, readers will 1) learn how to differentiate between sedition, insurrection, treason, domestic terrorism, espionage, and other acts meant to injure or overthrow the government; 2) gain a deeper understanding of laws, policies, and events that have aroused violent or nonviolent opposition; 3) gain insights into perspectives and motivations of individuals and organizations; and 4) learn about state responses to these challenges and threats, from martial law to criminal prosecutions to new laws and reforms.


About the Author

James Beckman, JD, LLM, is Professor of Legal Studies at the University of Central Florida, USA

Eric Merriam, JD, LLM, is Associate Professor at the University of Central Florida, USA, where he is appointed jointly to the legal studies department and the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs.