A multifaceted portrait of the early American republic as examined through the lens of the Burr Conspiracy explores the political and cultural forces that influenced public perception and how in spite of vague and conflicting evidence, the former Vice President was arrested and tried for treason. --Publisher

Illustrations on end papers.

Introduction -- So many stories : the circulation of information in the early republic -- A crisis in the Cabinet -- Lexington and Frankfort, Kentucky : July through December 1806 -- Guilt beyond question : the narrative of Thomas Jefferson -- The threat to the Union -- The crime on Blennerhassett Island -- The enterprise commenced : the cipher letter as a narrative -- New Orleans, Orleans Territory : November 1806 through May 1807 -- The threat to the Republic -- The arrest of Arron Burr -- Richmond, Virginia : March through October 1807 -- Who is Blennerhassett? : the narrative of William Wirt -- The conflict over Burr's followers -- A "rising" in Baltimore -- Final accounts of the Burr conspiracy -- Conclusion.