Meet James Aitken, Patriot Sympathizer and Dockyard Incendiarist

Opposition to the British crown began years before the battles of the American Revolutionary War broke out in the Thirteen Colonies, and that opposition took many forms, like riots and boycotts. A Scotsman named James Aitken sympathized with the rebels, and stood by them by setting British dockyards on fire – if the Royal Navy didn't have any ships, then England couldn't go to war with the colonies, he believed. Let's talk about who James was, and how he wanted to be an American hero.

Executive Producers: Maria Trimarchi and Holly Frey

Producer & Editor: Casby Bias

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.