Quaker! Whaler! Traitor? Spy? -- The Revolutionary-Era Trials of New Bedford's William Rotch
A hybrid Live/Zoom History Dept. event hosted by Lauren Pothier (Rotch Jones Duff House Museum) and featuring Dr. Sarah Crabtree (San Francisco State University), who will be presenting material from her just-released graphic novel about New Bedford's William Rotch, a Quaker merchant and whaler who was persecuted and put on trial for treason in Revolutionary-era America. Refreshments served.
Accused of treason four times by three governments, William Rotch led a harrowing life. A Quaker merchant in an age of revolution, he refused to fight for either independence or empire. To governments and neighbors, his pacifism looked like treachery. Forced to flee from Nantucket to France to Britain and back again, Rotch and his family were subjected to looting, blacklisting, inquisitions, and the threats of imprisonment and execution for unswerving adherence to their pacifist principles.
Rotch, however, was also a beneficiary of these turbulent years. Drawing on fresh archival research, Dr. Crabtree reveals how Rotch turned revolutionary upheaval to his advantage. He used his whaling ships to dodge national borders, claim multiple residences, and play rival governments against one another, building a vast fortune even as he faced trial after trial for his supposed disloyalty. Beginning with the Boston Tea Party (when his family's ships carried the infamous cargo), Rotch's story illuminates the contested ideals of freedom, capitalism, and conscience in the Revolutionary Atlantic world.
Dr. Crabtree uses the comic/graphic novel form to tell Rotch's remarkable story from all angles, showing how different sources paint his character in different lights. Through striking visuals and careful storytelling, this graphic history invites listeners to question how history gets made and how we ought to reconcile seemingly contradictory narratives.
Zoom link for anyone who cannot attend live:
Topic: Dr. Crabtree Lecture @ UMASS
Time: Apr 1, 2026 04:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87632618445
Meeting ID: 876 3261 8445
MacLean Campus Center 007, with Zoom link for remote attendees
Carol Hansen
5089998301
chansen1@umassd.edu
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87632618445