The Alchemy of the Self: Stephen Burroughs and the Counterfeit Economy of the Early Republic

Type of resource
Author/collaborator
Title
The Alchemy of the Self: Stephen Burroughs and the Counterfeit Economy of the Early Republic
Abstract
The New Hampshire-born Stephen Burroughs (1765-1840) was considered one of the most notorious criminals in the United States in the early nineteenth century. A renowned counterfeiter of paper money and confidence man, he joined the army at 14, but deserted shortly afterwards and entered Dartmouth College. He left school before completing his studies and went to sea as a privateer, then posed as a ship’s physician. Returning to land, he took up teaching, assumed the duties of a Congregational minister in Massachusetts, and then was arrested for counterfeiting. He escaped jail by burning it down, was recaptured and imprisoned at Castle Rock, Boston Harbour. By 1833, Burroughs had moved to Trois-Rivières, where he is said to have led a counterfeiting ring. However, shortly after his arrival in Canada, he converted to Roman Catholicism and retired to a life of teaching. He died in Trois-Rivières in 1840.
Publication
Early American Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal
Volume
Vol. 2
Issue
no. 1
Pages
123-159
Date
2004
Language
en
Citation
Mihm, Stephen. “The Alchemy of the Self: Stephen Burroughs and the Counterfeit Economy of the Early Republic.” Early American Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal Vol. 2, no. 1 (2004): 123–159.
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