Date

1-14-2026

Department

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)

Chair

Mark Feld

Keywords

espionage, spying, American Revolution, George Washington, Nathan Hale

Disciplines

History

Abstract

This dissertation attempts to analyze the line between a government that can create security for its constituents, while also protecting their rights. It is an attempt to understand this schism by looking at the American Revolution and the role of spying in all of it. It aims to establish the role of spying in this narrative by first looking at the role of espionage in the ranks of the British government. The research attempts to look at how spying affected the American Revolution, how colonists lost their civil liberties because of spying, and the how spying played a future role in the United States. This was done by analyzing primary source documents such as public archives, diaries, and mostly letters. Secondary sources largely included online articles and academic books. The culmination in this research revealed that spying greatly influenced the decisions each military made, while also leading to a loss of rights for the colonists. Colonists largely lost their rights through the quartering of troops, the burning of private property, and established checkpoints. Finally, the research shows that espionage became interwoven into the fabric of the United States by the federal government neglecting civil liberties for the sake of maintaining safety. In conclusion, this dissertation looks to establish how certain levels of safety cannot be maintained without trampling civil rights through the monitoring and enforcement of a government’s citizens.

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