OSUIT’s Dr. Cynthia Hatch writing book on colonial courts and the road to the American Revolution

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Media Contact: Hicham Raache | Communications Coordinator | 918-293-4678 | hicham.raache@okstate.edu

Dr. Cynthia Hatch, a social sciences professor at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology, is shedding new light on the buildup to the American Revolution in her upcoming book, the first of her budding literary career.

Hatch’s historical work, Enablers of Rebellion: The Colonial Court System and the Road to the American Revolution, will be released in early 2027. It will be published by Savas Beatie, a California-based publishing house that develops original military and general history manuscripts. Enablers of Rebellion looks closely at the role the colonial court system played in the buildup to the American Revolution, and anticipation is growing for the book’s release.

She is gaining accolades and honors for her scholarly work. She was recently elected as an Associate Fellow for the Royal Historical Society in London.

“Professionally, being elected as an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society is a meaningful recognition of my scholarship and contributions to the field of History by a highly respected international organization known for its rigorous standards,” Hatch said. “On a personal level, the honor makes the long hours of research, writing, and teaching feel worthwhile and serves as a reminder that I am moving in the right direction as a scholar and educator.”

Hatch was featured last November on the Revolution 250 podcast, hosted by Professor Robert Allison. She and Allison discussed the subject of her book: the pivotal role colonial courts, local magistrates, sheriffs and justices of the peace played in the colonies in the decades prior to the revolution. Hatch met Jonathan Lane, the show’s producer, and Allison last summer.

“They've been so supportive of my work, and it was great to be able to have that dialogue with Bob and kind of explore those topics of my book with him,” she said.

Her book covers the Pine Tree Riot in April of 1772, the burning of the HMS Gaspee in Rhode Island in June of 1772 and then the raid on Fort William and Mary in December of 1774. She said the burning of the Gaspee is probably the most well-known of the three events.

Enablers of Rebellion explores the legal fallout of those pivotal events.

“There's definitely some scholarly work on it, but not on the legal end. It's more about resistance and revolution rather than looking at the end result of the court system and how it failed,” Hatch said.

Hatch began conducting research for the book around eight years ago. She had not yet determined the focus of the book when she began her research. She said the role of colonial courts in the American Revolution organically became her focus during the research process.

She was initially focused on the Pine Tree Riot, for which there was a lack of scholarly information.

“And every time I went to go research it, I just felt like there has to be more. ‘What am I missing?’ And then that led me to the Gaspee. And then eventually, there's this other event with the raid of Fort William and Mary that as a student of history, I just was not familiar with. It kind of sounded familiar, but I didn’t know much about it. I couldn't speak intelligently on it,” Hatch said. “When you start researching around the topic, all sorts of open doors occurred. And that really kind of led me on this path of the continuity that existed in the [colonial] legal system that just seemed to fail.”

Hatch conducted her research in Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and other areas where the actual history transpired. She scoured archives and studied authentic colonial era documents.

“You're flipping through these pages that are from 1772 and it's just remarkable,” she said.

Hatch’s research was warmly welcomed.

“The lead archivist had never had anybody academically come in and research [the Pine Tree Riot]. Lots of family historians and stuff [had done research], and that's wonderful, but nobody on a really academic level. He was really excited about that, and he's been wonderful to work with,” Hatch said.

Hatch’s research encountered complications during the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused some of the archive repositories in Rhode Island to close. She pressed on and was able to complete her research in person.

“That’s probably one of the biggest benefits that I've had is being able to research on site and really immerse myself in the area and see what [those places] looked like,” she said.

Hatch gave a boat tour of Fort William and Mary, the colonial British fortress on New Castle Island at the mouth of the Piscataqua River in New Hampshire, this past summer.

“To be on the water, actually talking about it, that was super cool. And that was something that's just irreplaceable in terms of just being there and the research that kind of seeps into it. Because even though I'm talking about it, I'm seeing it from a completely different view now,” Hatch said.

The experience made the past historical events more vivid and alive for Hatch.

“I just kept thinking, ‘This is August and it's cold. I can't imagine the middle of the night in December — that sounds miserable. It gave a little bit of a different view, a different lens, which is great,” she said.

Hatch said she plans to write a second book. She is currently researching Gov. William Tryon of North Carolina and his suppression of the War of Regulation in 1771. Her research is specifically focused on the conflict’s religious dynamic and how it was the impetus of the Southern Baptist movement.

In addition to her flourishing writing career, Hatch teaches U.S. Government and History at OSUIT. She said both subjects are vital to the students’ academic and personal growth.

“Both of those topics make you a well-rounded person. You can't possibly understand what's going on in your own communities unless you know the history. You can't possibly understand how the government is run unless you understand the nuts and bolts of what's going on and how it was created,” she said.

A person cannot have a valid, informed opinion about the government and politics without knowing the history of the Constitution, according to Hatch.

“It's easy for people to make different comments about the Constitution or different elements of the government, but if you don't understand where it came from or why it exists, that argument doesn't hold water because it's not a defensible position,” she said. “So being able to take these kinds of courses in general education makes you a well-rounded individual to be able to engage in work outside of college, to be able to engage in your community, in your church, or whatever aspect you're looking at in your life. You have to know things around you.”