The Spirit of Maritime Revolution: Americans in the Sea Services, 1775-1783
About this Event
The British government called American Revolutionary sailors pirates and charged them with treason. George Washington called some of them rascals. One sailor described himself as having “the spirit of revolution.” Many were white, some were Black; some were young, some were old. Some came from the wealthiest merchant families in their states; others were all but destitute. But they all went to sea as sailors fighting against Great Britain. Why did they do it? In this talk, we’ll look at where American Revolutionary sailors came from, what motivated them to go to sea, and what happened to them during their service. We’ll talk about the many ways these men could serve at sea, whether in the Continental Navy, the state navies, or privateers. And in the end we’ll discuss what happened to these men once they got off their ships, either imprisoned by the British after being captured, or discharged from their ship as the Continental Navy was sold off bit by bit.
About the speaker:
Dr. Abigail Mullen is an Assistant Professor of Naval History at the U.S. Naval Academy. She earned a PhD in history from Northeastern University in 2017. Her book, looks at how the United States attempted to integrate into the Mediterranean community while fighting against Tripoli.
There will be a special reception immediately after the talk to celebrate the installation of new signage in the graveyard!
Learn more about the historic graveyard at Old Pine at oldpineconservancy.org
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
