2022-2023 Academic Catalog

Dec 30, 2024

2022-2023 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

HIST 191 - Pirates and Smugglers in the Atlantic World

This course examines piracy and its cousin, privateering - - vital weapons of the latecomers in the Atlantic world. The French, English, and Dutch relentlessly targeted Iberian ships, hoping to harm the enemy and receive a share of the riches shipped from the New World. Privateering was also successfully practiced by the Barbary states of North Africa, which captured many European ships and enslaved their crews. In Atlantic waters, especially the Caribbean, the scope for both piracy and smuggling was much wider than in Europe. Even more pervasive than piracy, smuggling was initially an alternative way for the northern Europeans to get hold of American crops and precious metals. Eventually, it gave rise to a distinct way of life in vast parts of the Americas.

Anticipated Terms Offered: Offered biannually