Lecture: Nantucket Quakers, Wales and the Revolutionary Wars with Richard Allen

In a recent article, it was argued that the American Revolutionary Wars not only saw a shift in mid-Atlantic politics but also occasioned a transformation in the economic networks that had existed from the opening up of the American colonies in the seventeenth century. Specific attention was drawn to the Nantucket Quaker whalers whose determination to carry on their trade while attempting to maintain neutrality led to the sequestration of their goods and ships, occupation of their homes, and ultimately a repositioning of their industry. This paper rehearses some of those arguments and develops the deep levels of negotiation between the American, British, and French governments, and the Nantucketers, especially the Rotch family who relocated to Dunkerque and others who settled in Milford Haven, West Wales.