Mariners, Merchants, and Colonists in Seventeenth-Century English America

April Lee Hatfield 

Seamen, ship masters, and merchants created networks that allowed North American and Caribbean colonists to live in worlds extending far beyond their individual colonies. Through commercial exchanges, temporary employment, informal socializing, and participation in legal proceedings, mariners became enmeshed in local societies. The time required for lading and repairing ships and awaiting favorable weather often forced long stays in particular locales, facilitating the formation of economic and personal relationships between mariners and colonists. In seventeenth-century English American societies commonly pressed for labor, sailors easily participated in local economies, particularly through activities relating to preparation of their ships' cargoes. During ships' lading periods, taverns and the ships themselves became centers of social interaction and information exchange between mariners and residents. Ships' movements thereby created networks connecting residents of the Atlantic world to one another mentally as well as economically.

[WP # 99013]