Privateering, Boycotts, and the Slave Trade in the Declaration of Independence
Fri Feb 06 2026
"He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people."
In this episode, we explore Grievance #24 in the Declaration of Independence, which condemns the British practice of privateering amongst other things.
Topics include the following:
-the destruction of Norfolk and Falmouth--the towns alluded to in Grievance #24
-the legal differences between official action by navies and semi-official actions by privateers
-the massacre of enslaved people on the Zong (aka the Zorg)
-the diversity of seafarers in the 18th century
-the Continental Association of 1774, signed by all of the original 13 Colonies except for Georgia, which boycotted goods from Britain and British colonies that did not join
-the politics and practicalities of boycotts on products and shipping, including the repackaging of goods to falsify their origins
-the origins of the first American privateers and the Continental Navy as well as the individual State navies
-privateering, slavery, and the slave trade
More
"He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people." In this episode, we explore Grievance #24 in the Declaration of Independence, which condemns the British practice of privateering amongst other things. Topics include the following: -the destruction of Norfolk and Falmouth--the towns alluded to in Grievance #24 -the legal differences between official action by navies and semi-official actions by privateers -the massacre of enslaved people on the Zong (aka the Zorg) -the diversity of seafarers in the 18th century -the Continental Association of 1774, signed by all of the original 13 Colonies except for Georgia, which boycotted goods from Britain and British colonies that did not join -the politics and practicalities of boycotts on products and shipping, including the repackaging of goods to falsify their origins -the origins of the first American privateers and the Continental Navy as well as the individual State navies -privateering, slavery, and the slave trade