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Trade and Privateering in Spanish Florida, 1732–1763
An important study of the First Spanish Period in Florida’s history
Trade and Privateering examines the illegal yet highly profitable and mutually beneficial trade between Spanish Florida and the English colonies on the eastern seaboard in the mid-18th century. In St. Augustine, the arrival of subsidies from Spain was erratic, causing shortages of food and supplies, so authorities ignored the restrictions on trade with foreign colonies and welcomed British goods. Likewise, the British colonists sought Spanish products from Florida, especially oranges.
But when England and Spain became declared enemies in the War of Jenkins’ Ear and the French and Indian Wars, this tacit trade arrangement was threatened, and the result was a rise of privateering in the region. Rather than do without Spanish goods, the English began to attack and capture Spanish vessels with their cargoes at sea. Likewise, the Spaniards resorted to privateering as a means of steadily supplying the Florida colony. Harman concludes that, both willingly and unwillingly, the English colonies helped their Spanish neighbor to sustain its position in the Southeast.
Trade and Privateering examines the illegal yet highly profitable and mutually beneficial trade between Spanish Florida and the English colonies on the eastern seaboard in the mid-18th century. In St. Augustine, the arrival of subsidies from Spain was erratic, causing shortages of food and supplies, so authorities ignored the restrictions on trade with foreign colonies and welcomed British goods. Likewise, the British colonists sought Spanish products from Florida, especially oranges.
But when England and Spain became declared enemies in the War of Jenkins’ Ear and the French and Indian Wars, this tacit trade arrangement was threatened, and the result was a rise of privateering in the region. Rather than do without Spanish goods, the English began to attack and capture Spanish vessels with their cargoes at sea. Likewise, the Spaniards resorted to privateering as a means of steadily supplying the Florida colony. Harman concludes that, both willingly and unwillingly, the English colonies helped their Spanish neighbor to sustain its position in the Southeast.
130 pages, Paperback
First published April 12, 2004
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August 10, 2011
Originally published in 1969, Harman documents the Second Spanish Period in Florida, apparently a subject skipped by many historians. She documents the history of privateers and the illicit trade that sprung up between the English colonies of South Carolina and New York, and the Spanish outpost of Saint Augustine, Florida. Despite interruptions from war and distrust over uneasy peaces, merchants made regular trips to and from Saint Augustine, providing much needed food and supplies for the fort and bringing back oranges, gold and silver in return. Harman demonstrates how desperate the Florida colony was, due to unreliable subsidies from the Spanish crown, and illustrates how the mercantilism system simply did not work, especially for colonies who were so far from their European governments. It is an intriguing era, one with its own dashing set of characters, though the material is very much academic and straight-forward.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review