Ben Franklin's World BFW Revisited: Smuggling and the American Revolution
Dec 23, 2025
Join Fabrizio Prado, a specialist in Atlantic networks, Christian Coate, an expert on Anglo-Dutch trade, and historian Vim Kloster, as they unravel the intriguing world of smuggling during the American Revolution. They discuss how St. Eustatius emerged as a bustling smuggling hub, allowing American merchants to subvert British trade regulations. The trio explores the political implications of smuggling, revealing how these illicit networks were pivotal in shaping revolutionary sentiment and economic self-determination. Don't miss the dramatic tales of conflict that followed!
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A Multipolar Atlantic Undermined Mercantilism
- The 18th-century Atlantic was a multipolar, crowded trading space with many competing European empires.
- Mercantilist prescriptions often failed on the ground because colonial needs and local networks overrode metropolitan rules.
Mercantilism Was More Ideal Than Reality
- Mercantilism aimed to secure metropolitan advantage by restricting colonial trade to the mother country.
- In practice these policies were prescriptive ideals that often proved inefficient and costly for colonists.
Local Networks Defeated Imperial Controls
- Empires attempted to police trade with laws and bureaucrats but lacked enforcement reach in distant colonies.
- Local elites and networks routinely circumvented rules through practices like emergency landings and familial merchant ties.