The First Fleets: Colonial Navies of the British Atlantic World, 1630-1775

by Benjamin C. Schaffer Narrated by Rick Adamson

Overview

In The First Fleets, Benjamin C. Schaffer reveals how, contrary to widespread beliefs, the American colonies had a long tradition of independent naval defense decades before the Revolution. He demonstrates that Anglo-American governments established and maintained significant provincial naval forces and that the history of provincial navies illuminates broader aspects of colonial history and the colonies' ultimate break with the British Crown. Based on meticulous research, Schaffer recounts the sea-borne threats that American colonies faced from the French, Spanish, pirates, and others. He reviews colonial governance and the relationships between colonial governments and Great Britain. Highlighting Britain's scant naval power in North America, Schaffer demonstrates how the vulnerable coastal colonies undertook their own self-defense.



Schaffer's study offers many fascinating episodes from colonial history. Establishing a navy was controversial in pacifist-minded, Quaker-dominated Pennsylvania. South Carolina deployed its scout-boat navy to pursue enslaved Africans who fled colonial capture. The first paper money issued in North America was an initiative to pay for a naval expedition against French Quebec. These and other episodes show the intimate connection between these little-known provincial navies and the major sociopolitical developments of their day.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"The First Fleets is one of the most original topics in naval history I’ve seen in a decade. Schaffer's narrative flows in such a way to make it approachable and appealing to a broader audience." —Claude Berube, author of On Wide Seas: The US Navy in the Jacksonian Era

“The First Fleets is a model for writing maritime history. Schaffer connects us not with stories of yard arms and tar barrels, but with social, economic, and political history. . . . It is thoroughly researched, beautifully written, interesting and engaging on every page, and on an important and previously unexplored topic.” —Robert J. Allison, author of The American Revolution: A Concise History

"The First Fleets tells the fascinating story of one of the least studied aspects of American history:  the development of colonial navies.  Historians have long recognized the importance of colonial soldiers and land-based militias.  As Benjamin C. Schaffer reminds us, colonial governments built and manned provincial warships on the high seas.  In the process, they created the infrastructure and skills that state and Continental navies used to help Americans win their independence from Britain.  Beautifully written and meticulously researched, this book should be required reading for anyone interested in the military history of early America."
—Eliga H. Gould, University of New Hampshire

Product Details

BN ID:	2940194623044
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	05/15/2025
Edition description:	Unabridged

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