Episode 288: Tyson Reeder, Smugglers & Patriots in the 18th-Century Atlantic World

by Liz CovartNovember 10, 2020

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In what ways did the Atlantic World contribute to the American Revolution?

Empire, slavery, and constant warfare interacted with each other in the Atlantic World. Which brings us to our question: In what ways did the Atlantic World and its issues contribute to the American Revolution?

Tyson Reeder, an editor of the Papers of James Madison. an affiliated assistant professor at the University of Virginia, and the author of Smugglers, Pirates, and Patriots: Free Trade in the Age of Revolution, is a scholar of the Atlantic World, who will help us see how smuggling and trade in the Luso-Atlantic, or Portuguese-Atlantic World contributed to the development and spread of ideas about free trade and republicanism.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.

Ben Franklin’s World is a production of the Omohundro Institute.

Episode Summary

Tyson Reeder, an editor of the Papers of James Madison and an affiliated assistant professor at the University of Virginia, is a scholar of the Atlantic World, who specializes in the Luso-Atlantic or Portuguese-Atlantic World. He's also written a book on the subject, Smugglers, Pirates, and Patriots: Free Trade in the Age of Revolution.

During our investigation, Tyson reveals details about the Luso-Atlantic and who traded within the Portuguese sphere of imperial influence; Why so many British-American traders turned to smuggling as a way to trade in the Portuguese-Atlantic; And, how British-American experiences with smuggling and trade in the Portuguese-Atlantic led to the development and spread of ideas about free trade and republicanism.

What You’ll Discover

The Atlantic World
The world of the Luso-Atlantic or Portugese Atlantic
The Luso-American trade network & its management
The story of Thomas Rich and his trade within the Luso-Atlantic
Understandings of smuggling in the 18th century
Smuggling in the Portuguese Atlantic
Why smugglers smuggled
How Great Britain and Portugal viewed smuggling
Mercantilism
Ideas of mercantilism versus ideas of free trade
Great Britain’s crack down on smuggling in 1763
Sugar Act of 1764
Townshend Duties of 1767
Smuggling and the American Revolution
Whig history and the American Revolution
Impact of the American Revolution on Portuguese-American trade networks
The Brazilian fight for independence

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Time Warp Question

In your opinion, what might have happened if free trade had spread republican ideas around South America as smoothly and swiftly as Americans hoped they might spread? How might the geopolitics of South America be different today if American republicanism had caught on during the early 19th century?