2015/01/01 by Sarah Marie Vlasity · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #American Constitutional Law and Politics
paper · pdf · doi:10.21220/s2-7ds9-mj55
openalex publication_date 2015/01/01 · openalex created_date 2020/06/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
As a free port situated in the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, the Dutch colony of St. Eustatius prospered a s an entrepot in the late eighteenth century.At its height, this tiny island of eight square miles w elcom ed an average of eight ships per day into its roadstead.The lucrative exch an ge of both go o d s and information on the island proved essential to America's prosecution of the Revolutionary War.Drawing on expansive commercial networks which linked the United States to Europe via the Caribbean, C ongress secured greatly n eed ed military stores for the Continental forces.A s evidenced in part by the sizable network of Philadelphia businessm an Robert Morris, th ese commercial contacts supplied the arms and ammunition n ecessary to prevent the early defeat of W ashington's army.The channels opened by St. Eustatius also facilitated diplomatic communication betw een America and potential European supporters as indicated by the efforts of Charles Dumas, C ongress' advocate at The Hague.His reports allowed the United States to monitor the volatile relationship betw een Britain and the Dutch Republic while providing C ongress a m eans to promote the American cau se in Europe.Commercial dispu tes betw een Britain and the Dutch Republic culminated with the sack of St. Eustatius by Admiral G eorge Rodney in 1781.Papers seized from resident merchants illustrate the nature and extent of the island's trade network.The perspective of a British businessm an, Richard Downing Jennings, provides further evidence of advantageous connections by showing St. Eustatius w as a nucleus of an international information exchange.A s an intermediary betw een the United States and Europe, St. Eustatius and the greater Caribbean proved to be essential to American independence.The g ood s and intelligence procured through its networks enabled the United States to prolong and expand the war against Britain.