Advisor | Jenks, Timothy | |
Author | Hazel, Ian | |
Date Accessioned | 2017-01-11T21:10:44Z | |
Date Available | 2019-02-26T14:23:51Z | |
Date Created | 2016-12 | |
Date of Issue | 2016-12-15 | |
xmlui.metadata.dc.date.submitted | December 2016 | |
Identifier (URI) | http://hdl.handle.net/10342/6025 | |
Description | Over the course of the long eighteenth century, Britain grew from an island nation with limited colonial holdings to a transatlantic imperial power. Because of this territorial expansion, the Royal Navy increased dramatically in size. In order to crew the increased number of ships, the ancient practice of impressment — forcing sailors and other maritime laborers into naval service — grew from a seasonal, occasional enterprise to a year-round, constant operation. Impressment was highly controversial, and drew criticism from some members of society, as well as resistance from seamen. This thesis uses long-form primary source documents, such as pamphlets, letters, and memoirs, to reassess the historiographical record and demonstrate that modern authors have created a falsely unambiguous perspective on the practice. Instead, contemporary responses were incredibly nuanced, with sailors, officers, and upper-class members of society all showing complex reactions to the practice. | |
Mimetype | application/pdf | |
Language | en | |
Publisher | East Carolina University | |
Subject | Royal Navy | |
Subject | Press Gang | |
Subject | Maritime | |
Subject | Forced Labor | |
Subject | British Empire | |
Subject | Transatlantic | |
Subject | Atlantic History | |
Subject | Colonial History | |
Library of Congress Subject Headings | Great Britain--History, Naval--18th century | |
Library of Congress Subject Headings | Impressment--Great Britain--Public opinion | |
Title | Press Gang Revisited: Polarization, Nuance, and the Study of Impressment in the Royal Navy | |
Type | Master's Thesis | |
xmlui.metadata.dc.date.updated | 2017-01-11T14:33:44Z | |
Department | History | |
xmlui.metadata.dc.degree.name | M.A. | |
xmlui.metadata.dc.degree.level | Masters | |
xmlui.metadata.dc.degree.discipline | MA-Maritime Studies | |
xmlui.metadata.dc.degree.grantor | East Carolina University | |
xmlui.metadata.dc.degree.department | History | |
xmlui.metadata.dc.access.option | Restricted Campus Access Only | |
xmlui.metadata.dc.embargo.lift | 2019-01-11 | |
xmlui.metadata.dc.type.material | text | |