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Cover image of Hurricanes and Society in the British Greater Caribbean, 1624–1783
Cover image of Hurricanes and Society in the British Greater Caribbean, 1624–1783
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Hurricanes and Society in the British Greater Caribbean, 1624–1783

Matthew Mulcahy

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Hurricanes created unique challenges for the colonists in the British Greater Caribbean during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These storms were entirely new to European settlers and quickly became the most feared part of their physical environment, destroying staple crops and provisions, leveling plantations and towns, disrupting shipping and trade, and resulting in major economic losses for planters and widespread privation for slaves.

In this study, Matthew Mulcahy examines how colonists made sense of hurricanes, how they recovered from them, and the role of the storms in shaping...

Hurricanes created unique challenges for the colonists in the British Greater Caribbean during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These storms were entirely new to European settlers and quickly became the most feared part of their physical environment, destroying staple crops and provisions, leveling plantations and towns, disrupting shipping and trade, and resulting in major economic losses for planters and widespread privation for slaves.

In this study, Matthew Mulcahy examines how colonists made sense of hurricanes, how they recovered from them, and the role of the storms in shaping the development of the region's colonial settlements. Hurricanes and Society in the British Greater Caribbean, 1624–1783 provides a useful new perspective on several topics including colonial science, the plantation economy, slavery, and public and private charity. By integrating the West Indies into the larger story of British Atlantic colonization, Mulcahy's work contributes to early American history, Atlantic history, environmental history, and the growing field of disaster studies.

Reviews

Reviews

A rich and engaging study. Readers of Hurricanes and Society in the British Greater Caribbean will add hurricanes to the list of characteristics that define the early modern Caribbean: sugar, slavery, disease, war.

An innovative, polished, crisply written book that will peak the interest of scholars even as it appeals to some educated general readers.

In this lucidly written and cogently organized monograph, [Mulcahy] argues that the destruction wrought by hurricanes only acquires meaning in the context of the community that experienced it... A wonderful read and a stimulating piece of scholarship.

A thoughtful consideration of all sorts of issues at the heart of early British American history.

Will reward almost any reader. Scholars interested in Barbados, Jamaica, or South Carolina will want to have it on their bookshelves.

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About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
272
ISBN
9780801890796
Illustration Description
4 halftones, 1 line drawing
Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction: Melancholy and Fatal Calamities
1. Encountering Hurricanes
2. "A Conspiracy of the Winds"
3. Weathering the Storms
4. Chaotic and Scarce Times
5. Building for Disaster
6

Acknowledgments
Introduction: Melancholy and Fatal Calamities
1. Encountering Hurricanes
2. "A Conspiracy of the Winds"
3. Weathering the Storms
4. Chaotic and Scarce Times
5. Building for Disaster
6. Sympathy in Distress
7. The Politics of Public Relief
Conclusion: Beyond 1783
Appendix
Notes
Essay on Sources
Index

Author Bio
Featured Contributor

Matthew Mulcahy

Matthew Mulcahy is associate professor and chair of the history department at Loyola College in Maryland.
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