Among the Powers of the Earth: The American Revolution and the Making of a New World Empire

343 Pages·2012·4.21 MB·English

by  Eliga H. Gould

Among the Powers of the Earth

Among the Powers
of the Earth
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND THE
MAKING OF A NEW WORLD EMPIRE
Eliga H. Gould
Harvard University Press
Cambridge, Massachusetts • London, En gland
2012
Copyright © 2012 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Gould, Eliga H.
Among the powers of the earth : the American Revolution and the making of a new world
empire / Eliga H. Gould.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978- 0- 674- 04608- 5 (alk. paper)
1. United States— Foreign relations—1775– 1783. 2. United States— Foreign relations—
1783– 1815. 3. United States— International status— History. 4. United States—
History—Revolution, 1775– 1783—Infl uence. 5. United States— Territorial
expansion. I. Title.
E249.G68 2012
973.3'2—dc23 2011035333
For Nicky,
always

Contents
Introduction: A Nation among Nations 1
1 On the Margins of Eu rope 14
2 The Law of Slavery 48
3 Pax Britannica 79
4 In de pen dence 111
5 A Slaveholding Republic 145
6 The New World and the Old 178
Epilogue: Mr. Monroe’s Peace 210
Notes 221
Ac know ledg ments 285
Index 289

Hudson
Bay E
C
GRANT TO N
A
HUDSON’S BAY COMPANY R Newfoundland
Fort Albany Fort RupertNEW F StLawreMncIe’KMAQMBaisnians Louisbourg
Halifax
KLAMAYTUHMSAS ATHABASSCoCloArHaNdoS O SMAiPHssNCAouOACrOMPiAHVlCAarAECtkNFatNRaeHoCnOnHaWrOsdEtaSSEi saSnLtM SCOishsSoauIOrUrUilXesIDSRAALeIGdKOANOMQisTNsUissIiLApN.pFiSASSoMiussFrispstioeFp rpiAirootrrr Mtk.LMichi gaaCnVinOchiTnshaDTaciArlestWeirmLtnAe.rHSanosurcoeintksinacIFRCQoMOFruQoBtoOe UrDnStbOR tuaNerICLSqvecihauRaIaOanegliTcrnsaPlhnaerNhImaNehsiAlSBtoaeEoINndwAnHKEIdeSB YlpoSohsBritkaaoynP Aoof FrTtu nRdLoyyAalNTIC
O V Mobile CREEKS OCEAN
FNEICER Rio Grande Gulf oNf eMw eOxrliecaons FSElMoINr(OiSLdEpSSa)t AugusBtianheamas(Br) Puerto Rico
W O Cuba (Sp)
Y (Sp)
PACIFIC S A
OCEAN P LT St Domingue
AI Y Jamaica (Fr)
N (Br)
Belize(Br)
North America and West Indies Mosquito
ca. 1754 Coast(Br)
British
French VICEROYALTY
Spanish OF NEW
GRANADA
disputed territory (Sp)