Maritime Histories, Oceanic Histories, and the Making of Modern America
Maritime and oceanic histories are key components in the study of blue history. Maritime and oceanic histories explore how oceans, seas and other large water bodies have historically influenced the development of society through exploration, trade, warfare, colonization and migration. They speak on the emergence of sea power and maritime societies, emphasizing how water resources have influenced society development, cultural exchange, and environmental transformation over time. Rozwadowski 2013 underscores ocean history as a telling example of the great human influence on marine ecosystems and suggests for an expanded historical approach to include the ocean’s environmental, cultural, and technological aspects. In another work, Rozwadowski 2018 also provides a comprehensive history of the ocean by exploring its complex relationships with human societies and how the nature of these interactions has changed over time. Po 2018 offers an informative work that explores the active engagement of the Qing Empire in maritime affairs during the 18th century, a view which challenges the conventional presentation of the Qing as solely a continental power. Sivasundaram, Bashford, and Armitage 2017 illustrate how different oceans and seas are historically and materially entangled, even when physically distant, as witnessed in the connection between the Arctic and Southern Oceans. Focusing on the ocean and its ecosystem, Roberts 2007 introduces his book as a historical account on how commercial fishing, which dates as far back as the eleventh century, has drastically altered the life and ecosystems in the ocean, focusing on the impact of overfishing and the exploitation of the ocean that often goes unnoticed.
In relation to maritime and oceanic histories, the Atlantic Ocean helps in understanding the historical dynamics in the relationships between humans and oceans. Armitage 2017 contends that Atlantic history needs to move beyond its traditional frameworks that treat the Atlantic as a distinct space to a more integrated approach. Extending the scope to include the Pacific, Igler 2017 explores the transformative impacts of commercial, cultural, and ecological upheavals in the eastern Pacific from the 1770s to the 1840s, following encounters between voyagers, traders, and Indigenous communities.
The history of oceanic crossings and interactions has played an important role in facilitating the development of American society and global connections. With its extensive coastlines and access to major oceans, America occupies a significant geographic position, making it a key player in both maritime and naval histories. Marcilhacy 2022 discusses the influence of geopolitical shifts toward the development of Latin America in the early 20th century, especially following World War I and the opening of the Panama Canal, which reinforced the dominance of the United States in the region. White 2017 investigates the significant role of climate in early European exploration and colonization of North America, especially during the period of the Little Ice Age.
Books
In this chapter, Armitage outlines the evolution of Atlantic history from a fragmented study of regional histories to a unified analysis that emphasizes transnational exchanges and mobility. He introduces three new concepts, they are infra-Atlantic, sub-Atlantic, and extra-Atlantic history, to enhance the field, addressing their connections with local and global histories.
Igler elaborates on the transformative period in the eastern Pacific from the 1770s to the 1840s, focusing on the repercussions of James Cook’s voyages. Igler uses a diverse range of documented voyages, some were detailed by participants, and others were reconstructed through archaeological evidence or Indigenous accounts. He uses these data to illustrate the complex interactions between voyagers, traders, hunters, and Indigenous communities during this era.
This work argues that by the end of the century, the Qing Empire was increasingly capable of wielding influence over maritime spaces. In this book, Po places Qing maritime activities within the larger context of early global trade networks and frontier studies as a significant maritime power in early modern history.
In this work, Roberts takes the readers through early days of whaling and seal hunting to modern high-seas fishing. This reveals how each era has contributed to the depletion of marine resources, and paves the way for current environmental concerns.
Rozwadowski attempts to emphasize the integral role of the ocean in human history. It supports an ocean-centric perspective that embraces both the physical and cultural aspects of the sea. It also details how human activities have shaped and been reshaped by the ocean throughout time through examining various interactions with the ocean, from ancient practices to modern industrial uses through various interactions with the ocean, from the traditional to the contemporary industrial ones.
This introductory piece affirms that oceanic histories complicate the traditional narrative of world history narratives by focusing on the interconnectedness of oceans and human experiences. It critiques the dominant Eurocentric and nationalistic frameworks and advocates for a more nuanced approach to study maritime spaces with a focus on trans-local and environmental concerns.
This book reveals how extreme weather influenced the successes and failures of settlements in regions that are now known as the United States and Canada. In doing so, it calls attention to the “barbarous years” of colonial history that often goes ignored, characterized by violence, disease, and survival struggles. White stresses that the knowledge about this period is pertinent, as it portrays a complicated past that illuminates the entanglement between extreme climates and human survival.
Articles
Marcilhacy, David. 2022. “1914, Between Two Oceans, Between Two Empires: A Turning Point for Latin America.” National Identities 24(1): 21–37.
In response to United States expansionism, Latin American intellectuals engaged in anti-imperialist discourse, and demanded cultural autonomy as well as regional unity to counter the threat of foreign hegemony. It was during this period that pan-nationalism and a cultural renaissance began to rise as thinkers started embracing new ideas stirred by revolutions in Mexico and Russia.
Rozwadowski, Helen M. 2013. “The Promise of Ocean History for Environmental History.” The Journal of American History 100(1): 136–139.
This short article explains the impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems. It deals with oceanic environmental problems, such as climate change, overfishing, and seabed damage, which have been given less attention in the past compared to land-based concerns, but are now receiving more attention. The article argues for the expansion of historical research to include the complex aspects of culture, technology, and the environment associated with the ocean.