40: Rebels at Sea with Eric Jay Dolin

“What I really found out was that privateering, which very few people know about, during the American Revolution, was incredibly important in winning the war.” 

Welcome everyone and thanks for tuning in to episode 40 of the It Matters To Me Podcast, a show that celebrates the random through 1-on-1 conversations with people and the passions they pursue. 

Here’s a question for you: How much do you know about the American Revolution? Sure, you probably recognize the names of people like George Washington or John Adams and may even be able to speak confidently about things like the Battle of Bunker Hill but what about the more nuanced details like the shape our navy was in and how vastly outmatched we were compared to the British navy at the time. 

The heroic story of the founding of the U.S. Navy during the Revolution has been told before, yet missing from most maritime histories of America’s first war is the ragtag fleet of private vessels, from 20-foot whaleboats to 40-cannon men-of-war, that truly revealed the new nation’s character―above all, its ambition and entrepreneurial ethos. 

In his latest book, Rebels At Sea, Eric Jay Dolin corrects that significant omission, and contends that privateers, though often seen as profiteers at best and pirates at worst, were in fact critical to the Revolution’s outcome. 

We get into Eric’s love of writing and American maritime history in this episode and how at one point, his passion for seashells almost prompted him to become a professional malacologist which you can sure as hell bet I’d never heard of before. 

Whether or not you’re an American history buff or someone who has absolutely no interest in things that took place hundreds of years ago, this one’s just a fun conversation with someone who clearly knows their stuff. 

Alright then, here’s my talk with Eric Jay Dolin. 

Additional Links 

Eric’s Website: https://www.ericjaydolin.com/ 

Rebels at Sea: https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=rebels+at+sea 

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