Maritime History

The history of America is in no small part the history of the sea. Most Americans remain unaware that we are inseparable from our maritime heritage and that our society has been shaped in fundamental ways by our interaction with the sea and inland waterways.

In this course, we cover a chronological survey of American maritime history from the period of European contact to the present in a variety of contexts, including social, cultural, economic, political, military, gender and labor history.

Your classroom is the museum, with its 60 historic buildings, 17 acres, and millions of artifacts, documents, photos, and boats. You’ll examine and analyze material objects and manuscripts as well as published sources and secondary works. You’ll also develop research skills rarely utilized at the undergraduate level and produce a research paper based upon your use of the extensive primary resources available at Mystic Seaport’s G.W. Blunt White Library and at other local research institutions.