Virtual Lecture – Encountering Hurricanes in Colonial British America

Hurricanes were a new phenomenon for Europeans when they arrived in the New World, but they quickly became a defining (and terrifying) feature of the life in colonial British America. This was especially the case for colonists who ventured to the Caribbean and the southeastern mainland coast. This lecture with Matt Mulcahy of Loyola University will explore the English encounter with hurricanes, their impact on the development of colonial societies, how colonists made sense of these events, and what accommodations they made in response to the storms over time. The focus will be on colonies like Jamaica, Barbados, and South Carolina, but will also consider early hurricanes in Maryland and Virginia.

Registration required.