Impressment In The Navy
Impressment in the navy, particularly that done by the British Royal Navy in the 18th and early 19th centuries, has been a hotly debated subject in recent years. While historians tend to unilaterally agree that impressment occurred in the aforementioned time period, the question of the percentage of British sailors impressed, and therefore the impact of impressment on British society, remains today. While historians such as Denver Brunsman, Nicolas A. M. Rogers, and Isaac Land view the percentage of impressed British sailors as relatively high, historians such as J. Ross Dancy believe the percentage was actually very low relative to the number of men who volunteered (Land; Dancy 54). Due to this discrepancy, determining the number of men who
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For example, Brunsman believes that by the end of the Napoleonic Wars, which ended in 1815, impressment in the Royal Navy accounted for roughly seventy-five percent of sailors (Brunsman 246). Through the use of these statistics, Brunsman found that condemnation of impressment by civilians led to “the most consistent cause of violence against British imperial officers in North America before the American revolutionary era” (Brunsman 13). This argument is further examined by Rogers. According to Rogers, “about one in four (N=150) impressment affrays ended in a death or a serious injury” (Rogers 48). Given the number of seriously violent fights on impressment, one can reasonably expect that the press gangs and impressment itself were denounced by civilians. Finally, Land argued that the reason for violent protests was due to an entire “community” being fearful of falling victim to impressment (Land). While these historians all believe the frequency of impressment led to violent protests against press gangs, Land contends that, “While impressment was unloved, it was not deeply controversial. A broad consensus existed—even among sailors—that it was a necessary evil” (Land). If impressment was a “necessary evil” as Land portrayed, then the public would not vocally condemn it. Such logic leads to Dancy’s opposing argument: the number of impressments compared to volunteers was actually relatively
For example, Brunsman believes that by the end of the Napoleonic Wars, which ended in 1815, impressment in the Royal Navy accounted for roughly seventy-five percent of sailors (Brunsman 246). Through the use of these statistics, Brunsman found that condemnation of impressment by civilians led to “the most consistent cause of violence against British imperial officers in North America before the American revolutionary era” (Brunsman 13). This argument is further examined by Rogers. According to Rogers, “about one in four (N=150) impressment affrays ended in a death or a serious injury” (Rogers 48). Given the number of seriously violent fights on impressment, one can reasonably expect that the press gangs and impressment itself were denounced by civilians. Finally, Land argued that the reason for violent protests was due to an entire “community” being fearful of falling victim to impressment (Land). While these historians all believe the frequency of impressment led to violent protests against press gangs, Land contends that, “While impressment was unloved, it was not deeply controversial. A broad consensus existed—even among sailors—that it was a necessary evil” (Land). If impressment was a “necessary evil” as Land portrayed, then the public would not vocally condemn it. Such logic leads to Dancy’s opposing argument: the number of impressments compared to volunteers was actually relatively