How a tiny Caribbean island made American independence possible

The American Revolution, according to historian R. Grant Gilmore at the College of Charleston, wasn't won by armies and ideals alone. A tiny Caribbean port's strategic trade networks played a pivotal—and often overlooked—role in fueling American independence. Writing for The Conversation, Gilmore explains how the economic connectors and supply chains linking colonial America to this island hub provided resources and leverage essential to the Revolutionary cause. It's a sharp reminder that history's turning points rarely hinge on grand gestures alone—sometimes independence runs on commerce.

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