John Thompson: Citizenship and Seafaring in the early American Republic
Speaker: Andrew J. Lyter
Pennsylvania-born John Thompson lived a volatile life defined by the sea. Born into British occupied Philadelphia in 1777, Thompson would overcome a life of adversity to pursue the life of a sailor. Witnessing and contributing to Philadelphia’s rise as America’s largest port city, Thompson went on to serve in the merchant service, aboard foreign privateers, and in the Royal Navy. In April of 1813, John Thompson was one of forty-six Americans that served aboard the British vessels bombarding Lewes. Through their travails, seafarers, like Thompson defined and forged American citizenship in the transatlantic world.
Join Historic Lewes’ Executive Director & Curator Andrew J. Lyter as he recounts the colorful maritime life of John Thompson and his career at sea.
More about Andrew J. Lyter
Andrew J. Lyter serves as the Executive Director and Curator for the Lewes Historical Society and as an adjunct professor in Maritime and American History at the University of Delaware. He holds an MA in Naval History from the University of Portsmouth, Great Britain where he is currently pursuing a PhD. As a maritime historian, Lyter specializes in the social history of the Revolutionary Atlantic, focusing on American sailors serving in the Royal Navy. He is an avid sailor, regularly crewing aboard tall ships in both the United States and United Kingdom. Lyter most recently published his book Going Among English Sailors: American Tars Aboard HMS Belvidera, 1809-1814 in November 2024.