The Merchants Who Made War Pay

The Brown family papers in our archives tell a story about the Revolution that is not especially comfortable but is honest. The Browns — Nicholas, John, Joseph, and Moses — were among the wealthiest merchants in New England. When the war came, they did not simply support independence out of principle. They also made money from it. A great deal of money.

John Brown helped organize the Gaspee burning and later invested heavily in privateering. A successful privateer could return profits of several hundred percent. The ships were privately owned and crewed, authorized by government letters of marque, and sent to capture British commercial vessels. The captured goods were sold at auction. The owners took their share, the crews took theirs, and the government got its cut. It was war as business, and Providence was very good at it.

What makes the story complicated is Moses Brown. He had been part of the family business, including the slave trade. Then he converted to Quakerism, freed his enslaved workers, and became one of New England's earliest abolitionists. While his brothers were profiting from the war, Moses was arguing that the Revolution's ideals demanded the end of slavery. He was right, and he was largely ignored.

The archives show both things simultaneously: the patriotic financing that helped sustain the war effort and the moral contradictions that financing carried with it. The Browns built University Hall, endowed the college, and shaped Providence into a center of commerce and education. They also traded in human beings and profited from armed conflict. I think you cannot understand the Revolution in Providence without holding both of those facts at the same time. The war was fought for liberty. It was also fought by people with commercial interests, family ambitions, and moral blind spots. The documents do not let you simplify the story, and that is what makes them valuable.