The Freedom of the Seas

This influential 17th century treatise by Hugo Grotius argues for the rights of Dutch merchants to trade with the East Indies against the monopoly of the Portuguese. The book was widely read and debated in its time and remains a seminal work in international law and economic theory.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the 'public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.