Elizabethan Pirates Essay

The most important feature about the movie Sea Hawk is that pirates were for doing what the pirates thought was right. These pirates could almost be thought of as gentlemen. These men were out fighting for their country and for a just cause, not out to steal someone else's ideas or positions, it seems. This is because these pirates were fighting a naval war against Spain for the benefit of the British. For these pirates this was considered an act of piracy for a just cause. The pirates in the movie Sea Hawk were considered to be the heroes which is a major movement away from the standard evil, rival, or self-serving character the pirates normally represent in other movies of books. There was a point to their piracy, which was to defeat the British. Even though these pirates still enjoyed the rewards of their actions, they did it not for the fame of fortune but more for the physical rewards. These pirates were doing something much different then the normal pirate might do and it is that they were doing what they were doing in the name of their county and in Spain there were considered patriots by their fellow countrymen.

During the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries, piracy was rampant in the Atlantic, specifically in the West Indies. Piracy has existed since the earliest days of ocean travel, for a range of personal and economic reasons. However, one of the major reasons why piracy was wide spread and rampant in the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries was Great Britain’s endorsement and usage of piracy as an asset; in wars fought in the New World. Great Britain with its expanding power and conflicts with other nations would make piracy a lifestyle and lay down the foundation for the Golden Age of Piracy and eventually bring what it created to a screeching halt.

Many of which were manned by the Marbleheads. The other ships were Washington, Lynch, Franklin, Lee, Warren, Harrison, and the Hancock. Many of these men had jobs that related to fishing and sailing prior to the war. Although, some will argue that this was not the first Navy and that the war could have been won without it. Historical facts prove otherwise. William Falconer, wrote, “to cruise against and among the enemy, taking, sinking or burning their ships”, as the definition of privateering as a privately owned ship that is armed in war time. In other words, when the Hannah was leased to the Continental Congress to be used to attack the British’s incoming, she became a warship instead of a fishing boat. The Hannah was equipped with cannons and other weapons for war, this allowed the ship and her mates to take over or destroy the enemy’s ships.

For years and years the leaders of Tripoli which is located in the Middle East had been taking over merchant ships from either the Americans or the or the Europeans. The Tripoli pirates would take over ships and sell

One of the main reasons why the French even helped America in the first place was because of the charm of Benjamin Franklin, who successfully convinced the French to help them in the Revolutionary War. This continues the common theme of public knowledge of the Revolutionary War not always being the complete truth. 3. Benjamin Franklin, who was in favor of the use of privateering, said that “We expect to make their merchants sick of a contest in which so much is risked and nothing gained.” (50) This next example is shown through the use of privateers for the American Navy. While the average American would assume that the American Navy during the Revolutionary War succeeded with the help of John Paul Jones and other richer, more well-known heroes, this was far more the entire truth. Privateers played a huge role in the success of the American Navy. A privateer is a legalized pirate who was allowed to plunder enemy commercial ships. They, in reality, did far more damage to British

The Barbary pirates operated off the coast of North Africa since the time of the Crusades. The pirates were essentially sponsored by the Arab rulers in Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli. They are said to have sailed as far north as Iceland, attacking ports, taking captive people as slaves, and plundering merchant ships. Most countries found it easier and cheaper to bribe the pirates instead of fighting them in a war. Seafaring nations would

Then Herrings continue with a second chapter from 1789 - 1801 a short period but it was titled "None who can make us afraid" but some of the most importance during this period was about the Barbarian Parates most of these pirates were from North Africa states as Algiers, Morocco, and Tripoli and Tunis they were demanding tribute, plundering ships even ensalving foreign salilors, but where would we stand here as a British Colony we had protection, but after the revolution war we were in our own so now it was more easily to get attacked by pirates so first the U.S. decided to paid the pirates monthly for them not to attacked, so when we were by our selves we could not make no economy we were just surving by trading so we had to make as deal we had to work with Foreign

Initially, the ships were built just for fishing but as time passed, trade began to occur on the water, promoting this industry’s significance. Additionally, timber and lumber were rife, making shipbuilding cheap and new jobs such as carpenters, sail makers, painters, blacksmiths, and joiners became available. Moreover, the slave trade increased the usage of this industry because more ships were needed for these trans-Atlantic interactions. By 1750, there were 125 colonial shipyards along the New England coast (Feldman 19). The shipbuilding industry prospered throughout this time

Queen Elizabeth had to be harsh and strict with Catholics, more than she would have preferred in order to maintain peace in England (Elizabeth R). Although Queen Elizabeth was nice, she could also be very strict. When Catholics rebelled she reacted quickly, she had them killed, took away their properties, or imprisoned them. After years of rebellion and fighting, England became a Protestant Country in the early 1600’s (Pitchard 103). “The significance of the Elizabethan religious settlement is that it was able to hold the vast majority of the people together, despite being a compromise few would have chosen” (Elizabeth I).

These pirates captured the crew and passengers of other ships. They then enslaved these people and some people died because of this.

Putting myself in the the position of a sailor back in that time I can see why many were attracted to the life of a pirate. The life of a sea faring man during the early 18th century was a grueling way of work. Wages were low, decease was rampant, ships were cramped, and discipline from officers was brutal, sometime murderous. The pirate life symbolized freedom and liberty and a brotherhood that stood for being “ one for

In the 1700s, a privateer was someone who was mandated by the government to attack ships from abroad during war time. 1During the Revolutionary War, privateer ships would receive Letters of Marque, a decree that authorized ships to act on behalf of the nations from which they were issued for the purpose of retaliating against another nation for some wrong such as border incursion. The Continental Congress of the United

When the word pirate is mentioned, many people think of ship carrying men across the seas as they pillage other ships. While this is true to some extent there was much more to the lives of the men that were known as pirates. Pirates were mostly men from French, English or Dutch heritage, and were privateers or merchants. Many of these men were sanctioned by their government. By the Spanish they were call piratas or unsanctioned sea-raiders, and would have a heavy influence of trade in the Caribbean and on the Spanish Empire.

First of all, the Queen Anne’s Revenge was one of the most famous pirate ship. The Queen Anne’s Revenge was originally a French owned slave ship. The ship first name was “La Concorde De Nantes.” It was found in 1996. Furthermore, the ship had 26 guns, and was captured from the French merchants. Queen Anne’s Revenge was one of the most powerful ships in American waters. The name “Queen Anne’s Revenge” comes from Queen Anne, who was one of the principal actors in the War of the Spanish Succession in which Blackbeard was likely a privateer. On the other hand, the ship can store more than 300 tons (272 t) of treasure, and can hold up to 250 pirates. To sum up, the Queen Anne’s Revenge was used to sail

These new pirates are similar to their predecessors in a variety of aspects. They are split up into two groups: those who work for themselves and others who have an alliance with a government. The most famously known group is currently known as the Somali pirates. They attempted to attack and capture the U.S. cargo vessel called Maersk Alabama in April 2009. However, they were fought off, and their one hostage, the ship’s skipper, was rescued five days later (Boot, Max. “Pirates, Then and Now”). Pirate techniques of stealing and escaping have not changed either. Sea robbers continue to elude the authorities by using state and country flags to become unrecognizable. Their ships are designed to be fast and easy to maneuver through coves and channels. On the other hand, technological advances have made it easier for ordinary ocean vessels to become victims of piracy. Wooden ships with shallow bottoms and cannons were ingenious a century ago, but speedboats have become the new pirate transportation. Somali pirates tend to have a larger, ‘mother ship’ used for deep ocean assaults (May, Laura.