Pirates Final

Question 1

Edward Teach/Thatch

Answer 1

c. 1680-1718, born in Bristol, England with an Atlantic background. Privateered during the War of Spanish Succession. Allied with Benjamin Hornigold, then later Stede Bonnet. Donned the “blackbeard” image whilst literacy and education helped him rise through the ranks, pirating off the Spanish Main of Cuba and Hispaniola. Sailed on QAR before meeting doom off NC Cape Fear coast in 1718.

Question 2

Benjamin Hornigold

Answer 2

Former privateer turned pirate captain who chose not to harass English or Dutch ships. Allied with Blackbeard, operated out of Nassau as part of the Flying Gang- established the Republic of Pirates. Later accepted the Act of Grace and joined Woodes Roger’s anti-piracy fleet.

Question 3

Nassau, Bahamas or Republic of Pirates

Answer 3

Formerly New Providence Island, rebuilt by Gov. Nicholas Trott in 1695. Republic of Pirates founded by Benjamin Hornigold and Flying Gang pushed English officials out of the area.
1718- Woodes Rogers appointed new governer and attemps to rebuild Nassau, drive out the pirates. Act of Grace proclaimed in Nassau in Dec. 1717.
End of Republic of Pirates in Dec. 1718, coinciding with Blackbeard’s demise and Stede Bonnet’s execution.

Question 4

Stede Bonnet

Answer 4

“Gentleman Pirate”, wealthy Barbados planter who purchased ‘The Revenge’, abandoned wife and family to become pirate. Raided off Carolinas before partnership with Blackbeard- high dependence on his crew. Captured in Oct. 1718 off SC, trial and execution by William Rhett and Nicholas Trott.

Question 5

Pirate Ballads

Answer 5

Initially portrayed pirates in positive/heroic light, ex. “Captain Kidd’s Farewell to the Seas”.
As Golden Age drew to a close, ballads shifted to portray pirate hunters as the hero instead. ex. “The Downfall of Piracy” with Lt. Maynard.
Ballads influenced and shaped public opinion, importance of eliciting an emotional response. Created conflicting images of seafaring men, both courageous and hardworking, yet also drunk and easily tempted by greed.

Question 6

Daniel Defoe

Answer 6

Assumed to be Capt. Charles Johnson, author of “A General History of Pirates”. 18th century publisher and journalist.
Wrote “The Life, Adventures and Piracies of the Famous Captain Singleton” (1720) published in newspapers. Was pro-mercantilism, but questioned if pirates were truly parasitic in nature. Argued that piracy undermined other nations and was therefore helpful to Great Britain.

Question 7

Robert Louis Stevenson

Answer 7

Author of 1883 novel Treasure Island, initially marketed for young boys though become a hit for adults, fellow writers, and literary critics. Iconic characters and pirate depictions of Long John Silver, “yo-ho-ho”, treasure maps, the Jolly Roger- all created by Stevenson.

Question 8

J.M. Barrie

Answer 8

Author of Peter Pan (1904). Playwright, modeled Captain Hook as well-educated a Charles II type. Referred to pirates in Stevenson’s work and Charles Johnson, use of mock nautical phrases. Reiterated the pirate image that the public conjures up to this day.

Question 9

Pirates of Penzance

Answer 9

1879 play created by Gilbert and Sullivan, a parody of pirate melodramas initially began in US, but spread to London and further Europe in 1880. Nonsensical story of bumbling pirates who become patriotic noblemen, denouncing piracy. Reiterated the importance of plays and musical theater in pop culture at the time.

Question 10

Women as abettors to piracy

Answer 10

Privateering created opportunities for widespread, indirect involvement of women as they became receivers of stolen goods- ensured pirates remained uncaught- many hid pirates, still were family or married relations. Discrete female economy of selling stolen goods.
1680s-1720s- weakened familial and marriage ties, female roles became less prevalent as more pirates remained single.
Roles were receivers and dealers in stolen goods; pirate wives, lovers, and kin; role as receivers/dealers out of kinship. Female agency of concealing pirates and plunder, aiding prison escapes.

Question 11

Piracy and gendered violence

Answer 11

General disbelief about women participating in seafaring, threats to traditional western gender roles. “Social outrages” who interfered with man’s relationship with the sea.
Fewer known instances of violence against women in Elizabethan privateering era. Shift away from land-based piracy in the British isles led to changes- dangers to women increased as the nature of piracy evolved into 18th century- more single pirates and less marriage/kinship ties.

Question 12

Mary Killigrew

Answer 12

Killigrew family of Cornwall, England, connections to Queen Elizabeth’s court as well as piracy and privateering. Actively participated in raids- based out of family home of Arwenack House. Incident with the crew of a Hanseatic vessel (1582/3)- vessel anchored outside family home was plundered by Mary and servants, led to trial but eventual pardon.

Question 13

Grainne/Grace O’Malley

Answer 13

B. in Gaelic seafaring clan c. 1530s, connections to coastal raiding. Took advantage of power vacuum as Irish power waned and joined father’s raiding before marrying. Continuation of piracy and leadership after husband’s death due to need for wealth. Captured in 1574 and imprisoned, though private audience with Elizabeth I appealed to Queen her burden on caring for a weakening clan system- pirated after her release until her death in 1603.

Question 14

Sayyida al’Hurra

Answer 14

Female Corsair of the Mediterranean, part of barbary pirates in Ottoman Empire. Born in Grenada, 1485 during the Reconquista. Wanted to avenge family. Married into Moroccan elite and exercised great political power after husband’s death- ran a vast privateering/corsair fleet that harassed the Spanish and Portuguese.

Question 15

Anne Bonny and Mary Read

Answer 15

Illegitimate birth, raised in Ireland. Left husband to join Calico Jack’s, fought alongside Mary Read onboard pirate vessel. Capture in 1720 and put on trial- importance of the Jamaican trial records as they revealed information about her life. Escape execution due to pregnancy, though later fate is unknown. Noted for her fierce temper.
Mary Read had English origin, illegitimate birth. Assumed male identity “Mark Read” and worked as sailor and soldier in War of Spanish Succession, served aboard as man of war and in infantry and calvary units. Married and ran a tavern until his death, forced to turn to piracy- sailed to West Indies, joined Calico Jack and Bonny. Also avoided execution due to pregnancy though later died in prison from illness. Noted for her bravery.

Question 16

Ned Lowe

Answer 16

Boston origins as a rigger, sailed to Bay of Honduras to work as a logwood cutter after death of wife and children. Led mutiny due to poor working conditions, turned to piracy and partnership with George Lowther. Eventually split and captained the Rebecca.
1722: plunders New England coast, Nova Scotia. Known for sadist ways and pirate articles. Particular cruelty towards crew and captives.
Encounter with HMS Greyhound in 1723 off New Jersey, crew mutinies against Low though he escapes and crew is captured- trial and execution. Low vanishes from historical record.

Question 17

Philip Ashton

Answer 17

Massachusetts fisherman captured by Low and crew, forced to work as part of the crew and taken down to Caribbean. Escapes by marooning himself and is rescued nine months later. Returns to Massachusetts and hailed as a religious-motivational story, reiterates fight against piracy.

Question 18

Logwood trade

Answer 18

Valuable dyewood harvested along the many feeding rivers in the Bay of Honduras. Created a rich, blood-red dye that was valued in Europe. Lots of money made off re-exporting logwood via Boston and Newport. “Baymen” were seen as rude or drunken rogues.

Question 19

Queen Anne’s Revenge

Answer 19

Shipwreck site c. 1718.
Previously the La Concorde, French slave ship taken by Blackbeard after blockade of Charleston in may, 1718. Ran aground on sandbar in Old Topsail Inlet, NC.
Massive archeological site today.

Question 20

Charles Eden

Answer 20

NC royal governor c. 1718
Encouraged piracy and some illegitimate business relations with Blackbeard c. 1718.
NC economy was lagging compared to SC and Virginia, whose economies they argued were being leeched off by piracy, not being helped, liked NC.
Suggested that Blackbeard came to Bath, NC, to appeal to Eden for Act of Grace?- before QAR sunk and Blackbeard’s demise.

Question 21

Concretions

Answer 21

X-rays, break-down process used to analyze artifacts stuck together over time and weathering. Conservation based on material type, slow removal of saltwater.

Question 22

Sam Bellamy

Answer 22

b. 1689, English origin
Sailed for British Navy before turning piracy due to salvaging Spanish treasure fleet wreck off Florida c. 1715.
Joined Republic of Pirates, lack of violence, noted for preference to intimidate vessels into submission rather than commit violence.
Captained the Whydah before meeting demise off New England coast c. April, 1717, due to massive storm.

Question 23

Whydah

Answer 23

Sam Bellamy’s ship, c. 1715, initially British vessel stolen in Jamaica. 1/3 of Bellamy’s crew were black, most likely slaves on board that were freed and joined the pirate crew.
Wrecked off New England coast 1717, due to massive storm.
Archeological site today with massive amounts of buried wealth.

Question 24

Barry Clifford

Answer 24

American underwater archaeological explorer. Most known for efforts to excavate remains of Bellamy’s Whydah.

Question 25

The Act of Grace/Proclamation for Suppressing of Pirates

Answer 25

c. 1717
Issues pardons to pirates who would renounce their criminal livelihoods, proposed by Woodes Rogers. Goal was to reduce pirate numbers, then forcibly eradicate the rest.
Caused Republic of Pirates to split into two factions- one side arguing split against Great Britain, others sailing to Bermuda to beg pardon from the governor.

Question 26

Woodes Rogers

Answer 26

b. 1679, Bristol.
Maritime family background, privateering voyage which brought his national acclaim c. 1708-1711. Proved himself to be a capable commander and appointed governor of the Bahamas, 1718. Introduced Act of Grace in hopes of eradicating piracy.
Felt isolated and abandoned by London authorities, lack of reinforcements, supplies, and threats of disease. Illness led to return to England and death.

Question 27

Charles Vane

Answer 27

Part of pirate resistance against Rogers and Hornigold, who had turned pirate-hunter. Fled Bahamas- lost from historical record.

Question 28

Royal James

Answer 28

Vessel stolen by Stede Bonnet Summer 1718, careened off Cape Fear and caused Bonnet to be unable to escape Rhett and SC company militia who capture them and bring them in for trial and eventual execution. Formerly the Revenge, captained by Bonnet while still partnered with Blackbeard; renamed after their split.
Questioned over who really held the authority of the ship: Bonnet or crew?

Question 29

Alexander Spotswood

Answer 29

Responsible for the hunting and capturing, execution of Blackbeard, c. 1718.
Virginia royal governor.

Question 30

Robert Maynard

Answer 30

Responsible for the capture and execution of Blackbeard and crew, pursued them to NC Inlet coast. Gave navy prestige.
Pirate Ballad describes his heroic deed, “The Downfall of Piracy”.

Question 31

Identify some of the key characteristics and stereotypes of Golden Age piracy that have appeared in popular culture since the eighteenth century. How has piracy been portrayed in literature and on film? Specific examples.

Answer 31

A few of the key characteristics and stereotypes of Golden Age piracy that appeared in eighteenth century pop culture include elements of characters, such as Long John Silver, music found in pirate ballads, and the endearing images of treasure maps and the Jolly Roger. Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel Treasure Island first linked the idea of pirates with treasure chests, talking parrots, and tropical islands. David Cordingly writes in “Under the Black Flag”, that it was Treasure Island that sealed our modern image of the Golden Age Pirate: Stevenson’s “characters and maritime details are convincing (including finer points of sailing and ship handling”, ultimately appealing to readers of all ages and trades (p. 42). Similarly, J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan introduced Captain Hook, an educated and well-dressed pirate similar to Charles II and with the flair of Blackbeard’s style, used as an intimidation factor. On film, the 1935 Captain Blood used Jamaica’s Port Royal setting to capture how piracy looked like in the Caribbean during the Golden Age. Similarly, Errol Flynn’s depiction of his pirate character as dashing and heroic, fighting a just cause against the unjust contribute to our image of pirates as “Robin-hood-esque” figures.
All of these characteristics were introduced in previous centuries but continue to contribute to our idea of what a Golden Age pirate looked, acted, and spoke like.

Question 32

After reading Gregory Flemming’s ‘At the Point of a Cutlass’, discuss Philip Ashton’s capture and experience at the hands of pirate Ned Lowe. How did Ashton’s account of his experiences detail the ways in which pirates operated, how they treated their captives, and how they took prizes. How did Ashton go on to gain “celebrity” status after he escaped from the hands of Lowe and crew?

Answer 32

Ashton worked as a fisherman off the coast of Marblehead, Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he was captured by Lowe and crew in Summer of 1720. In his memoir, Ashton detailed that he was forced to work as a member of the crew and aid in raids as the pirate vessel sailed south; he alludes to just one of several instances where pirates impressed sailors or fishermen into service aboard vessels, often forging their signatures on pirate codes. Ashton writes that Lowe and some crew members used intimidation factors and often beat himself and other captives; he also recorded that the pirates operated a tightly ran ship, with the crew’s background made up of English, Irish, African, and Native American descent. He records that they took prizes “brutally”, including gunpowder, arms, rope, and molasses, and “… at a rate of one a week or more. The possibility of capture was a fact of life…” (At The Point of A Cutlass, Gregory Flemming, p. 41). Ashton went on to gain celebrity status after marooning himself on an island before his eventual rescue, as he used his story as religious motivation in the fight against piracy. Religious leaders, especially in the Colonies and New England, wanted to illustrate warnings against “sinful lifestyles” (p. 150). Ashton’s endurance despite being marooned with no provisions for over nine months was a strong testimony to the idea that “…God [had] direct intervention in human affairs [being acts of piracy, or sin, in general]” (p. 156). The most notable supporter of spreading Ashton’s tale was Cotton Mather, a prominent Puritan leader.

Question 33

Discuss the role of women as both accomplices to and victims of piracy. How did women support pirates? What opportunities did piracy offer for women to transgress the expected gender roles of the day? In what ways did women become the victims of piracy in the Golden Age?

Answer 33

Women supported pirates through being accessories to crimes; they often hid pirates, many times being family or wives and lovers; they ensured pirates remained uncaught or helped free pirates who were caught and jailed; and they held roles in the socioeconomic structure of ports, often selling off stolen or plundered goods. Opportunities for women to transgress the expected gender roles of the day included their involvement in retail trade- women were required to have knowledge of market prices, access points to goods and provisions, as well as who to avoid or trade with. These roles got them out of the house and act as active participants in trade or abetting pirates, which would have been highly frowned upon, especially for a female. As David Cordingly states in “Under the Black Flag”, women were able to survive in such a male dominated domain by proving themselves “capable… in battle and in their duties as seamen [and traders]… [often serving] under the disguises of men” (p 80). On the other hand, women became the victims of piracy during the Golden Age due to shifts away from land-based piracy to the Atlantic world. The nature of piracy also evolved from the privateering era into an outright illegal business; women were captured by pirates and often subjected to assault, rape, or targeted due to their ethnicity or career (usually if the woman was a slave or sex-worker).

Question 34

Discuss the end of the Golden Age of Piracy. What steps did imperial and colonial authorities take to bring an end to piracy? What role did colonial governors play in this? What role did the trials and executions of pirates play in attempting to discourage piracy? Examples.

Answer 34

Imperial and colonial authorities began the end of the Golden Age through sending warships to the Caribbean, issuing the Proclamation for the Suppressing of Pirates, and appointing Woodes Rogers as the new governor of the Bahamas, who firmly implemented the Act of Grace to further entice pirates to end their ways. Rogers was instrumental in spreading the Act of Grace throughout the Caribbean, and turned many pirates into pirate-hunters, including Benjamin Hornigold, formerly founder of the Republic of Pirates. The role of trials and executions of pirates served as a means to discourage piracy by setting an example: pirates were publicly executed and their corpses defiled to serve as a public warning. Religious leaders also used pirate confessions as further public deterrent, with prominent figures such as Cotton Mather heavily condemning piracy by both the Church and State. Stede Bonnet’s 1718 trial and execution is the best example of this: after being found guilty for stealing two colonial sloops, he was further condemned for ‘seducing’ his crew to piracy, men who were less educated and therefore more likely to become pirates due to their impoverished lifestyles. Bonnet was publicly executed and his body moved to an unmarked grave in a South Carolina marsh. Before his death, he had appealed to South Carolina Governor Johnson, writing “… send me up to the farthest inland garrison… or in any other ways you’ll be pleased to dispose of me… you’ll receive the willingness of my friends [as well]” (1718).