I HOSTES HUMANI GENERIS: PIRACY on the TIDES OF
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HOSTES HUMANI GENERIS: PIRACY ON THE TIDES OF EMPIRE IN THE AGE OF SAIL A Thesis Presented to the faculty of the Department of History California State University, Sacramento Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in History by Aaron James Jackson FALL 2016 i © 2016 Aaron James Jackson ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii HOSTES HUMANI GENERIS: PIRACY ON THE TIDES OF EMPIRE IN THE AGE OF SAIL A Thesis by Aaron James Jackson Approved by: __________________________________, Committee Chair Dr. Michael Vann __________________________________, Second Reader Dr. Jeffrey Wilson ____________________________ Date iii Student: Aaron James Jackson I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and that this thesis is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for the thesis. __________________________, Graduate Coordinator ___________________ Dr. Rebecca Kluchin Date Department of History iv Abstract of HOSTES HUMANI GENERIS: PIRACY ON THE TIDES OF EMPIRE IN THE AGE OF SAIL by Aaron James Jackson Pirates are a fascinating subject, inspiring authors and filmmakers alike with dramatic and romantic tales of daring and adventure to create works of fiction like Treasure Island, Peter Pan, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates have inspired historians to explore topics ranging from the pirate crews’ proto-democratic organization to their role in developing world systems of trade and cultural exchange. Few, however, have examined how pirates helped to establish the great European maritime empires, which emerged from the relative backwater of sixteenth-century Europe to conquer distant lands and peoples, master global trade winds and tides, and muscle their way into every corner of the globe by the nineteenth century. Emerging theories in the discipline of world history appear to provide the most promising explanations of European ascendancy by emphasizing global systemic connections and contingencies. Systemic explorations of economic connections and commodities have provided historians with a much better understanding of the past, and this exploration of piracy fits this mold. Piracy was both a form of economic connection and commodity, particularly when defined as the use of violence to achieve economic gains. As this paper will show, Europe’s maritime empires, and the British Empire in particular, traded this commodity heavily between the late-fifteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. The Early Modern Era was a bigger world than the one we occupy today. Reliant upon the trade winds and favorable seas to connect the imperial metropole with its colonies, the British v Empire relied on a collection of frontiers to fuel its economic engines. In these frontiers, pirates helped build the British Empire, their crimes later justified its centralized authority and the state monopoly on violence, and their continued existence served as a laboratory for developing new methods of international power relations. In these ways and more, pirates deserve a great deal more credit and attention from scholarly circles. Unfortunately for historians, pirates rarely left detailed documents outlining their actions and motives, but Subaltern Studies methodology provides a potential solution. While researching colonial Indian peasant uprisings against the British for his 1983 book, Elementary Aspects of Peasant Insurgency in Colonial India, Ranajit Guha encountered difficulties in finding primary source material portraying the peasants’ perspectives, which is not surprising given that colonial Indian peasants were largely illiterate. Guha could discern their perspectives by deciphering coded language in the abundance of British documents—by reading against the grain of the biased documentary record. Similarly, the clear majority of primary source material on piracy originates from official British documents, including trial transcripts, colonial correspondence, the occasional journal entry, and contemporary literature and newspaper articles. The government sources are often biased, of course, but Guha’s methodology provides a filter to deal with source prejudice. Contemporary literature, such as the works of Daniel Dafoe or the infamous A General History of the Pyrates, is often embellished for entertainment value, making the separation of fact from fiction difficult. But cross-referencing this literature with sources less likely to be embellished allows one to sift through the chaff and acquire a contextual understanding of piracy. Finally, a wealth of secondary source material is available to assist in parsing the primary documentation. For example, Marcus Rediker’s work on the social history of outlaws and the Atlantic slave trade provides invaluable contextual information, Linda Colley’s work on captivity narratives provides insight into the victims of piracy as well as the nature of empire, K.N. Chaudhuri’s work illuminates the vi pre-European trade systems in the Indian Ocean that European empires and pirates alike would later prey upon, and Sven Beckert’s work provides an example of a global analysis of commodity exchange. World history methodologies provide frameworks in which to draw connections between seemingly separate areas and events to depict the bigger picture. Both pirates and empires have been the subjects of many historical studies, but few historians have sought to explore their interrelated natures in their European manifestations. Building an empire requires the use or threat of violence to establish a dominance relationship through which the empire draws upon the resources of the conquered—essentially piracy writ large. The development of the British Empire, with its mercantile foundations, was not a simple expression of force relationships from the beginning. It developed slowly, expanding more often through the efforts of its merchants than its navy, and in such an environment, the empire relied on the skills of pirates to acquire the resources and corresponding power required to become the largest and most influential maritime power to date. Exploring the roles pirates played in the development of imperial systems helps historians to better understand the nature, scope, and function of early modern structures that serve as the foundation for the modern era. Understanding how piracy shaped early modern empires, therefore, tells us a great deal about ourselves. _______________________, Committee Chair Dr. Michael Vann _______________________ Date vii DEDICATION For Liam Cleo Jackson, my son, who daily reminds me that ours is a wondrous world, that imagination is powerful, that curiosity is cultivated, that patience can be hard, that courage and kindness go hand in hand, and that our past shapes our future in unexpected ways. May he ever chase the horizon, knowing which stars will guide him home. May he receive and appreciate fair winds, be brave enough to weather the storms, and generous in helping others. May he seek his fortune, whatever that may be, and find more value in the journey than in the destination. viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis is the result of over a year of effort. Reading, researching, writing, and editing, often into the wee hours of the night for weeks on end. And while the bags under my eyes and the callouses of my fingertips provide ample evidence of the work involved, none of it would have been possible without the help and support of others. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the faculty of the History Department at California State University, Sacramento. I would first like to thank my program advisor, Dr. Mona Siegel, who not only made me feel at home as an out-of-state transfer student but also challenged me as a writer and historian. I can always count on Dr. Siegel to provide honest and fair critique—including the identification of my love affair with the em dash—as well as support. She pushed me to not only pursue excellence in the classroom, but to expand out into conferences and symposia. If I am honest, I likely would not have ventured into these essential parts of a historian’s career without her persuasion. Drs. Rebecca Kluchin, Michael Vann, Candace Gregory-Abbott, Jeffrey Wilson, Aaron Cohen, Patrick Ettinger, Paula Austin, and Brendan Lindsay all deserve recognition as well. These professors’ wisdom and example have been instrumental in who I am as a writer, historian, and teacher, and I would be remiss if I did not let them know how grateful I am. To Drs. Michael Vann and Jeffrey Wilson, I owe a special debt of gratitude. First for agreeing to be my advisors for this thesis and second for continuing to provide useful and enlightening insight throughout the entirety of this project. Dr. Vann’s insightful guidance and focus helped make this paper possible. His New Imperialism and World History courses were instrumental in planting the seeds of this work. Dr. Wilson’s advice and enthusiasm inspired me to explore new avenues in my research while simultaneously reminding me to stay as concise as possible. I could not have asked for better advisors. ix I also owe a word of thanks to my peers, whose support has been invaluable. In these past two- and-a-half years, I can honestly say that I have formed bonds of friendship as strong and lasting as those I share with fellow veterans. In both cases, mutual friendship sustained us through our labors; like oxen tied to the same yoke, each of us felt the support of the others and suffered less because we knew that we were suffering together. I look forward to celebrating our future successes together as well. I owe a special debt of gratitude to Scott Sault, Robert Miller, Antoine Johnson, Vanessa Madrigal-Lauchland, Bill Archer, Saeeda Islam, and Haley Reid—all of whom helped me work through the concepts of this thesis, to refine my arguments, and improve my narratives. Finally, words cannot properly express the gratitude I have for the steadfast support of my family and particularly the love of my life, Lauren Bailey Jackson, who has made my pursuit of a career in history possible since the very beginning by encouraging the pursuit of my passion.