The College of Wooster Libraries Open Works Senior Independent Study Theses 2012 Sailing on the Edge: a World-Systems Analysis of Pirates and Privateers in the Atlantic and Caribbean in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries Emily Butcher The College of Wooster, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Butcher, Emily, "Sailing on the Edge: a World-Systems Analysis of Pirates and Privateers in the Atlantic and Caribbean in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries" (2012). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 15. https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/15 This Senior Independent Study Thesis Exemplar is brought to you by Open Works, a service of The oC llege of Wooster Libraries. It has been accepted for inclusion in Senior Independent Study Theses by an authorized administrator of Open Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. © Copyright 2012 Emily Butcher Sailing on the Edge: A World-Systems Analysis of Pirates and Privateers in the Atlantic and Caribbean in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries by Emily Butcher A Thesis Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements of Independent Study in Archaeology at The College of Wooster Archaeology 451-452 Dr. P. Nick Kardulias March 5, 2012 Abstract Despite modern conceptions, pirates were not typically cruel, greedy, and dishonest men of the lowest social ranks, but often began as privateers for local navies. It was only when they attacked an unassigned target that their status changed to that of piracy in the eyes of their patrons. However, if the illegal attack was against an enemy, the Crown often allowed the action to continue. This created a fluid status between legality and treason. This study examines the nature of piracy in the Atlantic and Caribbean in a broader context, using Edward Teach as a key figure to place piratical behavior into the larger scheme of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries. To do this, I examine the actions of these individuals within the framework of the rational choice model, and use world-systems analysis to discuss how competing cores employed the skills of pirates and privateers. i Acknowledgements I would like to express my appreciation to my advisor, Dr. P. Nick Kardulias, for his assistance, insight, and valuable advice during the course of this project. Much gratitude is also owed to David Moore of the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, NC for his continued assistance, guidance, and support, as well as Paul Fontenoy, also of the museum, for his assistance in obtaining key sources for this thesis. Last, but certainly not least of all, great thanks are also due to my parents for their continuous support in all stages of this project; words cannot adequately express my gratitude for your unwavering faith in me. ii Table of Contents Abstract i Acknowledgements ii Table of Contents iii Chapter 1 - Introduction 1 Problem Statement 1 Review of Relevant Literature 3 Privateering 5 Blackbeard 8 Ships 13 Types of Ships 14 Nautical Archaeology 16 Chapter 2 - Theory 18 The Rational Choice Model 18 World-Systems Analysis 19 Rational Choice and WST in Piracy 21 Chapter 3 - Methods 27 Chapter 4 - Data 29 What Makes a Ship a Pirate Vessel? 29 Hull Remains and Structure 30 Who Were these Pirates? 32 The Artifacts 33 Privateering on the Carolina Coast 40 The Colonial Government's Observations and Interactions with Pirates 44 Chapter 5 - Analysis 47 Chapter 6 - Conclusion 55 References Cited 57 Supplemental Bibliography 59 Glossary of Terms 62 Appendix A 64 iii Appendix B 65 Appendix C 67 Appendix D 69 Appendix E 71 Appendix F 75 Appendix G 77 iv List of Figures Figure 1.1 10 Figure 1.2 13 Figure 2.1 24 Figure 2.2 25 Figure 4.1 31 Figure 4.2 34 Figure 4.3 35 Figure 4.4 37 Figure 4.5 38 Figure 4.6 39 Figure 4.7 39 Figure 4.8 39 Figure 4.9 39 Figure 4.10 43 Figure 4.11 44 List of Tables Table 4.1 41 Table 4.2 43 v Chapter 1 Introduction Problem Statement Modern conceptions of pirates focus on lower class, cruel, dishonest and greedy men plundering the harbor of any city they come upon. These perceptions ignore the fact that many of these individuals were sponsored and encouraged by local political figures who would provide a safe port in return for a portion of the profits. They were not always of the lowest social class, but often began as respected members of the local navies where they learned to navigate the seas and control their ships. Pirates also were highly dependent on the local economy and shipping industries, as they had to familiarize themselves with the trade routes, merchants, and harbors of many areas in order to maximize profit from their ventures. In order to study the pirate's place in politics, commerce, and the economy, I examine a wreckage discovered in Beaufort Inlet, NC that is said to be the pirate flagship The Queen Anne's Revenge. I ask the question currently faced by researchers at the North Carolina Maritime Museum and East Carolina University's Conservation lab: is this truly The Queen Anne's Revenge, formerly the French merchant ship La Concorde, which was taken by Edward Teach (who I also refer to by his more common alias, Blackbeard) and deliberately grounded in June 1718 before his execution? At this time, there is no definitive answer to this question, but it is possible to compare the dates of the artifacts recovered from the site to those of La Concorde, and ultimately, The Queen Anne's Revenge. To do this, I examine the artifact assemblages recovered from the site in conjunction with the historical record and analyze artifact categories such as weaponry, personal assemblages, numismatics, hull dimensions, and other cargo in order to prove that the wreckage is indeed The Queen Anne's Revenge. 1 I examine primary source documents regarding the nature of the interactions between pirates and the colonial government. I also use secondary sources by Dan Parry, Robert Earl Lee, Angus Konstam, and Patrick Pringle - all leading scholars of piracy and Edward Teach. I consult field reports from the Queen Anne's Revenge (QAR) Project, which are available on the project's web site, to provide a clearer understanding of the assemblages found in the wreckage and analyze their significance to the broader political and economic systems of the period. In addition to written sources, I confer with David Moore, Nautical Archaeologist at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, NC in order to gain up-to-date information regarding the current progress of the QAR Project, images artifacts, and maps, as well as helpful guidance in examining other sources. With this information, I place Edward Teach and The Queen Anne's Revenge in the larger context of piracy, the economics of trade, and politics using World-Systems Theory (WST). I present a detailed history of Edward Teach to examine his career as a pirate, his pardon from the Governor and service as a privateer, his return to piracy, and his death. An inspection of privateering along the Carolina Coast allows for an understanding of what could be gained from such prize actions. In addition, I examine the imperial commerce that led La Concorde to the Colonies, as well as Teach's economic motivation to overtake the vessel for his own use. I also analyze his actions in the larger world-systems framework to note how piracy and privateering were integrated into imperial commerce and politics. By placing The Queen Anne's Revenge into this broader context, much is learned about the nature of piracy and privateering as well as the imperial competition of the time due to its beginnings as a French merchant ship. By analyzing the contents of the wreckage, it is possible to determine the sort of goods and supplies that may have been carried by the merchant ships or 2 used by the pirates after its capture, but also to provide a method of examining the economic and political systems that surrounded the crew and captain of the vessel. The assemblages and remains of the vessel also can be used to date the site to make the case that it is of the same period as the Queen Anne's Revenge, which can be used to buttress the argument that the ship is indeed Blackbeard's famed flagship. Review of Relevant Literature In this section, I outline the general history of piracy beginning with the Barbary corsairs and the Moors to provide a foundation for the period of privateering that followed, especially noting the relationship between Sir Francis Drake and Queen Elizabeth I and the role of Spanish and French privateers in Coastal Carolina. I also note the roles of Simon de Danser and Edward Teach in this system of privateering. An examination of the types of ships commonly used by pirates follows, as well as information regarding the conversion of ships and crews to piracy. I end the section with a brief discussion of nautical archaeology, including the underlying processes of chemical change and conservation. The Barbary Corsairs and the Moors Piracy can be defined as an action relating to human behavior that encompasses a blatant disregard for legal powers to determine and redefine personal property rights (Rubin 1988). The history of piracy traces back at least as far as 78 BC in the Aegean when Cilician pirates attacked a vessel bound for Rhodes, but the first accounts of modern piracy begin in the Middle Ages around the time of the Crusades with the renewal of imperial competition and economic stimulus.