Navigating the Atlantic World: Piracy, Illicit Trade, and the Construction of Commercial Networks, 1650-1791 Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University by Jamie LeAnne Goodall, M.A. Graduate Program in History The Ohio State University 2016 Dissertation Committee: Margaret Newell, Advisor John Brooke David Staley Copyright by Jamie LeAnne Goodall 2016 Abstract This dissertation seeks to move pirates and their economic relationships from the social and legal margins of the Atlantic world to the center of it and integrate them into the broader history of early modern colonization and commerce. In doing so, I examine piracy and illicit activities such as smuggling and shipwrecking through a new lens. They act as a form of economic engagement that could not only be used by empires and colonies as tools of competitive international trade, but also as activities that served to fuel the developing Caribbean-Atlantic economy, in many ways allowing the plantation economy of several Caribbean-Atlantic islands to flourish. Ultimately, in places like Jamaica and Barbados, the success of the plantation economy would eventually displace the opportunistic market of piracy and related activities. Plantations rarely eradicated these economies of opportunity, though, as these islands still served as important commercial hubs: ports loaded, unloaded, and repaired ships, taverns attracted a variety of visitors, and shipwrecking became a regulated form of employment. In places like Tortuga and the Bahamas where agricultural production was not as successful, illicit activities managed to maintain a foothold much longer. Historians have begun to challenge plantation economy model that has served as the dominant paradigm in Caribbean-Atlantic history. A growing awareness that Caribbean-Atlantic socioeconomic ii history needs to be reproblematized with an emphasis on diversity and economic diversification has shed new light on slavery in the region. My work contributes to the new historiography on Caribbean-Atlantic diversification by illustrating how piracy itself not only encompassed a diverse range of socioeconomic activities, but widely contributed to the Caribbean-Atlantic economy in understudied ways—including the slave trade of the region. iii Acknowledgments When I started this doctoral process, I was told that for the historian, it is a solitary one. In undertaking this dissertation, I find that to be untrue. I am forever indebted to so many individuals and institutions. This project could not have taken the shape that it has without the generous contributions of the foundations who believed in it. I want to particularly thank the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, the Bradley Foundation, the College of Arts and Humanities and the History Department at The Ohio State, and the legacies of Philip Poirier and Helen and Harold Kapiloff. Their support enabled me to visit several archives around the world. I owe a debt to those institutions as well and would like to thank the National Archives in Kew (TNA: PRO), National Archives in The Netherlands, The Archives and Government Records Center in Bermuda, The National Museum of Bermuda, and The Jamaica Archives and Records Department. My gratitude also goes to the many organizations that offered me the opportunity to present my work and receive critical feedback from wonderful scholars. Many thanks to the Hakluyt Society, the Appalachian Spring Conference in World History and Economics, the Economic and Business History Society, the Mid-Atlantic Conference on British Studies, and the Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture. Thanks also goes to the many individuals who took time out of their busy schedules to iv offer sage advice and criticism. While it is impossible to list them all, special thanks goes to my colleagues Tyran Steward, Spencer Tyce, Cam Shriver, Mark Boonshoft, Elizabeth Perego, Sam McLean, Frank Blazich, Robert Davis, Robert Clemm, Jeremy Land, and Marcus Nevius. Special thanks to Dr. David Staley for stepping up to be a brilliant and helpful committee member in the face of an emergency. I also owe a debt of gratitude to my advisor, Margaret Newell, for pushing me to be a better researcher and historian and for making me realize I am capable of great feats. Lastly, thanks goes to those individuals who have shaped me as a person and encouraged me every step of the way. First and foremost, my husband Kyle. You have made so many sacrifices to help me continue to pursue this dream. You’ve fought for me and you’ve kept me going when I thought it could never be done. Thank you for everything. I also want to thank my parents, Kim and Darren Hager, for raising me to be independent, strong, and stubborn. Without those traits, and without your love and support, where would I be? Also my brothers, Kenneth and Tyler. Both of you helped me to believe in myself even when I thought I couldn’t. A special thanks goes to Don Lourcey, my high school AP English teacher, for believing in me so much that he made college a reality for me. Without him, I would not be at this stage. Lastly, I want to thank all the friends and family who have renewed my spirit time and again: my other parents, Susan and Steve Goodall, Joanna, Zack, Tyler & Adrienne, Jen, Ashley & my dear, sweet Kayleabug, my grandparents—Pat and Jean, Lisa, and Mandazzle. To name you all would be impossible, so I hope those not named realize that your impact is just as important as those who are mentioned. v Vita June 2005 ............................................. North Iredell High School May 2008 ............................................. B.A. Archaeology, Appalachian State University May 2010 ............................................. M.A. Public History, Appalachian State University 2010 to present ..................................... Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of History, The Ohio State University Publications “The Pirate and the Privateer: A Comparative Study of Sir Francis Drake and Sir Henry Morgan”-Greensboro Historical Review 2010 Fields of Study Major Field: History vi Table of Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... iv Vita ............................................................................................................................ vi List of Figures ........................................................................................................... viii Introduction: The Caribbean-Atlantic World ............................................................ 1 Chapter 1: Officials and Pirates: The Foundations of Pirate Strongholds in the Caribbean- Atlantic ...................................................................................................................... 23 Chapter 2: Early Pirate Utility in West Indies Statebuilding and Colonization before Imperial Withdrawal ................................................................................................. 52 Chapter 3: Wreckers, Pirates, and Smugglers ........................................................... 84 Chapter 4: Tippling Houses, Rum Shops, & Taverns: How Alcohol Fueled Informal Commercial Networks and Knowledge Exchange in the West Indies ..................... 141 Chapter 5: Piracy, Slavery, and Clandestine Trade: Transitioning to a Plantation Economy .................................................................................................................. 185 Epilogue: Piracy, Illicit Commerce, and the Age of Revolution .............................. 221 Bibliography ............................................................................................................. 231 vii List of Figures Figure 3.1: Map of Inagua Islands in the Bahamas .................................................. 112 Figure 3.2: The Bahamas Channel ............................................................................ 120 Figure 3.3 Map of Bermudian Reefs ......................................................................... 126 Figure 3.4: Jamaica ................................................................................................... 129 Figure 3.5 Tortuge (Île de Tortue) ............................................................................ 131 Figure 4.1: Map of Port Royal Excavation, Texas A&M ......................................... 156 Figure 4.2: Map of Port Royal showing the current coastline (highlighted in gray) and the seventeenth century coastline, Maureen J. Brown .................................................... 159 viii INTRODUCTION: The Caribbean-Atlantic World In July 1717, an English Captain named Mathew Musson sent an unsolicited complaint to the Council of Trade and Plantations after being “cast away” on the Bahamas Islands. Musson wanted to inform the Council about the breadth of illicit trade occurring within their jurisdiction. Since the Council was charged with handling conflicts regarding imperial trade laws and policies, the nomination of governors and officials for royal colonies, writing the instructions for appointed governors, and hearing/making reports on complaints from the colonies concerning imperial administration, Musson believed his information would be well received.1 While he was