Boston, 1776: How to Be a Pirate #revolution #historyfacts #pirates #americanhistory #privateer

Añadido: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]So, you'd like to become a pirate like Captain Jack or the other rogues of popular fame. But, if you're in Boston in 1776, you don't have to go to the Caribbean to participate. You can sign up right on the wharf. With Boston and other former colonial cities at war with the British Empire in 1776, the Continental Congress has allowed privateering out of American ports, basically legalized piracy. This means that the legislature has encouraged American sailors to attack and board British ships to strip them of their goods. In return, the pirates get to keep a portion of the booty while splitting the rest with the government.

[00:00:36]Not surprisingly, the practice has become quite lucrative, as you can tell when you look out at the shipyards of the North End, where you'll see old brigs and brigantines being outfitted with cannon and other weaponry. These vessels need at least 100 sailors to capture control of an enemy ship and sail it and the pirate ship back to port. The most striking example was Captain John Manley's capture of a 250-ton British transport ship called the Nancy, loaded with mortar and cannon, small arms, and ammunition, the biggest prize yet in the war. At taverns like the King's Head, the Crown Tavern, or other places along the harbor front, you're apt to see recruiters offering free drinks or other incentives to sailors willing to try their hand at privateering. Broadsides also advertise bonuses to prospective crew members or shares of the loot or even ample allotments of grog, a sailor's liquor of life. And the promotions have worked.

[00:01:28]Privateers include not only New Englanders, but mariners from the West Indies, Southern Europe, or even India.

[00:01:35]And to the consternation of the Continental Congress, some of these sailors are also deserters from the federal and state navies of America.

[00:01:43]But, the practice is not without its risks. By being a privateer, you're fair game for a British warship to open fire on you as an enemy combatant, and Parliament has just passed the Piracy Act to clamp down on privateers and to deny them due process and prisoner should they be caught in the act with execution a possibility in some cases.

[00:02:02]But despite the considerable danger involved, this hasn't stopped Bostonians from signing up. As Abigail Adams says, "The rage for privateering is as great here as anywhere. Vast numbers are employed in that way." If you'd like to know more about privateering or other aspects of wartime Boston, check out Boston 1776, A Rogue Tour of Revolution City, or check out my website and subscribe to my channel. For Boston is full of stories of intrigue and adventure, and they remind us there's no other place like it, then or now.