The Pirates' Pact: The Secret Alliances Between History's Most Notorious Buccaneers and Colonial America

by Douglas R. Burgess Jr.

The Secret Alliances Between History's Most Notorious Buccaneers and Colonial America Was classical piracy an earlier version of state-sponsored terrorism? Here's the story of how almost every well-known buccaneer of the “Golden Age of Piracy” enjoyed active sponsorship from England's governors in the American colonies- setting a pattern of official disobedience to the Crown that would ultimately contribute to the American push for independence. Relying on rare primary sources discovered in government archives in England, the Carolinas, Rhode Island, Jamaica, and elsewhere, Burgess combines true tales of derring-do with groundbreaking research in this fascinating history.

Genres: Pirates, History, Nonfiction, Research, 18th Century, American History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 10, 2008

Reviews

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book highlights one of the many interesting patterns of American history, and that is the way that buccaneers and pirates served the interests of American colonial governors and American colonials as a whole in providing goods that were legally banned to the colonies thanks to England/Britain's misguided merchantlist policies.  And while England repeatedly tried to address the issue generations of smugglers of various kinds kept on finding support within the colonial establishments, and England was never able to get a grip on the colonies.  This book's story is a deeply interesting one and it shows the extent to which smuggling and a proper hostility to laws that were not written with the well-being of the colonists in mind helped to create a colonial identity distinct from England's that led quite predictably to a separate political identity for America in light of England's imperial failures.  And for those who have a larger interest in the history of piracy and smuggling, this book tells an important part of that story in how it was that piracy and smuggling got embedded into American political culture.

This particular book is a bit more than 250 pages long and is divided into fourteen chapters.  The book begins with acknowledgments and a preface and a prologue that tells the story of Blackbeard's end with a look at who it was who was sheltering and politically supporting that pirate.  After that the author discusses pirates as the enemy of the human race (1) and England's own history with state-sponsored piracy starting in the 16th century (2), as well as Henry Morgan's career as a pirate as well as a colonial official in Jamaica (3).  Then the author moves to the hostility shown to Morgan and others by various English officials (4) and the pirate cabal that proved so influential in New York in the late 1600's and early 1700's (5).  This leads to a discussion of the relationship between King Baldridge and the Red Sea pirate (6) and Thomas Tew's own career (7).   AFter this the author discusses Henry Every (8) and the trials and tribulations of pirates in dealing with English law (9).  There is a discussion of the English official sent to stamp out piracy as the most hated man in America (10) as well as the selective hostility shown by crown officials towards piracy (11).  After that the author discusses friendship with pirates (12), the problems of Lord Bellomont (13), and the way that pirates were remembered as wicked even though they had a great deal of social legitimacy within the colonies (14) until their behavior ended up closer to home.

There are at least a few obvious parallels that exist among the various people talked about here, many of whom were gouty and had to deal with the tensions between serving the interests of the colonists in having goods not allowed to them under unjust British laws as well as the problems that resulted when the security of trade and one's life was jeopardized by the violence of pirates when they acted close to home.  In many ways the colonists were dependent on smuggling because they could not afford to survive, much less thrive, on the amount of trade that they received directly from England.  This dependence on smuggling gave the colonists an awareness of the ways that their interests were contrary to those of the home country and also forced colonial administrators to hold their nose and involve themselves in the same smuggling for their own well-being as well as the own local popular support, giving them interests that were contrary to their duties to the crown and Parliament.  The end result was a long period of collusion between colonists, colonial administrators, and pirates/smugglers that helped to form an American identity that eventually led to the war of independence, and an ambivalent relationship between government and business that continues to this day.

[Dylan Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one does exactly what it says on the tin: it's a sketch of the back-end of Anglo-American Piracy from Rhode Island to Jamaica, and of the "pirate brokerage" - corruption and abuse of power - that colonial officials used to enrich themselves and their colonies by aiding and abetting piracy. The strongest emphasis is placed on the last few decades of the 17th C, and we get a particularly detailed look into the trials of William Kidd and Henry Every as a result.

[Sem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly the best non-fiction book I've read this year - engrossing, illuminating and (because I have an odd sense of humour which I seem to share with the author) hugely entertaining. I'm left with a fantasy of an alternate universe in which the colonies disengaged from Great Britain c. 1700 and became the Republic of Pirates.

[W · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author should be made to walk the plank

[David Hyder]

Fascinating. We all know about Blackbeard and Captain Kidd. Blackbeard in particular influences NC government to this day. The strength of the legislature is a result of the corruption of the Royal Governors. Even better its well written and readable not dry or boring. It would be nice to discuss other than English pirates but focus is helpful.

[Donna Jo Atwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book we learn that in the 1600s many pirates were subsided, assisted, and condoned by various governmental bodies and/or influential people. Burgess likens the system to modern day terrorists--although he confines almost all the work to the historical figures. Unlike many pirate biographies, this book talks about the shadowy figures behind the pirate ships that sailed.
He names names from the city fathers, the colonial governors, the judges, all the way up to the king.

[David R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A first rate exploration of a subject that's been drowned by the "Pirates of the Caribbean" mystique. Burgess sets the table with the defeat of "Blackbeard" in 1718, and then builds his case, documenting how and why colonial officials colluded with pirates (to the exasperation of the British Crown) for much of the 17th and 18th centuries. It's astonishing how deeply the colonies were in bed with the criminal element. Excellent work!

[Manda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Explores the gradual change in relationships between the Whitehall-appointed colonial governors of the American and Caribbean colonies and the pirates who frequented their harbours from complicity to an eventual backlash that would lead to the eradication of government-commissioned piracy by the mid-eighteenth century.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, nuanced history of the interconnectedness of pirates and the colonies in the late 17th - early 18th centuries. It could have used a little editing to make it a bit more streamlined (got a bit boring toward the latter half), but mostly an interesting read.

[Dennis Blewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for any historian of crime and corruption. It shows the influence of crime and corruption in the formation of the United States. It is a must read for those who oppose confiscation laws.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, but about 100 pages too long.

[Katrina Bergherm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bah. I was hoping for exciting stories but got a bunch of dry facts. I did learn some interesting bits along the way, though.