"In the early eighteenth century a number of the great pirate captains, including Edward "Blackbeard" Teach and "Black Sam" Bellamy, joined forces. This infamous "Flying Gang" was more than simply a thieving band of brothers. Many of its members had come to piracy as a revolt against conditions in the merchant fleet and in the cities and plantations in the Old and New Worlds. Inspired by notions of self-government, they established a crude but distinctive form of democracy in the Bahamas, carving out their own zone of freedom in which indentured servants were released and leaders chosen or deposed by a vote. They were ultimately overcome by their archnemesis, Captain Woodes Rogers—a merchant fleet owner and former privateer—and the brief though glorious moment of the Republic of Pirates came to an end. In this unique and fascinating book, Colin Woodard brings to life this virtually unexplored chapter in the Golden Age of Piracy."
Summary & image goodreads.com
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Why do you pick up a particular book? I read “The Republic of Pirates” after thoroughly enjoying Woodard’s book “American Nations.” Click here for post. I noticed he’d written a book about Caribbean pirates. Pirates were a major part of the history of The Bahamas. With our love of the Bahamas and its people, I had another motivation to read this book of Woodard’s.
Covering the period from 1696-1725, the author gives us a glimpse of how brutal living conditions were in many parts of the world – life in the “big” cities of the world, life aboard ships whether pirate ships or England’s Royal Navy vessels and life for slaves wherever they were.
Good guys and bad guys – then, as now, it was sometimes difficult to tell who was who – depended on a person’s side of a political situation and/or personal interest.
Sailors, indentured servants, runaway slaves and others revolted against conditions they suffered on ships and plantations by fleeing to Nassau and becoming part of the “pirate republic” there. From the book jacket – “Together they established a crude but distinctive democracy in the Bahamas, carving out their own zone of freedom in which servants were free, blacks could be equal citizens, and leaders were chosen or deposed by a vote.” When Woodes Rogers, from Britain, went to Nassau in the 1720s to run out the pirates and establish “order,” he destroyed this democracy and set up a colonial system that would last for centuries. Equality would not return to the Bahamas until the people secured their independence from England in 1973.
Sailors, indentured servants, runaway slaves and others revolted against conditions they suffered on ships and plantations by fleeing to Nassau and becoming part of the “pirate republic” there. From the book jacket – “Together they established a crude but distinctive democracy in the Bahamas, carving out their own zone of freedom in which servants were free, blacks could be equal citizens, and leaders were chosen or deposed by a vote.” When Woodes Rogers, from Britain, went to Nassau in the 1720s to run out the pirates and establish “order,” he destroyed this democracy and set up a colonial system that would last for centuries. Equality would not return to the Bahamas until the people secured their independence from England in 1973.
I knew pirates created havoc with trade between countries but I didn’t realize how they absolutely paralyzed commerce. I was somewhat aware of the way rich and influential people from Europe used the Caribbean islands for their own ends - then and now. Woodard pointed out how the political situation in Europe, especially between France, Britain, and Spain affected what went on in the Caribbean. Sometimes whether you were labeled a pirate or privateer depended on who you aligned with politically – and who you wanted to see on which thrones.
Reading history can give us a better understanding of current events. I found this explanation of succession to the British throne interesting. British Queen Anne died childless in 1714. “Under normal circumstances, the crown would have passed to her half-brother, James Stuart, the next in the line of dynastic succession, a situation that, to the thinking of many at the times, was ordained by God himself. James was a Catholic, however, and under a law passed in 1701, no Catholic could sit on the throne. Unfortunately, there weren’t any other members of the House of Stuart who weren’t also Catholics. The best Protestant that anyone could come up with was one of Anne’s second cousins, George Ludwig, Elector of the German state of Hanover. Although he didn’t speak English and wasn’t interested in learning, George Ludwig was brought over to England and crowned King George I, becoming the founding member of a new ruling family, the House of Hanover, which still occupies the throne today.” (page 101) George has been the name of six British kings; the newest royal baby was recently named George.
Crowning George I was a slap in the face to the Scots. The Scots lost their independence to England in 1707. The Stuarts/Stewarts had been the royal family of Scotland. With the union of Scotland and England in 1707 the English and Scottish monarchies were merged. Now just a few years later a German prince had been placed on the throne instead of the “legitimate” heir. Landowners, politicians, pirates, and privateers in the Caribbean took sides on this political issue and it created havoc for commerce between Europe, the Caribbean, and the Americas. Relations between Scotland and England are still testy at times.
I’ve already started on another of Colin Woodard’s books, “The Lobster Coast: Rebels, Rusticators, and the Struggle for a Forgotten Frontier.” It’s about the settling of Maine. Should be interesting reading. Our ancestors were in Maine from a very early time. This book will give me insights into the land they helped settle - and what was going on with the people and the land at the time our ancestors moved to this area.
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