Privateering blurred the line between piracy and patriotism during the American Revolution

During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress authorized privateering—legalized piracy—to disrupt British commerce. On April 3, 1776, John Hancock issued official instructions to privateers, who operated under letters of marque. Over 1,500 privateering vessels harassed British ships, forcing the Royal Navy to divert resources. Benjamin Franklin funded privateers like the Black Prince, captained by Irish smuggler Luke Ryan, to capture British sailors for prisoner exchanges. The line between pirate and privateer was often thin: Edward Teach (Blackbeard) began as a British privateer, and John Paul Jones, considered the father of the American Navy, was labeled a pirate by the British after raiding his hometown of Whitehaven. The Pirate Act of 1777 allowed British authorities to treat American privateers as pirates. Privateering ended after the War of 1812, and the 1856 Paris Declaration outlawed the practice, though the U.S. never signed.