

Despite the controversy, the United States used privateering to supplement their small naval force during the American Revolution and the War of 1812.Įven before the United States declared itself independent from Great Britain the Continental Army began utilizing privateers to undermine British commerce and support the war effort. While both economically lucrative, privateers serve as a vehicle of war, pirates do not. Prizes refer to goods seized from a merchant or military ship. While pirates keep the prizes themselves, privateers only receive a portion of the money generated from the sale of prizes, which is heavily taxed. The main difference between pirates and privateers is that privateers are commissioned by a specific government and can only attack ships that fly under an enemy flag, while pirates are not sanctioned by any government and can attack whomever they choose. Although controversial, there is a long history of privateering that dates back to the seventeenth century. While uncommon in the modern era, during the American Revolution and the War of 1812 the United States relied heavily on privateering, which was commonly referred to as “the militia of the sea.” In general, the term privateer refers to a privately-owned ship or sailor commissioned by a government to raid an enemy’s military and merchant shipping.

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