A Scholarly Examination and Contrasting of the Complex Dichotomy Between Sea-fairing within both Piracy and of Slavery in 18th Century Literature and the Effects on Modern Legality.
Salty sea-air and shanties abound, life at sea in the 18th century is oft romanticized and remarked upon as the ultimate wonder-filled freedom of choice. The discovery of “new” lands helped push forward the grand ideas of profit and untold riches to those who wished to partake in the long journey at sea. Pirates, seamen, and explorers utilized that freedom of choice to inflict their will at sea, a fitting parallel for those whose will was broken and those who had all previous livelihood taken away in the Transatlantic slave trade. The interesting dichotomy between those that benefited from life at sea in that era, and those who had everything stripped from them, will be focused upon in this glimpse of life at sea in the 18th century. Specifically, the parallel between ultimate freedom of choice that was granted to pirates, some ethnically diverse, is in stark contrast with the shackles that literally bound African slaves to ships, and the inherent desire to discover and conquer new lands and attain wealth, drove both the practice of slavery and piracy in that era. To that end, the text’s “A General History Of The Pyrates” and “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano” will be examined, along with several timely scholarly sources and their respective authors, to make the argument that both slavery and piracy were the result of the commoditization of sea fairing itself and represented a unique relationship between the two enterprises.
The two primary sources in this essay, “A General History Of The Pyrates” and “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano”, share a great many similarities. Both works highlight stories from a supposed first-hand account or accounts from the 18th century, in the case of the latter, Mr. Equiano himself, and for Pyrates, stories that have been directly related to the author, Captain Charles Johnson, by supposed witnesses. They both present untold horrors, predominantly happening to women and minorities, on the high sea, and yet both also highlight an almost giddy and unique sense of wonder towards sea-fairing in general. This interesting dichotomy between the utility and commoditization of sea travel versus the wonder of it, lies at the heart of the direct comparison being made between the two.
For Equiano, in his 18th century autobiography, the experience aboard the slave ship is extremely unpleasant at first. Equiano utilizes his work to help highlight his own struggles and strife to the masses in a time when few were listening to the plight of slaves. However, viewing his time aboard is essential to the comparison between slavery and piracy. Equiano highlights the horrific conditions he faced on his journey aboard a slave ship as a slave with lines like, “I received such a salutation in my nostrils as I had never experienced in my life…with the loathsomeness of the stench, and crying together, I became so sick and low.” (Equiano, Chap. 2). In which, he notes that the experience was the worst he’d ever faced in his life and offers us a glimpse at the total desperation of his conditions. He also makes it clear of his own thoughts on the slave trade and inherent greed of slave peddlers with the line that, “The slaves, of which many died, thus falling victims to the improvident avarice, as I may call it, of their purchasers.” (Equiano, Chap. 2). His specific mention of the avarice of his captors highlights the way in which the slave trade was inherently tied to monetary gain. Yet, even with all of the horrors faced, Equiano still manages to find some amazement for the ships themselves that are carrying him and his fellow slaves. The slavers cost Equiano his freedom, but they cannot keep his spirit and imagination at bay. The vessels represent his confinement, and yet they also bring out an unusual for-his-situation demeanor from Equiano. Equiano faces many a horror on board the slave ship, and yet, even while that has occurred, he still manages to find some defiant amazement at the vessels themselves.
Equiano, completely new to sea-fairing and ships, believes wholeheartedly that they are magical in nature. Coming from a place of utmost wonder, Equiano doesn’t quite know what to make of the vessels. He makes specific a note of his amazement that, “to my great astonishment, I saw one of these vessels coming in with the sails up.” (Equiano, Chap. 2). The “mystical” nature of this giant vessel fascinates Equiano and brings out a sense of amazement and wonder. He furthers this notion that it, “heightened my wonder; and I was now more persuaded than ever that I was in another world, and that everything about me was magic” and that the “white men had some spell or magic they put in the water when they liked in order to stop the vessel. I was exceedingly amazed at this account, and really thought they were spirits.” (Equiano, Chap. 2). Equiano, even in the most dire of straights aboard a slave ship, and all the while noting the greed that has brought him into that predicament, is still amazed at the vessels allowing this travel themselves. Equiano knows in his own way that the predicament he finds himself in is less representative of sea-travel and the wonder therein, but more directly related to the greed of utility. In this way, Equiano begins to bridge the gap between piracy and slavery by highlighting the desire for wealth that drove people in to both the profession of piracy and the slave trade.
The way piracy and slavery relied on the same technology for sea-faring in the 18th century will allow for a direct comparison to be done more adequately from new points of view and, although slaves and pirates shared this same technology of vessels that allowed sea travel, the circumstances that ushered each into both couldn’t be more dissimilar. Piracy, for instance, was another trade most definitely driven by avarice and new technology and opportunities of sea travel. It also helped to fuel the imagination of many a land dweller in the 18th century as well, which in turn, created a desire for the stories of famous pirates consumed by the reading masses. This is the exact reason that Captain Johnson’s 1724 work, “A General History Of The Pyrates”, exists. In it, Johnson showcases the pirates and their adventures themselves, while also helping to define piracy in a way more easily understood and from a new sense of legality and both the fear and respect some pirates commanded.
Piracy, a romanticized notion in the modern era, likewise captivated imaginations for sure in the 18th century as well but was also seen as a cut-throat and dangerous profession. Pirates ransacked and pillaged, murdered and plundered, raped and desecrated at their own leisure, and for personal gain. They also offered a plethora of opportunities to many people of color, and even women, in an era when that was highly uncommon. This allows for a much starker contrast and comparison between both piracy and slavery and the way they were viewed in the 18thcentury by minorities and a starkly white dominated society, because it highlights the notion that slaves could have had more if not for the greed of their captors and the specific circumstances they faced.
Pirates were certainly out for themselves for the most part. They commanded a certain level of fear and respect. Arguably the most famous pirate, Edward Teach, better known as the terrifying Black Beard, was remarked on in Pyrates as, “well received, but whether out of Love or Fear, I cannot say; sometimes…he and his Companions often took with the Wives and Daughters of the Planters… At other Times he carried it in a lordly Manner towards them, and … he often proceeded to bully the Governor.” (Johnson, 77). In this passage, the author relates the fear, and perhaps even the amount of respect that some pirates commanded even while doing terrible things like pillaging and insulting the governor. Pirates were free to do what they pleased, although most weren’t government sanctioned, they still had the freedom of choice that was denied those who were bound to ships in shackles as slaves. Pirates even had the choice to choose what weather conditions they worked in, as it was remarked that “Pyrates generally shift their Rovings, according to the Season of the Year; in the Summer they cruise mostly along the Coast …but the Winters there, being a little too cold for them, they follow the Sun… at the approach of cold Weather.” (Johnson, 3). Pirates, in this way, begin to represent utter freedom and the right to choose. They could choose to do things considered now quite terrible, albeit with societal repercussions that other terrible people like say, slave traders, did not face at the time. The divide between the right to choose one’s fate on the high seas in that era of the 18th century certainly separates the pirates from the slaves, however they do have a much stronger connection in the eyes of the law, especially from the modern perspective.
The strongest direct connection between slavery and piracy is found in the world of legality. This topic of the legality of slavery and piracy in direct comparison with one another has been hotly discussed, well through the modern era, by many scholars with dissenting opinions. In her essay, “The Concept of Piracy in Nineteenth-Century American Abolitionist Rhetoric,” on the relationship between Piracy and the Abolitionist movement, Deborah Rosen, writing for the magazine Slavery & Abolition, remarks that “The ‘pirate’ label had a powerful impact not only because pirates were viewed as ruthless, brutal men who violently stole property and committed other atrocious crimes but also …pirates were considered outlaws – people outside the protection of law – which suggested that anyone could kill such a person any time, without legal process. Thus ‘piracy’ was an important element of abolitionists’ rhetorical repertoire, used both to stigmatize slaveholders and to shape legal perspectives on slavery by reversing presumptions about property rights and about slavery-related violence.” (698, D.A. Rosen). In this manner, Rosen is taking the stance that Slavery was abolished thanks in part to the way piracy and pirates were treated under the law, and how slaves were treated as property. The argument being made in this work however, takes the stance that while the legal definitions for property might’ve been adjusted and reflected based upon piracy, the social climate and legality of slavery also faced stigmatization from other outside sources that lead to the ultimate abolition of the practice on a grand scale.
It is then discernable to begin to recognize that while slavery was considered an “honest” practice in the 18th century, piracy, regardless of its place in storytelling at the time, was not. In George Dow’s 2002 book, Slave Ships and Slaving, he makes specific mention of this social divide. He argues that, “there is no record of either pirates or highwaymen ever having been regarded as persons following an honest calling; whereas, the slave trade, until the early part of the nineteenth century, was a perfectly legitimate business and those engaged therein were considered as respectable by any other traders.” (George Francis Dow, XVII). It is interesting to note the wording in which the author makes his stance known, because he clearly showcases that while the Slave trade was considered “legitimate” and piracy was looked down upon, with the benefit of time it can clearly be seen which was more detrimental. The slave trade, with more modern sensibilities, can clearly be seen as the far more evil practice.
While the work of Deborah Rosen is important to discuss as not only to make the point that the two practices are far more connected than the surface level similarities might seem, but rather also to highlight the specific way she discusses legality and the abolition movement, the argument of this essay is specifically in how the practices of slavery and piracy influenced the distinction about the morality of the legality within both practices. Rosen’s point is an important one to consider, and also to be contrasted with Dow’s own work about the morality of the slave trade, and to make the point that the changing morality and the “properness” of the slave trade and the “improperness” of piracy have certainly both come around in the moral social justice structure of the modern era. The two authors highlight a strong connection about how the two practices still hold much influence over the scholarly thinking of both issues in the modern era, and also, the legality of the practice of piracy.
The legality of piracy was also a hotly discussed topic at the time in the 18th century and in the work “A General History Of The Pyrates”, within that work, many minute details about the legality of piracy is discussed in great detail, but for the sake of relevance only a few key issues will be discussed to relate the concepts of piracy and slavery. The “Article(s) of Pyracy” highlighted in the work showcased specific situations when piracy was considered a punishable offense or not at the time. It is noted that, sometimes, certain things might not be directly labeled piracy but rather, “could not come under the Article of Pyracy… therefore was a simple Robbery only.” (Johnson, 343). This distinction is important to differentiate what defined piracy in the eyes of the law in the 18th century and is somewhat different than modern piracy and the breaking of international laws.
This issue is of what defined piracy is remarked upon several times in Pyrates, but no better than in the lines, “If a Ship is assaulted and taken by the Pyrates, for Redemption of which, the Master becomes a Slave to the Captors, by the Law Marine, the Ship and Lading are tacitly obliged for his Redemption, by a general Contribution; but if it happen through his own Folly, then no Contribution is to be made.” (Johnson, 425). The specific mention of no contribution being made if it happened through the folly of one’s own is incredibly interesting when discussing the 18th century contemporary legality of both piracy and slavery and how they’ve changed over time.
The distinction that slavery was considered an honest to goodness “polite” and “socially acceptable” practice in the 18th century, and yet piracy was, for the most part not, is an important one to make. Even in Mr. Equiano’s damning portrayal of slavery, he never takes the stance that it was considered unacceptable treatment of the slaves themselves, merely a product of the time and social structure he now found himself in. This stark contrast is also highlighted in the way Edward Teach, Black Beard, is regarded as doing inherently negative things like forcing himself upon women and theft, and yet is simultaneously “well received…whether out of Love or Fear.” (Johnson, 77). The inherent legal issue, and social standing, of both piracy and slavery is one that is still grappled with to this day and regarded often in court decisions.
The precedent of slavery and piracy, in relation to one another, in the field of legality cannot be understated by modern scholars. Slavery and piracy have, to many, become the shining beacon with which to base legal precedent on in the realm of international law. Writing for the scholarly magazine Law & History Review, Jenny Martinez and Lisa Surwillo write that, “The court of appeals in Filártiga allowed (the) lawsuit to proceed, concluding in…this reasoning, slave trading (along with piracy) is the quintessential international law violation, by which modern violations are judged to determine if they can proceed. If the torturer is like the slave trader in relevant respects, then that person is an enemy of humanity and can be sued wherever he or she is found.” (88, Martinez, Jenny S, and Lisa Surwillo). To the authors, the sins of the past are thought of as having helped inform modern international laws and the violations thereof. The argument presented in this work likewise takes the stance that the direct comparison of pirates and slave traders as being “an enemy of humanity” is rightfully harsh, especially from a modern perspective. However, it should also be stated that the pointed notion Martinez and Surwillo make, namely that modern laws should strive to improve from the laws and traditions of the past, should also not entirely be the basis for modern legal precedent in regards to international laws.
The subject of the legality of modern slavery or piracy is not something that should be taken lightly. The legality of slavery is, thankfully, not something that is as relevant to a modern audience as it once was, but the sins of the past cannot merely be swept under a rug either. While slavery is certainly not completely gone from all societies in the modern era, it is no longer common practice. The concept of piracy is much more relevant to the modern era as piracy is very much an active concept. For instance, in the Paul Greengrass film Captain Phillips, from 2013, the concept of modern piracy was reintroduced for a vast audience. Audiences could see that piracy was somewhat different in the way it was portrayed in literature in the 18th century, but was now back at the forefront of conversation thanks to the height of the Somali pirate craze and now warranted discussions about legality in the modern era, as well as reflection on the practice in the 18th century.
Direct connections between slavery and piracy are varied and scattered throughout the various works that helped inform this work, but several key features define the unique points of comparison and contrast for both. Slavery and Piracy have both been condemned with time and yet, remain in popular culture in both fiction and autobiographical stories, films, television shows, and more. Slavery and piracy were driven first and foremost by a pursuit of wealth and the perceived opportunities that were offered to people who partook in the slave trade and piracy. The utility of sea-fairing vessels often superseded the wonderous aspects of sea travel, especially to those who found themselves on the wrong end of a pirate or slave merchant. However, the sense of wonder that was stirred by the vessels themselves, and the opportunities that many felt seafaring offered are still just as relevant as ever.
By investigating the deeper connections between both piracy and slavery, a stronger connection between both can be made, and the grander context revolves around the specifics that might’ve been missed on a more surface level discussion. The two enterprises were also almost exclusively funded by a deep desire to attain wealth, and by further contrasting them against the scholarly sources utilized, new ground has been broken on the way the two enterprises related to each other in both the 18th century and the continued importance of both on the legality of the modern era, and popular culture. “A General History Of The Pyrates” and “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano” both highlight a damning glimpse into the brutality of piracy and slavery, and yet both also manage to captivate the senses and imagination of life upon the high seas in an era of technological breakthroughs of sea fairing. The relationship between piracy and slavery is certainly complex, but it is best defined by legality and morality, and the specific way in which those concepts have changed in the years following the 18th century and the literature of that era.
Works Cited:
Dow, George F. Slave Ships and Slaving. Dover ed., Toronto, General Publishing Company. Ltd., 2002, pp. V-345, books.google.com. Accessed 4 Dec. 2020.
Equiano, Olaudah. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. London, Himself, 1789, pp. 49-227, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15399/15399-h/15399-h.htm. Accessed 4 Dec. 2020.
Greengrass, Paul, director. Captain Phillips. Written by Billy Ray, Columbia Pictures, 2013.
Johnson, Charles. A General History Of The Pyrates. 2nd ed., London, T. Warner, 1724, pp. 1-425, www.gutenberg.org/files/40580/40580-h/40580-h.htm. Accessed 4 Dec. 2020.
Martinez, Jenny S., and Lisa Surwillo. “‘Like the Pirate and the Slave Trader Before Him’: Precedent and Analogy in Contemporary Law and Literature.” Law & History Review, vol. 35, no. 1, Feb. 2017, pp. 81–98. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1017/S0738248016000523.
Rosen, Deborah A. “The Concept of Piracy in Nineteenth-Century American Abolitionist Rhetoric.” Slavery & Abolition, vol. 38, no. 4, Dec. 2017, pp. 697–718. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/0144039X.2017.1341017.
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