here are some snips from an article on how "letters of marque" helped win the american revolution.

while i have to agree it it worked rather well. but it sounds like nothing but government sanctioned theft which i dont agree with.

During the Revolutionary War, privately financed American ships - sanctioned by Congress to act like pirates - attacked and caputred as many as one thousand British cargo ships, loaded with spices, rum and other goods, severely distupting trade. And the investors and sailors split the booty.

Naval historian Edgar Maclay argues that this form of economic terrorism against British merchants had more to do with Great Britain yealding the colonies than the victories of Washington over forces of mercenaries fighting on faraway soil. Maclay points out that page after page of British newspapers during the so-called "American war" complained about the phenomenal success of American privateers in rupturing British trade, even along the coasst of England, while there was comparatively little mention of the land war.

"What produces peace?" asked Thomas Jefferson. "The distress of individuals." And Jefferson added" "... every possible encouragement should be given to privateering in time of war with a commercial nation."

What exactly is a privateer? Bascially, he's our pirate. The countries of Europe, especially England with its national hero, Sir Francis Drake, have a long tradition of encouraging privateers to attack the enemy in times of war. In 1776, Contress passed an act, which begin "Instructions to the commanders of private ships or vessels of war, which shall have commissions or letters of marque ... You may, by force of arms, attack, subdue and take all ships and other vessels belonging to the Inhabitants of Great-Britain," Signed by order of Congress, John Hancock, president, April 3, 1776.

Elaborate rules explain about towing the vessel to port, not ransoming prisoners, not selling goods until a local court can rule wether it's a "legitimate prize."

Within four month after the Declaration of Independence, businessmen in New York had outfitted twenty-six speedy privateers, manned by over two thousand seamen. Besides being a patriotic move, this was a great business opportunity: to prey at will on the prosperous merchant ships of England and keep the booty. The shares of these expeditions were actually publicy traded like stock, based on the daring of the captain, the number of guns, etc. "Shares in privateers were widely sold, traded, discounted and used as collateral not only by merchants but by military officers and government officials as well," states Richard Kaufman in "The War Profiteers", He also points out that as many as 90,000 sailors manned these privateer vessels, almost as many as served in the Continental Army.

What's also little realized is that when the handfull of government battle ships, directly commisssioned by the fledgling Congress (i.e., the Continental Navy), captured British ships, the sailors aboard also shared in the wealth. (Who wouldn't fight harder for their country if he stood to make a handsome profit?)

source

UNSUNG AMERICAN "PIRATES" HELPED WIN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR page 360

from "an underground education" bu richard zacks