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Privateers: Pirates or Patriots?
Written by Jacqueline Ann Moore
Edited by Jerome Bird. Reviewed by Pat Robeson
Objectives:
After working through this lesson, student will:
- Compare the similarities and differences between pirates and
privateers in the 18th and 19th centuries.
- Expalin why a new nation sometimes needs privateers to protect itself
and safeguard its citizens.
Maryland Learning Outcomes:
Social Studies Skills
Students will demonstrate an understanding of historical and current
events using chronological and spatial thinking, develop historical
interpretations, and frame questions that include collecting and
evaluating information from primary and secondary sources.
- Find, interpret, and organize primary and secondary sources of
information including pictures, graphics, maps, atlases, artifacts,
timelines, political cartoons, videotapes, journals, and government
documents.
United States History
Students will examine significant ideas, beliefs, and themes; organize
patterns and events; and analyze how individuals and societies have
changed over time in Maryland and the United States.
- Analyze views, lives, and contributions of significant people of the
Revolutionary period.
Geography
Students will use geographic concepts and processes to examine the role
of culture, technology, and the environment in the location and
distribution of human activities and spatial connections throughout
time.
- Construct and interpret maps using map elements including a title,
cardinal and intermediate directions, compass rose, border, longitude
and latitude, legend/key, author, date, and scale.
- Explain how people in Maryland and the United States are linked by
transportation and communication.
Economics
Students will develop economic reasoning to understand the historical
development and current status of economic principles, institutions, and
processes needed to be effective citizens, consumers, and workers
participating in local communities, the nation, and the world.
- Explain how limited resources and unlimited economic wants cause
people to choose certain goods and services and give up others.
Political Systems
Students will understand the historical development and current status
of the fundamental concepts and processes of authority, power, and
influence, with particular emphasis on the founding documents of the
United States and the democratic skills and attitudes necessary to
become responsible citizens.
- Give examples of how the rule of law has impacted the rights and
responsibilities of people.
Worksheet:
Key Web Sites Referenced in this Lesson:
Teacher Background Information:
Pirates and privateers - it was often difficult to tell the difference
between these two types of seafarers. In this lesson, the students will
learn about the history of pirate activity in the Chesapeake Bay area.
Students will also examine what separates pirates from privateers, and
why the fledgling American Navy depended so heavily on privateers while
trying to win independence from England.
A script
for conducting a mock trial is included for your use.
If you have time, your students might enjoy conducting
this mock trial to determine whether or not the accused character is a
pirate or a privateer.
The lesson on the War of 1812 in this Maryland with PRIDE curriculum is
a natural follow-up and extension to this lesson. During the War of
1812, privateers were again needed to strengthen America's naval forces.
Introduction/Motivation:
Explain to students that when England began to enforce the trade laws in
colonial times, many colonists, including Marylanders, did not mind.
Along the broad Chesapeake many people were engaged in the shipping
business, and the Navigation Acts helped the shipping business. But the
acts of trade and the methods of forcing people to obey them made
enemies in Maryland, as they did in other colonies. In March 1765,
Parliament passed the Stamp Act. (This was an extra charge on
newspapers and other items written on paper that had to have a
government stamp on them.) This act led to other acts which finally
resulted in the Boston Tea Party. The Revolutionary War soon followed.
Tell students that Privateers: Pirates or Patriots? will help them
understand the importance of Chesapeake Bay during this time period and
later during the War of 1812.
Lesson Development:
This lesson introduces students to life on Chesapeake Bay in the early
days of our country. Maryland men were used to the water. They were
good sailors; they were good shipbuilders. What did the men of Maryland
do to help win the freedom of the seas? This lesson addresses these
issues.
Students use historical maps to answer questions about the importance of
the Bay. They learn the difference between a pirate and a patriot. The
Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 are addressed in ways different
from most textbooks. Students examine primary source documents to
identify the importance of rules for everyone, even when at sea.
Thoughtful Application:
The mission of Pride of Baltimore II is to serve as the Goodwill
Ambassador for the State of Maryland and the Port of Baltimore. She is a
world class platform for economic development and education. In the
course of this mission, Pride II promotes stronger commercial and
cultural links between Maryland and her international trading partners.
As the only existing example of an 1812-era Baltimore Clipper topsail
schooner, Pride of Baltimore II is a vibrant and tangible link to the
state's colorful maritime heritage. As such, she captures the
imagination of Maryland students, making her a natural and compelling
stimulus for learning. Students can share this information about Pride
of Baltimore II with other students throughout and country - and even
the world. In the Thoughtful Application, they are directed to design a
brochure that the crew of Pride II could use to explain the ship and
her mission. The brochure should contain information about the rich
history of Maryland and the importance of Chesapeake Bay. The brochure
should include an appropriate title as well as the following five
elements:
- At least one fact about Maryland during the Revolutionary War
- At least one fact about Maryland during the War of 1812
- At least one fact about the importance of Chesapeake Bay to shipping
- At least one reason to visit Maryland today.
- Correct spelling, capitalization, and grammar.
Thoughtful Application Scoring Tool:
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Students will receive
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| 5 Points |
- If all 5 parts of the requirements are completely met.
| 4 Points |
- If 4 of the 5 parts of the requirements are met.
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| 3 Points |
- If 3 of the 5 parts of the requirements are met.
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| 2 Points |
- If 2 of the 5 parts of the requirements are met.
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| 1 Point |
- If 1 of the 5 parts of the requirements are met.
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Other Resources
- The American People: Creating a Nation and a Society, edited by Gary
B. Nash, Julie R. Jeffrey, et. al.; New York: Harper Collins, 1994
- The Burning of Washington, by Anthony Pitch; Annapolis, MD: Naval
Institute Press, 1998
- Jack London, A Life of Adventure, by Rae Bains; U.S.A.: Troll
Associates, 1992
- Naval Documents of the American Revolution: 1776, Volume 6, edited by
William James Morgan; Washington, D.C.: United States Navy, 1972
- Our Maryland, by Jane Eagen and Jeanne McGinnis; Salt Lake City: Gibbs
M. Smith, Inc., 1987
- Pirates on the Chesapeake: Being a True History of Pirates, Picaroons
and Raiders on Chesapeake Bay, 1610-1807, by Donald Shomette;
Centreville, MD: Tidewater Publishers, 1985
- The Pirate's Handbook: How to Become a Rogue if the High Seas, by
Margarette Lincoln; New York: Cobblehill Books, 1995
- The Pirates Own Book: Authentic Narratives of the Most Celebrated Sea
Robbers, compiled by the Marine Research Society; New York: Dover
Publications, Inc., originally published 1837, reprinted in 1993
- Pirates and Patriots of the Revolution: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of
Colonial Seamanship, by C. Keith Wilbur; Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole
Books, 1984
- Rebels Under Sail: The American Navy during the Revolution, by William
Fowler, Jr.; New York: Charles Scribner & Sons, 1976
- Seafaring America, by Alexander Laing; New York: American Heritage
Publishing, Inc., 1974
- Shipbuilding in Colonial America, by Joseph A. Goldenberg;
Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 1976
- Ships and Seaman of the American Revolution, by Jack Coggins;
Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1969
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