Aprivateer is a privately owned and armed ship licensed by its government to capture enemy trading vessels during times of war. Privateering has been historically interpreted as a combination of swashbuckling adventure and pseudo-piracy on the high seas. While there’s some truth to the former due to the freewheeling nature and libertine-like outlook many of the pirates had, the latter isn’t a fair comparison. Early American privateers weren’t pirates; the vast majority, in fact, were honorable, industrious, patriotic capitalists, and they played a crucial role in helping the colonies end British dominion.
