The Wages of Piracy in Boston

Given its Puritan roots and its maritime and commercial heritage, it isn’t particularly surprising that the good people of Massachusetts might take a dim view of piracy and pirates. Below is an article (click on the second link below) regarding a hanging in Boston of captured pirates that survived being shipwrecked and the interactions that famous early American minister, Cotton Mather, had with the condemned.

As I mentioned in my earlier post “The Changing Tides of Support for Pirates in America” (https://www.apirateontheprairie.com/post/the-changing-tides-of-support-for-pirates-in-america), Americans sometimes enjoyed the opportunity to buy stolen pirate goods. But that certainly didn’t mean that pirates could consider themselves safe from justice. Think carefully before you decide to go “a-pyrating.” 🏴‍☠️🤔

On a related note, I picked up a copy of Pirates of Colonial Newport by Gloria Merchant during my recent visit to Rhode Island and I am looking forward to eventually reading it. I have included a link at the bottom of this post if you are interested in picking up your own copy.

“The End of Piracy: Pirates hanged in Boston 300 years ago”

https://www.masshist.org/beehiveblog/2017/11/the-end-of-piracy-pirates-hanged-in-boston-300-years-ag

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pirates-of-colonial-newport-gloria-merchant/1143146641?ean=97816261