By Tiffany Mitchell
The recent hijacking of U.S. container ship “Maersk Alabaman” by Somali pirates has opened an American wound leading President Obama to issue the first death sentence of his now four-month-long presidency. Coincidentally, the issue of pirates has been one of presidential concern in the U.S., gaining public interest most significantly after the success of President Thomas Jefferson’s decree to the United States Marines in the attack on the Barbary Pirates in 1804.
As piracy continues to threaten seagoing vessels, it is interesting to note that, other than the use of technological advancement, little has changed in terms of the ancient motives and methods still acted upon by today’s pirates. However, with the assistance of modern media, the idea of piracy has captivated the attention of audiences worldwide through the romanticized life-style portrayed by block-buster pirates.
According to pirate-enthused web authority, blindkat.hegewisch.net, “Despite what Johnny Depp thinks, pirates were not the rock stars of the eighteenth century.” This cite goes on to define piracy as any violent action, robbery being the most predominant, which occurs outside the normal jurisdiction of a state, motivated by private ends, and carried out without the authorization of the public.
The fact that acts of piracy are driven by private rather than political agendas is a threat imposed upon unsuspecting nations that has, since the activity of pirates in ancient Greece and Rome, received fatally aggressive retaliation issued by some of the world’s most powerful rulers. Actions taken by Jefferson and Obama bear a striking resemblance to those issued by Julies Caesar after being captured by a band of pirates at the age of twenty-five. Caesar was seized on the Mediterranean Sea where, upon his release, his troops caught and killed the offending pirates.
Pirates of the Mediterranean Sea, as described by ThinkQuest New York City, were mostly muslim pirates, known as corsairs, who enjoyed plundering Christian ships. According to ThinkQuest, corsairs were interested in seeking people not treasure. Driving ships armed with cannons, the corsairs used weapons such as scimitars, muskets, and daggers to commandeer rich people to be used as ransom, and ordinary people to be used as slaves on their galleys.
Moving from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe, pirates also began to move up river creating the opportunity to raid British Settlements. These pirates of the North Sea were called Norse Riders or Vikings and, as declared by ThinkQuest, this was the very beginning of piracy.
ThinkQuest reports, that, in result of the discovery of the New World, pirates began to move towards the Caribbean, were merchant ships known as galleons carrying huge amounts of treasure were slow and easy targets of piracy. As nations began to build bigger fleets and stronger navies, and with the introduction of steam-powered ships, they were more able to track down and capture most of the pirates.
Western State Writers Spring 2009 