The Books
As each of us individually conducted research on a specific Atlantic traveler, collectively we read these books and used them as our navigational tools to sail the Atlantic's historiographical waters. The books' histories and stories guided us through our own process. Each of the following books features a unique, comprehensive approach to the early modern Atlantic world and the people who traversed it. Their authors provided us physical, conceptual, and narrative maps that we used to navigate our own understanding of the global Atlantic world. These books also offered us a set of concepts to understand and interpret the world our travelers inhabited and the challenges and opportunities they encountered in their journeys. Scott and Hébrard’s “micro-history set in motion,” Sparks's "Atlantic Creoles," Restall and Fernández-Armesto's "armed entrepreneurs," Sweet’s “Black Atlantic,” Jasanoff's "spirit of 1783," Pérez Morales's "masterless Caribbean," and Colley's "biography that crosses boundaries" offered us fruit for thought and nourished our weekly discussions.
The Books
As each of us individually conducted research on a specific Atlantic traveler, collectively we read these books and used them as our navigational tools to sail the Atlantic's historiographical waters. The books' histories and stories guided us through our own process. Each of the following books features a unique, comprehensive approach to the early modern Atlantic world and the people who traversed it. Their authors provided us physical, conceptual, and narrative maps that we used to navigate our own understanding of the global Atlantic world. These books also offered us a set of concepts to understand and interpret the world our travelers inhabited and the challenges and opportunities they encountered in their journeys. Scott and Hébrard’s “micro-history set in motion,” Sparks's "Atlantic Creoles," Restall and Fernández-Armesto's "armed entrepreneurs," Sweet’s “Black Atlantic,” Jasanoff's "spirit of 1783," Pérez Morales's "masterless Caribbean," and Colley's "biography that crosses boundaries" offered us fruit for thought and nourished our weekly discussions.
The Books
The Books
Ramusio Map (1534). Courtesy of John Carter Brown Library
John Rackham (Calico Jack) (1682 - 1720)
By Matthew Burnett
John Rackham, also known as Calico Jack because of his calico clothing, was a pirate operating around the Bahamas and Cuba in the early eighteenth century. He was born in England in 1682, but that is all that is known about his early life. The next record of Rackham is as quartermaster on the Ranger under Captain Charles Vane in 1718. Vane was a pirate, operating out of New Providence in the Bahamas, which became known as the “Pirates’ Republic.” Vane and his crew, including Rackham, had sailed North and had robbed several ships before they were spotted by a French man-of-war ship. Vane ordered a retreat, but Rackham resisted and demanded they fight. As Captain, Vane had the final say, but the majority of the crew had wanted to fight, and shortly after reaching safety the crew voted to dispose Vane and his few supporters. They put him off the ship and Rackham became the Captain of the Ranger.
John Rackham operated from his base in the Bahamas. He was active in Caribbean waters during the last years of the 1710s.
Captain John Rackham, one of the more notorious pirate of the Caribbean in the early eighteenth century, although he was only active for parts of two years. Image from Johnson, General History.
During 1718 Rackham and his new crew continued their pirating activities throughout the West Indies, focusing mainly on small merchant ships. One of their biggest hauls was when they captured the merchant ship the Kingston. However, the Kingston was captured in sight of Port Royal Harbor, and a Spanish warship was sent out to bring Rackham to justice. They tracked him to the Isla de Los Pinos off the Cuban coast, but couldn’t get to shore due to the low tide. The Spanish were content to wait out Rackham, but overnight the pirates snuck out and overpowered the guards on the smaller Spanish ship. In possession of the ship, they fled to Nassau in the Bahamas.
Once in the Bahamas, a British colony at the time, and taking advantage of a “King’s Pardon” recently reissued by King George that absolved pirates of prior crimes if they surrendered themselves to the Governor, Rackham presented himself to Governor Woodes Rogers in Nassau. In his declaration to Rogers, Rackham claimed that Vane had forced him and the crew to become pirates. Rogers, who hated Charles Vane, chose to believe Rackham and gave him and his entire crew full pardons.
While in Nassau, Rackham had an affair with Anne Bonny, the wife of John Bonny, who was employed by Governor Rogers. John turned his wife in, and Rogers ordered her to be whipped for her transgressions, at which point she fled with Rackham and they went into the pirate business together with a new crew. Rogers was furious and in September 1720 issued a proclamation for the capture of John Rackham. Within a month, Rackham had been captured by famed pirate hunter Johnathan Barnet and brought to Spanish Town, Jamaica where both Rackham and Anne Bonny were put on trial and found guilty. On November 18, 1720 Rackham was hung, and his body displayed on what is now known as Rackham’s Cay to serve as an example to other pirates.
An example of the gallows used to hang pirates such as those on Rackham’s Cay. These public executions served as warnings to other pirates. Image from Wikimedia commons.
John Rackham was only active as Captain for a couple of years, in 1718 and 1719, and was not as prominent during his time as other pirates, such as such as Blackbeard, Edward Low, William Kidd, and Charles Vane, who were much more feared by their contemporaries. Rackham’s largest haul was the Kingston, of which he soon lost control in a skirmish that nearly resulted in his capture. However, he will forever be known for two members of his crew, Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Contrary to what many might believe, pirates were incredibly particular about contracts for their crew. This was to ensure that each member of the crew got their fair share of any profits from raids on other ships. Often worked into these contracts were clauses forbidding women from being part of the crew. However, two of Rackham’s most notorious pirates were Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Both women, who joined Rackham’s crew at different times, disguising themselves as men to avoid judgement of other members. Rackham was the only one who knew the truth. It created a lot of controversy upon the capture of Rackham’s crew when Read and Bonny revealed that they were women. They also claimed to be pregnant which saved them from the fate of the rest of the crew, as it was illegal to execute a pregnant woman. They were imprisoned and Read passed away in prison from fever. There is no record of what happened to Bonny, although it is believed she was eventually released and lived the rest of her life in Jamaica.
Another important part of Rackham’s legacy was his personal flag. Personal flags, which were known as “Jolly Rogers” were often unique to each pirate. They were used to send a message to all ships. Symbols of terror and intimidation, they represented a pirate’s willingness to forego the law when engaging other ships. This would sometimes result in ships surrendering in order to save their lives. Today, the term Jolly Roger is synonymous with one pirate’s flag in particular: Jack Rackham’s. He was the first to use a skull with crossed swords on a black background, which intimated that he was not afraid to kill those who got in his way. This flag was later adapted by “Black Sam” Bellamy to become the skull and crossbones that people associate with pirates today. However, Jack Rackham will always be remembered for creating the original “Jolly Roger.”
Anne Bonny (Left) and Mary Read (Right), the two female pirates who were part of John Rackham’s crew. They avoided being hanged because they claimed to be pregnant. Image from Rediker, Villians of All Nations.
Captain John Rackham’s personal flag. This flag became the inspiration for what is now commonly known as the “Jolly Roger” and is one of the most notable symbols of pirates. Image from Wikimedia Commons
References
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Johnson, Charles. A General History of the Pyrates. London: T. Woodward, 1726.
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Rediker, Marcus. Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age. London: Verso, 2012.