Privateers in the War of 1812

Privateers in the War of 1812 Privateers were captains of merchant ships legally sanctioned to attack and capture ships of enemy nations. American privateers had played a useful role in the American Revolution, attacking British ships. And when the United States Constitution was drafted it contained a provision for the federal government to authorize privateers. In the War of 1812, American privateers played a major role, as armed merchant ships sailing from American ports attacked, seized, or destroyed a great many British merchant ships. The American privateers actually did much more damage to British shipping than the U.S. Navy, which was greatly outnumbered and outgunned by Britains Royal Navy. Some American privateer captains became heroes during the War of 1812, and their exploits were celebrated in American newspapers.   Privateers sailing from Baltimore, Maryland were especially aggravating to the British. London newspapers denounced Baltimore as a nest of pirates. The most significant of the Baltimore privateers was Joshua Barney, a naval hero of the Revolutionary War who volunteered to serve in the summer of 1812 and was commissioned as a privateer by President James Madison. Barney was immediately successful at raiding British ships on the open ocean and received press attention. The Columbian, a New York City newspaper, reported on the results of one of his raiding voyages in the issue of August 25, 1812: Arrived at Boston the English brig William, from Bristol (England) for St. Johns, with 150 tons of coal, ; a prize to the privateer Rossie, commodore Barney, who had also captured and destroyed 11 other British vessels, and captured the ship Kitty from Glasgow, of 400 tons and ordered her for the first port. The British naval and land attack on Baltimore in September 1814 was, at least in part, intended to punish the city for its connection to privateers. Following the burning of Washington, D.C., British plans to burn Baltimore were thwarted, and the American defense of the city was immortalized by Francis Scott Key, an eyewitness, in The Star-Spangled Banner. History of Privateers By the dawn of the 19th century, the history of privateering stretched back at least 500 years. The major European powers had all employed privateers to prey upon the shipping of enemies in various conflicts. The official commissions which governments gave to authorize ships to operate as privateers were generally known as letters of marque. During the American Revolution, state governments, as well as the Continental Congress, issued letters of marque to authorize privateers to seize British merchant ships. And British privateers likewise preyed upon American ships. In the late 1700s, ships of the East India Company sailing in the Indian Ocean were known to have been issued letters of marque and preyed upon French vessels. And during the Napoleonic Wars, the French government issued letters of marque to ships, sometimes manned by American crews, which preyed upon British shipping. Constitutional Basis for Letters of Marque The use of privateers was considered an important, if not essential, part of naval warfare in the late 1700s when the United States Constitution was written. And the legal basis for privateers was included in the Constitution, in Article I, Section 8. That section, which includes a lengthy list of Congressional powers, includes: To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water. The use of letters of marque was specifically mentioned in the Declaration of War signed by President James Madison and dated June 18, 1812: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That war be and is hereby declared to exist between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the dependencies thereof, and the United States of America and their territories; and the President of the United States is hereby authorized to use the whole land and naval force of the United States, to carry the same into effect, and to issue private armed vessels of the United States commissions or letters of marque and general reprisal, in such form as he shall think proper, and under the seal of the United States, against the vessels, goods, and effects of the government of the said United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the subjects thereof. Recognizing the importance of privateers, President Madison personally signed each commission. Anyone seeking a commission had to apply to the secretary of state and submit information about the ship and its crew. The official paperwork, the letter of marque, was extremely important. If a ship was captured on the high seas by an enemy ship and could produce an official commission, it would be treated as a combatant vessel and the crew would be treated as prisoners of war. Without the letter of marque, the crew could be treated as ordinary pirates and hanged.

Genetic Enhancement essays

Genetic Enhancement essays Complaining about What is scarring people in these days is the possibility of cloning discoveries. At this point the question is: how this discovery will affect our society? And what is the scientists goal?. We all are worried about this discovery because what come out from scientists it is not really reassuring. Even scientists dont know what will be the long- terms effects of playing with genes if they might have bad results on patient's descendants. Moreover, by altering the natural course of nature on people, making them thinner, healthier we might increase marginalizazion and discrimination of people who cant or just dont want to be genetically enhanced. In response to pressure from society, We should stop and think before allowed scientists to go on without strict controls. All the attention these days to concerns about human cloning has pushed other controversial areas of medical science into shadows. The first attempts are to carry out genetic enhancement in humans could soon be under way. The goal of genetic enhancement is not to treat people with diseases or abnormalities, but to make healthy people more attractive. To do so, it would employ the recombinant- DNA techniques from monocular biology that emerged in the 1970s. This permits scientists to remove individual genes from one organism and introduce them into another, even on another species. Although we belief that The therapy aims to overcome health problems by giving the effected individuals the normal- or functioning- gene. Allowing genetic enhancement in more than a few very special cases poses real problems. First, the risks to the patient at present are very great compared with the possible benefits. We sill know very little about how they act- a single gene can have multiple effects in different parts of the body. Moreover, genes do not act alone: the ire effects are amplified, demitted, or counterbalanced by others ge ...

Managerment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managerment - Essay Example In South Africa, the private sector comprises of 2.7 million numbers of small enterprises. Majority of these employees are informal and micro enterprises. Only 12,000 of them are considered to be medium and large scale enterprises. 2.7 million enterprises in the country generate employment for 9.3 million people across the country. About three-fourth of these employees are engaged in the small and medium scale enterprises. These enterprises play a major role in uplifting the economic condition of the country, however their progress have remained substantially slow over the last few years. The employment generated according to the size of enterprises has been presented in the following diagram1. In fact the government of South Africa considers the development of small businesses as an important step towards strengthening the economy2. Small businesses are said to contribute significantly to the employment growth in Sub Saharan Africa. The small businesses have been able to absorb more than 40% of the labor force in the region. The most prominent improvements have been witnessed in the five countries, namely, Kenya, Malawi, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Swaziland. The increase in the number of start-ups specifically accounts for the improvement in the level of employment in the region. Only about 25% of these small businesses have grown substantially, but their contribution towards employment creation has is substantial. Only 1% of the start-ups has effectively transformed into the intermediate sized firms3. The small firms are said to the backbone of the sub Saharan economy. The size distribution among the firms existing in Africa is highly skewed with large number of small firms4. The small and medium enterprise sector in Nigeria comprises of 50% of the country’s employment and 50% of the country’s industrial output. The contribution of small economies to the economic growth of Africa is at par with the advanced nations of the

How did the term 'Butskellism' arise Was it justified Essay

How did the term 'Butskellism' arise Was it justified - Essay Example In this paper the historical view will look at the content of ‘consensus’ and how it emerged and was translated into actual policies. In short what actually was the postwar consensus? There onwards the academic debate which surrounds and is continuing as we write; so to speak; will be examined. The core questions like; was it a consensus or was it political rivalries misnamed as consensus? Was it an elite consensus or a broad consensus of electorate to the political center? Reference will also be made to the consensus or otherwise of the interest groups (trade unions etc.). An attempt will be made to situate this discussion within the overall structural matrix of British Political System. The purpose is to show that the structure and the dynamics within, actually construct constraints and boundaries which form the context of UK Politics and any radicalism/drastic change is perceived as out of context. This argument will be supported by a brief comparative political analy sis with mainland European model. It will also be supported by referring to the underlying core value structure of UK, which forms the basis of any socio-political construct. The consensus has probably always existed in British Politics, in its different variants, within the confines of practically two-party parliamentary system. This will be demonstrated in the later part of this paper, as for now, as a point of departure of this paper, it is suffice to address the ‘postwar consensus’ and it’s ‘moderately satirical’ Economist typification as Butskellism. It is perhaps an erroneous assertion to call consensus; postwar. It did not spring up suddenly between two political antagonists just after the Second World War. The War time Conservative government was a consensus government. The achievements of the Coalition Government of 1940-45 are termed as the harbinger of postwar-consensus (Addison.1975). Our assertion however is that consensus is the quintessential British Political

Politics in the Arab world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Politics in the Arab world - Essay Example According to Bennis, the Israel-Palestinian crisis started in 2000 after the collapse of Camp David summit. However, Ariel Sharon’s decision to match with Israeli troops sparked an uprising. The Israelis stepping-up of their weapons has increased the intensity of the crisis while Palestinians have also escalated the weapons they used from during the first intifada. Although Israel has every right to arrest anyone who threatened citizens, there is no justification for military occupation. On the other hand, while most Palestinians do not participate in the attacks, the few who attack civilians meets the definitional criteria for terrorists (Bennis). Nevertheless, can we justify that Palestinians are just fighting for their freedom from Israels occupation, which is akin to colonialism? As descendants of native Palestine, some Palestinian Arabs remained in Israel while some fled during the creation of Israel. However, their rights in the country are not at par with the Jews though some serve in the Knesset (Bennis). On the other hand, Israelis constitute the Jewish community, which is about 80% of Israeli population, while the rest of Israelis are descendants of Palestine Arabs. It is crucial to point out that, the Jewish led to the creation of the state of Israel, which Bennis noted defines â€Å"itself as a state of the entire Jewish people.† Therefore, a Jew is a very different person from an Israeli. The Jewish people came from various parts of Europe after running away from persecution, which resulted to Zionism. Using military occupation, which is a â€Å"complete Israeli control over every facet of Palestinian civil and economic life† the Israelis occupy some territories meant for Palestinians (Bennis). In this case, these territories are 22% of the land formerly under the British Palestine Mandate (Bennis). It is crucial to point out that,

Computer science and information technology Essay Example for Free

Computer science and information technology Essay The hard work and determination to create opportunities for change remains to be the main inspiration of man towards the attainment of his personal goals and objectives. They use these experiences as motivation and strength to further advance in their respective fields. Not only does it enhance their capabilities as an individual, at the same time it provides the necessary stepladder in attaining success. With these, I wish to express my intention to apply for a PhD degree in Web Engineering Technology. The realm of computer science and information technology has always fascinated me. It stimulated my mind of this complex processes that happens within for a particular system to work. This complexities and possibilities have made me keen of the possible opportunities that are yet to be discovered or formulated. This however, can only be facilitated by further education and research. Looking at my educational background, I finished my Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. After this, I began teaching students about the things I had learned during my study. Given my good academic standing, I was given a full scholarship by my country to study in the United States. This proved to be too good to be true for me as it can help me achieve my long term goals better my skills and competence in the field. Being an international student, I was faced with numerous struggles and difficulties adjusting. But my hard work paid off. Now, I am currently finishing my last semester to complete my Masters degree in Computer Science. I can say that this experience enhanced my interpersonal and leadership skills which I can effectively apply in practice. Now, it is my utmost intention to pursue a PhD program and focus on the field of Web design Technology. I chose this specialization because I am greatly interested in the increasing number of techniques and strategies available in Web Design. Likewise, I had familiarized myself with this study and hope that in the future I can be able to provide a lot of research in my chosen field of profession. In the end, this stepping stone is a vital process towards my personal fulfillment and professional success.

Possibilities for a Better World :: Kurt Vonnegut Cats Cradle Essays

Possibilities for a Better World The picture painted of the world and humanity by Kurt Vonnegut in Cats' Cradle is not a positive one. It is not the utopia that so many of the novel's character's are striving for. It is a ridiculous world where truths are based on lies and the balance of good and evil is a manufactured state. If Vonnegut's attempt is to "poison minds with humanity†¦ to encourage them to make a better world," it is only through showing the reader the follies of man, the foolishness we live with daily, that maybe we can change our outlook and make a "better world." Within the 191 pages of Cat's Cradle Vonnegut manages to slam nearly every mode of life, every motivating factor, every convention of modern man. The strongest attacks are on our ways to knowledge: science and religion. Science is shown as a field led by madmen who do not comprehend the consequences of their research and creations. Religion is shown as being all lies developed to keep man happy. The characters of the novel are not unscathed either. Most are shown as greedy, uncompromising, and unsympathetic. They are led by unknown forces to do bad things, foolish things. Vonnegut "poisons" the reader with these examples of mankind. He examines, with wit and comedy, the selfish and foolish nature of humanity. One can look at the actions of the characters and their actions, along with the consequences of those actions, and draw from it a conclusion about the futility of living. Vonnegut can certainly be seen as a cynic for the image that he gives us of humanity. He takes it one step further, though, by showing us all of the absurdity of our modern lives. He wants us to see that we live by lies. Even the words on the page are lies. There is no truth. And in this way we are not bound to live the life that Vonnegut portrays. There may be a better end for us than there is at the end of Cat's Cradle. Maybe then it is possible for us, all of mankind, to make it a "better world." With Vonnegut's poisonous attacks on all our sacred systems he may be trying to show us that there is a better way to live. I will continue to argue that Cat's Cradle goes beyond satire, and gives us a truly cynical look at the world and humanity.