Pirates by Stephanie Moens

Chivalrous pirate seen in Jackson Square

            New Orleans is a port city, so the history of New Orleans naturally involves pirates. Slaves (also known as Black Gold) were smuggled into the country using these port cities. The Lafitte brothers, half French and half Spanish, were well-known pirates that lived in New Orleans. According to the Texas State Historical Association, they had their hand in many different privateer-ing ventures in the Caribbean. The British government sought out Jean Lafitte, a pirate, to help in the planned attack of New Orleans during the War of 1812. It ended up that the pirate instead offered his resources to the U.S. government and helped defend New Orleans. They were also involved in plots to attack Texas on behalf of Spain. For having an illegal occupation, may I note that these pirates were solicited by three different countries’ governments.

            Piracy has not been left in the ancient past. I consider smugglers as modern-day pirates, and smugglers still use ports to bring illegal cargo (human and otherwise) into the country.

 New Orleans as a city is besotted with the idea of pirates and may I say proud of being able to claim piracy as part of their wild history. There is a Pirates Alley in New Orleans as well as several establishments with pirate themes. The pirate festival that is held there is highlighted in this local news coverage clip.

          

Works Cited

Harris Gaylord Warren. "Lafitte, Jean," Handbook of Texas Online (2014): n. pag. Web. 8 December 2015.