Letter of Marque signed by John Hancock, 1776

1776-10-24

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Title	Letter of Marque signed by John Hancock, 1776
Date	1776-10-24
Creator	United States. Continental Congress. Hancock, John, 1737-1793.
Subject	United States. Continental Congress United States--History--1783-1815--Congresses
Index Terms	Hancock, John, 1737-1793.; Powell, James
Place	United States
Description	This Letter of Marque was issued by the Continental Congress on October 24, 1776, to James Powell, commander of the 3-ton schooner, Northampton. It is signed by John Hancock, president of the Congress. A letter of Marque and Reprisal commissioned a privately owned vessel as a privateer in the service of its country. It granted to the commander the right during times of war to fit out with arms in order to plunder or to capture the enemy's ships. Shortly after the outbreak of the American Revolution in April 1775, the Provincial Congress, forerunner of the Continental Congress, authorized the Colonies to "at your own expense, make such provisions by armed vessels for the protection of your harbors and navigation...", thereby allowing the colonies to grant Letters of Marque to private ships. Without this protection, the commanders and crews of these ships would be treated as pirates if caught. By April of 1776, the Continental Congress issued its own commissions, including strict rules about prizes, prisoners, and reporting. Congress also required that one-third of the crew be landsmen-possibly to protect the fledgling navy from losing too many enlistees to privateering. When the bearers of the Letters of Marque sold their prizes, some of the profit went to Congress. During the Revolution, both sides freely commissioned privateers. Despite having a large public navy in place, Britain was thought to have employed almost as many such vessels as did the colonists.
Time Period	(1763-1789) American Revolution
Format	documents
Call Number	V.C. 22
Collection	Vault Collection. State Archives of North Carolina
Physical Characteristics	Oversized document
Language	English
Copyright	May be protected by copyright law (Title 17 US Code). Obtain proper release forms prior to reproducing this material.
Digital Format	image/jpeg
Digital Collection	Treasures
Audience	All

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Letter of Marque signed by John Hancock, 1776

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Letter of Marque signed by John Hancock, 1776

Letter of Marque signed by John Hancock, 1776

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