Predatory Commerce.

European powers did not trade with one another in North America during the sixteenth century. In part such commerce failed to develop because the mercantilist economic policies of the day forbade it. More to the point, European states had established only a handful of settlements on the continent with which trade could be conducted, and only one, St. Augustine, survived for more than a year. Through privateering, however, the French, British, and Dutch engaged in a form of predatory commerce against Spanish shipping in the waters off Florida. Small at first but increasing as the century progressed, privateering raids ultimately came to play an important part in shaping the exploration and colonization of North America.

Beginnings.

Privateering originated as a way for merchants to settle disputes with foreign governments. Having had a ship or...