Jean Lafitte: The Pirates Of The Gulf

The dictionary defines a rogue as “a dishonest or unprincipled man,” (dictionary) and a hero as “a person noted for courageous acts of nobility or character.” (dictionary) The name Jean Lafitte is associated with both of these epithets and stirs a mixture of emotions and reactions in many people. Some describe Lafitte as “The Terror of The Gulf,” while others construe him as “The Hero of New Orleans.” To most, he was known as one of the last pirates of the Gulf of Mexico. Throughout his life, Lafitte insisted that he be called a privateer, which had government license to attack enemy ships, instead of a pirate. In Lafitte’s mind, he was providing a needed service. So the real question is, do his good traits really cancel out his bad ones? Though Jean Lafitte is known for his piracy in the Gulf of Mexico and his hunger for money and self gratification, Lafitte is arguably a man of morals and a hero. His principles and values were vague but stood strong with him in many aspects of his life. He showed respect for the United States by never attacking an American ship and revered the American Constitution with hopes to model his own kingdom by the sea in the same light and he bravely offered himself and his men in the Battle of New Orleans. These actions do not reflect those of a pirate, but more appropriately, they depict Lafitte as a man of valor who should be remembered for his heroism.
Jean Lafitte is …show more content…
After the war of 1812, he agreed to act as a spy for Spain. During his conquests for the Spanish, he was able to take over small islands and regain some of Spain's property in the Americas. Then as an agent, he went to Galveston and helped them organize a government. A week later, Lafitte swore allegiance to Mexico. This bouncing back and forth between nations make it seem as though a lot of Lafitte's heroic actions were strictly for personal gain and he seemed to always belong to the highest