While the port of New Orleans was relatively unimportant during the Golden Age of Piracy, it would become the staging grounds for the infamous pirate Jean Lafitte, in the early 1800's.

Slave-trading Center

After the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, New Orleans became the cultural center of the American south. It quickly became one of the new nation's most important ports as a slave-trading center as well as the exporting terminus of goods brought from the American interior.

Jean Lafitte

Jean Lafitte would become America's first pirate and held a Letter of Marque (pirate license) from the government of Colombia. Lafitte owned a blacksmith shop in New Orleans, which was actually a front for his profitable smuggling business. From his business, Lafitte smuggled slaves and a wealth of other goods purchased from other pirates roaming the Gulf of Mexico. While Lafitte was not averse to occasionally plundering a Spanish trade vessel in the area, he was more of a modern-day pirate and preferred to make his illegal living by receiving and then selling stolen goods.

Battle of New Orleans

During the War of 1812 between America and Great Britain, Lafitte was offered a huge sum of money from the British government to use his base. Lafitte took the money and then informed the Americans of the plan. As a valuable informant, Lafitte and his band of hundreds of subordinates received a pardon for any illegal pirating and smuggling crimes of the past and helped the Americans defeat the British at the Battle of New Orleans in 1814. His actions during the battle were praised by General and future president Andrew Jackson.

Click on the Points of the Map to Learn About Each Pirate Location