The Ohio River

The Ohio River

The Ohio River was the trade route linking the American east, the French and the Spanish territory to the west of Mississippi. It was, therefore, an essential route for travellers. The river had caves where the travellers’ sought refuge and entertainment, but they were met with hostile people which they never expected. The first way in which the travellers protected themselves was by travelling in fleets with many people so that they could defend themselves when attacked abruptly by the pirates. Later on, with the introduction of steamboats, the travellers were not easily attacked because the steamers were stable and faster. This enabled travellers to escape more quickly when they were attacked (Docspot, 37:05). The travellers also used the fort Massac to protect themselves. The military also used this port in their operation in Ohio valley. The travellers would also sometimes gang up against the river plates to protect their families. Though these confrontations did not always end well on the travellers’ side, some of them were lucky to escape (“The River Pirates (1988) – IMDb”, 2020). A large number of people brought by the steamboat also boosted the reinforcement of the travellers.

The existence of criminal justice was not a guarantee for the safety of due to several reasons. The first reason was the nature of the boats the travellers used. The travellers always used flatboats that after launching, did not turn back (Docspot, 06:21). The ships carried a large number of people which included families, and those they left-back did not bother about their safety. Once the left, they were not followed by any person and their life protection was in their own hands. This made the river pirates attack them quickly without, and most of the women were grabbed and raped with no one to defend them. The pirates also used women who were positioned in places that were difficult for the authorities to lure travellers. The women would pretend that they were asking for help and travellers who went to help them were captured and tortured. The river itself was long and wide and was not controlled by the Spanish authorities. Additionally, those who lived nearby did not raise the alarm when the travellers were attacked because they also benefited from the items that were stolen from the travellers. Therefore it wasn’t straightforward to get access to the justice system (Docspot, 06:40).

References

[DocSpot].([2017, Nov 10).River pirates Documentary.[Video File]Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfCFh-65VXE

The River Pirates (1988) – IMDb. (2020). Retrieved 23 February 2020, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095239/