THE HAND OF THE GIANT 241 



along the banks of the Delaware, and William Penn showed 

 little disposition to reprimand or remove him. Governor 

 Fletcher of New York was in open alliance with the outlaws, 

 accepted their gifts and allowed them to parade the streets 

 in broad daylight. The merchants of New York, Massa- 

 chusetts and Rhode Island, who were prevented by the naviga- 

 tion laws from engaging in legitimate trade with other nations, 

 welcomed the appearance of pirate ships laden with goods 

 from the East; provided a ready market for their cargoes, and 

 encouraged them to repeat their voyages." 



Here is the same story of the same mistake Spain first made 

 in trying to control the remote commerce of the Caribbean. 

 England, now growing in a similar position of power, like- 

 wise chose to ignore the rights and needs of the native New 

 World colonies, and thus encouraged the spirit of revolt and 

 lawlessness that gradually took form as the American Revo- 

 lution. The western continent was growing up and beginning 

 to feel its muscle. The tide of empire pouring in from north 

 and south along the Ocean River was developing native com- 

 mercial power in the west. The names of pirate, privateer, or 

 merchant were not delicately distinguished from each other 

 in the growing cities of Charleston, Philadelphia, New York, 

 Newport, or Boston. The ''hand of the giant'' was opening 

 wide. 



But now we must look at the second phase of the maturing 

 economy of the west — the growth of negro slavery in the 

 Caribbean. There are two ways of looking at the rapid speed- 

 up of historical development due to the opening of the 

 resources of the west. Spain as an empire missed the boat 

 because of her rigid immobility, due to an absolutist political 

 concept of the king and the unbending power of the Church 

 fathers remote from the scene. England built her power at 

 home and as an empire on what her enemies would call the 

 rise of piracy and the slave trade. Actually, England at sea 



