There were 792 investor-owned privately armed ocean-crossing capable Revolutionary warships between 1775-1781 that captured over 3,100 British Empire vessels. Most everything Grorgie Washington fought with was captured off the high seas from merchant and subsidized vessels of the Crown. At the same time the new state navies plus Continental Navy totaled only 64 tax-supported ships. Only three were left operable at war's end, as their orders were to sink, kill, and occasionally capture; while the privateers were about capture, cargo sold after an admiralty court verified it was British and not some other nationality as Congress did issue letters of marque and reprisal to keep sealanes open. The first American Privateer was a Massachusetts state ship, Captain Jonathan Haraden, a rope maker, his ship's name was "The Tyrannicide".

In the War for Free Trade and Sailor's Rights, 523 American Privateers again captured over 3,100 Empire vessels, assisted by 23 US Navy ships. The major center for privateering was Baltimore that was attacked by widened British troops that burned Washington DC, yet Baltimore was successfully defended in a strategy by Maryland Militia Major General and US Senator Sam Smith and Privateer / US Commodore Joshua Barney. A hit tune came out of that battle, an anthem called the Star Spangled Banner.

Ayn Rand knew and understood the difference between privateers fighting to keep commerce free in a war against a mercantilist/fascist government enemy, versus pirates that stole anything from anyone.
She refers to Ragnar Dannesjold as a privateer while the government refers to him as a pirate. Nothing new. However, words do matter as does to legal warriors the US Constitution's Article One, Section 11. To libertarians /objectivists that might replace a govt letter of marque with that from a reinsurance company, understand that we are not talking about govt contractors but sea going mercenaries that do not risk death for merely money but a cause usually called freedom. The British had privateers but Haraden took care of them off the coast of Spain.

The greedy capitalists (little old ladies with gold pieces) only wanted a third of the prize vessel from successfully entering it. The state capitalists wanted a larger portion called halfsies. John Paul Jones of the US Navy lamented he could not get a navy ship manned when there was a privateer competing., Alas, the Navy. He did all right getting his own ship sunk while capturing a bigger one, but public school history books do not mention Haraden who captured over a 1,000 British cannon with his 16-gun true Privateer "the General Pickering".

The crews were highly motivated in this risky operation as the were rewarded by task and function by a 1/20th of the 2/3rds. However many cabin boys, say 8, set sail, they got 1/8th of 1/20th of 2/3rds. A captain received 1/20th, and had a captain's purse of 1/20th to reward excellence in marksmanship from the marines in the fighting tops or a gun crew that could hull an enemy ship. Haraden invented the plumbob pendulum that told him when to fire a broadside level, and the air rudder in a "jackass brig".

Lessons learned from death dealing privateers ironically show us how to achieve Percentage As You Earn (PAYE) medical finansurance today defacto for all without force. Hmmm. My privateers er consultants have been preparing a surprise on that, and offering mortgages for 27% of income to earn back the 92% of home loans owned by Freddie Mac due to silly brittle as peanut brittle fixed installment payments falling apart in the down times. Investors in privateers shared the risk with the lenders, both either lost or broke even, but unlike averaged installments, with PAYE finance the lenders or investors get to share in the good times. Seems we might learn how to free up America from studying privateers, redemption into debt to end slavery and indentured servitude, mountain men, and old country dictors're koning for a percentage of income. Anyone care to join my crew?

Brock d'Avignon, Captain of Spaceship Earth.

Yo ho ho and an bottle of Captain Morgan, arrrrg! :)

It is going to take September a long time to get here!

Excellent interview. Good work guys.

We want it in spain, even in spanish if possible. You cannot even think how important could it be now in Europe, it is been high time to show Ayn to most of the people in Europe questioning our system

I hadn't thought about half of what we're going to see here, especially the helicopter scene. But after he explains everything, I can see Eric Allan Kramer as a logical casting choice.

I recall Ayn Rand mentioning that it would be okay to change the book's plot line a little to suit a movie, and what this video shows does very well by that.

thanks for the post, Alex.

I like him as Ragnar. In Atlas, he is my favorite character, he's the one I most identify with. I can't wait!

My hero since 1962! That may date me, but philosopher/want-to-be-pirate/and Swede that I am THIS gets me excited! YES I am female and an Objectivist forever...

Ahoy from the gateway to the Caribbean - east central Florida, where the cruise ships run from. Would Ragnar have lived in Jamaica like most pirates did?

For some of us it's kinda like September Song. Jim M