Disappointing historical treatment. Not a single mention of the molasses trade, i.e. brewing rum, which was the real alcohol business of the era. This involved a lot of smuggling trade with the British East Indies, and problematically for the Crown, with French sugar producers as well. Source: Grande (2016) "Yankees in Haiti: Boston Merchant Trade in Revolutionary Saint-Domingue" > "Future patriot leaders such as Sam…
Yes, parts of the US were built on piracy.
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/pirates-colonial...
And not just the Navy.