Privateers were:

• A. Merchants licensed to trade with enemies
• B. Independent pirates with no license
• C. Government-approved pirates authorized to raid enemy ships
• D. Navy ships assigned to defend colonies

Answer: (C)

Privateering is when privately owned ships are given formal government permission to seize enemy merchant ships during wartime. The crucial point is the license, often a letters of marque, which makes these raiders legal allies of the state rather than outlaws. Captured prizes—ships and their cargo—could be sold, with proceeds shared with the government, and the whole process was overseen by prize courts to ensure legality. This setup shows why privateers are best described as government-approved pirates authorized to raid enemy ships. They’re not independent pirates acting without sanction, nor simply merchants, nor navy ships, because the defining feature is the legal authorization from a government to engage in raiding enemy commerce.