by Emily Washington

Created on: March 23, 2008   Last Updated: November 01, 2009

With his ship going down, the captain shouted "I have not yet begun to fight," Who was this fearless captain? This was John Paul Jones, a valiant American navy hero who was instrumental in insuring the victory of the United States during the Revolutionary War.

John Paul Jones, originally named John Paul Jr. after his father, was born in Arbigland, Scotland. He was the fourth of five children and, although his father was a skilled and successful gardener, their family lived in poverty, so his mother, Jeannie Paul, set him to work. She loaded him down with chores. When he was not occupied with boring things like working, he enjoyed watching the ships sail in and out of the nearby port. As he grew older, he would visit the port more and more, conversing with the sailors who would teach him various sailing skills such as knot tying. John was always keenly interested in the sea, even as a child, so as soon as he turned thirteen, he found himself apprenticed to James Younger, a ship owner who was associated with the boy's neighbors.

Once our young hero finished his contract with Mr. Younger, aboard the Friendship, he was appointed first mate of the Two Friends, a slave trading ship. Once he left the Two Friends, he took over the ship John, which he commanded for about three years, at which point he was appointed master of Betsy. Jones commanded the Betsy for only one year. In October of 1773, his crew attempted to mutiny. Jones ended up having to kill the "ringleader," as he later called him, of this mutiny in self defense and he changed his name, adding Jones to the end, and fled to Virginia in shame and in fear that he would be charged with murder. Once he reached Virginia it was believed that his intention was to settle down and forget about the sea, but when he heard about the continental navy and its efforts, the brave young Scot couldn't help but sign himself up. Many brutal battles followed, including his most famous, the battle off Flamsborough Head, also known as the battle of the Serapis. This is the battle in which he uttered those famous words he is so well known for today, "I have not yet begun to fight!"

"An illustrious warrior One that shows great courage A man admired for his achievements and noble qualities. " These are the Webster Dictionary's definitions of the term "hero". These definitions fit the character of John Paul Jones word perfect.

Focusing on the first definition, "an illustrious warrior," Jones fought most of his battles off of the

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