The Golden Age of Piracy Essay example - 1197 Words

During the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries, piracy was rampant in the Atlantic, specifically in the West Indies. Piracy has existed since the earliest days of ocean travel, for a range of personal and economic reasons. However, one of the major reasons why piracy was wide spread and rampant in the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries was Great Britain’s endorsement and usage of piracy as an asset; in wars fought in the New World. Great Britain with its expanding power and conflicts with other nations would make piracy a lifestyle and lay down the foundation for the Golden Age of Piracy and eventually bring what it created to a screeching halt. Piracy flourished openly in the New World, but more so in the West Indies. Within the†¦show more content†¦Spain under King Philip the second, was the most powerful nation in Europe at the time and sought to weaken Elizabeth’s reign and have her replaced. So, for the Queen to keep her power and avoid open conflict with Spain, England engaged in an â€Å"aggressive para-naval policy towards Spain; and sought to counter Spanish expansion in the New World. Privateering expeditions were under the guise of seeking new channels for English trade, but in fact the expeditions mainly attacked Spanish colonies in the New World. The English privateer John Hawkins, was one of the first hired and supported by England to attack Spanish colonies and trading vessels. Hawkins was the first Englishman to trade slaves in the New World, however he employed â€Å"warlike† methods of forcing trade and engaged a and defeated a Spanish fleet in the harbor of Vera Cruz. Anothe r famous privateer who was utilized by the English government was Sir Francis Drake. Drake obtained a privateering commission from Queen Elizabeth in 1570, to strike at Spanish trading vessels and port cities. In the years that followed, he sacked the Spanish towns of Nombre de Dios and Panama, which in the process he captured a Spanish sliver mule train. Under Elizabeths orders, Drake sent sail on December. 13, 1577, where he sought to raid Spains Pacific colonies he knew were hardly defended. He circumnavigated the globe in the process andShow MoreRelatedThe Golden Age Of Piracy1380 Words   |  6 PagesHollywood portrays pirates as swashbuckling outlaws with their own set of rules and loose morals, nefarious hideouts, and adventure at every turn of their lives; but that’s Hollywood. During the Golden Age of Piracy, about 1550 to 1730, pirates did traverse the Atlantic almost completely unchallenged; producing some of the most notorious pirates and privateers the wor ld had ever seen. But not all of these pirates were outlaws, most were actually legal. And their hideouts weren’t really hideouts atRead MoreGolden Age of Piracy2980 Words   |  12 PagesFinally, Teach places several slow burning fuses under his hat, lighting each one by one[i]. With wisps of smoke billowing around his face, Blackbeard, the most treacherous pirate in history, emerges from his cabin to join the fight. In the golden age of piracy, Captain Edward Teach, more commonly known as Blackbeard, stands out as the fiercest and most important figure. Blackbeard and his crew successfully controlled commerce along the North Carolina and Virginia coast from 1717-1718. BlackbeardRead MorePirates: Piracy and Golden Age1076 Words   |  5 PagesJosh Davis FYE 102 Paper 1 9/28/2012 Golden Age Pirates vs. Modern Day Pirates Piracy has been around before the time of the pyramids. Once merchant ship began to deliver goods to other countries, others realized the financial gain that could be made by stealing those goods and selling them themselves. Pirates have ruled the seas at different times. Once Europeans settled in the American colonies, pirates plundered towns along the coast and attacked almost every ship they came in contactRead MoreBlackbeards Life, The Golden Age of Piracy, and Its Effect on Piracy Today2047 Words   |  9 PagesBlackbeard’s Life Blackbeard was a brave and most outspoken sea rovers who operated during early 1700s in the coastal regions of the English Southern parts of the New world. His piracy activities, together with his co-pirates are key sectors in United States of America’s history. Happening in the time eminently known as the golden age of piracy, their brave advances in sea robbery facilitated the gradual demise of sea hijacking and theft on the deep seas.1 There is no sufficient information to provide a reliableRead MoreAnalysis Of The Documentary Pirates, Galleons, And Treasure Globe Trekker 1311 Words   |  6 Pagesdocumentary. Also in the video, Calico Jack is said to be responsible for designing the skull and cross bone flag (Pirates, Galleons and Treasure, 2007), when the flag had been first been spotted in 1700 by a pirate named Wyn way before Calico Jack (The Golden Age, 2016) and the only pirate to be known to fly a true skull and cross bone flag is Edward England (Konstam, 2011, p.193). Essentially, â€Å"Pirates, Galleons and Treasures† does not seem to show accurate or unbiased information, or at least towards theRead MoreVillains Of All Nations : Atlantic Pirates1667 Words   |  7 PagesHistory generally depicts piracy as a radical system of violent practices and unconventional beliefs. This version of piracy is certainly more thrilling and romantic, and is arguably more entertaining, than the reality. Unbeknow nst to most people, pirate society was a very well thought out system with strict rules, a judiciary body, and even social security benefits. In his book, Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates In the Golden Age, author Marcus Rediker attempts to convey these truths andRead MoreThe Most Notorious Pirate Of The Restoration1475 Words   |  6 PagesBlackbeard: The Most Notorious Pirate of the Restoration When people think of the golden age of piracy many things come to mind. From buried treasure, sword fighting, stealing loot and drinking rum, the golden age of piracy is one of the most exciting elements of the restoration period. Along with those elements there were many famous pirates that highlighted the restoration. Although there were many famous pirates of the restoration period one name usually comes to mind, Blackbeard. His iconicRead MorePiracy : Asset Not Annoyance1043 Words   |  5 PagesPiracy: Asset Not Annoyance The music industry claims to be suffering losses in large amounts due to pirates. Apparently billions of dollars of money that could have been made is being taken away. Peer-to-peer file sharing, born from the advancement of modern technology, has been a large aspect of the internet for a couple of years, but still the music industry cannot figure out how to use it to their advantage. The truth is that file sharing should be viewed as a good thing for the music industryRead MoreEssay on Modern Piracy With A Breif History2017 Words   |  9 PagesPiracy is usually determined as a seizure of property (ship, airplane or software) that holds no commission from the owner (â€Å"Piracy† 1). It is mostly linked to the dirty, bearded men that sailed the seven seas and robed merchant ships or ships that carried a valuable cargo. This however, was not the case in the late eighties and is definitely not the case today in the nineties. Now software pirates copy software without th e permission of the company for their own personal benefits. Since piracy interruptsRead MoreHistoy of Blackbeard the Pirate2498 Words   |  10 Pagespirates that dominated the seas during the 1600s and 1700s, a time known as the Golden Age of Piracy. However, one of the greatest pirates of all time was the great Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard. He terrorized the seas for most of his gruesome life during this era. The Golden Age of Piracy marked a time when sea travel was unsafe for everyone, with Blackbeard being one of the lead factors. The history of piracy dates back more than 3000 years. It appears that the word pirate (peirato) was