Privates and Privateers

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Abstract:

In Colonial America many people came to the new world seeking opportunity or hoping to strike rich. For example, the Jamestown colonists came to America looking for gold. Interestingly, they ended up getting rich from tobacco. Everyone who came to America hoped to strike it rich. and another type of these groups were Pirates. Pirates ways and traditions mainly their lifestyle revolved around finding treasure and gold. Pirates were significant in Colonial America because pirates roamed the seas hunting for treasure and terrorizing colonies.

Here are some of the key points of my paper

•Types of Pirates

° Buccaneer: they where from the Spanish American coast. The name buccaneer was given by the English colonists. The original term was Boucanier, which was used in the Caribbean Islands. Buccaneer was one of the most used terms for pirates.

° Aristocrat: Aristocrat pirates were pirates coming from a wealthy background. Stede Bonnett was the oldest aristocrat pirates.

• pirate fashions

° Pirates wore manly silk,velvet,gold and jewlry

• food

° Pirates ate dirty unreliable food

° Mainly meats and fish

° They also ate biscuits with large black-headed maggots in them

• fun and games

° pirates' fun and games were drinking rum and gambling

° there addiction to drinking and gambling lead to a lot of violence

• games of torture

° Pirates performed psychopathic tortures on eachother

° they hoisted a man up and down several times until he was dead

° they would mainly perform tortures on their prey

• golden age of piracy

° The golden age of piracy was when pirates were unemployed

° Large ships of cargoes were being shipped around the seas

° this gave pirates a chance to attack and gain whatever treasures were in the ships

• Famous Pirates

° Stede Bonnet

° He was known as the “gentlemen pirate

° this was so because ha happened to be originally a wealthy landowner

° In 1717 Stede Bonnet started his pirate career

° An amazing thing was that Stede had no experience of being shipboard

° He then bought a vessel and named it Revenge.

• Jose Gaspar

° He was a famous a spanish pirate

° His nickname was Gasparila

° He raided the coast of florida

• Blackbeard

° He was a notorious English pirate, he was shown wearing a big feathered tricorne which is a type of hat that has a brim turned up on three sides

° He had several knives, swords, pistols and other types of guns or weapons

° Many people described him as if he looked like the devil

° He sailed across the Caribbean sea and Western Atlantic.

° Blackbeard’s real name was Edward Teach and he is thought to have been born in Bristol.

° In 1718 Blackbeard stopped his ship off the North Carolina Coast

° Near there was Governor Spotswood who made a reward of 100 pounds for anybody who could kill and capture Blackbeard.

° Lieutenant Maynard sailed south starting a famous battle where he shot Blackbeard several times until he was dead

° Maynard then cut off Blackbeard's head

• Bartholomew Roberts (BlackBart)

° The last and deadliest pirate

° Black Bart loved dressing in silk, velvet and also sometimes gold.

° Something unlike any pirates was that Black Bart was the only pirate who did not drink alchohol

° He also did not gamble

° Black Bart embarked in many adventures and battles throughout his career.

• Conclusion

Pirates in Colonial America sailed the seas of North America searching for treasure and terrorizing people and colonies. Pirates had unique styles of clothing, they would wear velvet jackets gold jewelry and silk pants or shirts. Pirates used similar weapons to other people in Colonial America, such as pistols, muskets or swords and knives mostly. During colonial times there were many famous pirates, probably one of which was particularly known the most whom was Blackbeard who I believe has been depicted in movies before. There were other famous pirates who came from other countries such as Spanish American countries, these pirates would roam seas in America and parts of other countries. Piracy had an intense impact in colonial times, which it also does today too. There are pirates in other parts of different countries who still spread brutality against innocent people.

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