This is part one of a two-part series on the rise and fall of piracy. This episode covers the rise.
It’s not often that the myths and stories we tell ourselves about history are accurate (more or less). This is one of those times.
The collective imagination surrounding piracy, though far more brutal and dangerous than how it is portrayed in movies, especially in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, is accurate to history. There were drunken, stumbling, grimy, treasure loving men scouring the West Indies in search of prizes at sea and on shore. They flew the black flag, boarded and raided ships, and engaged in naval battles. Everything we see pirates do in the movies, they did in real life.
It is a wonder, then, that this topic is completely overlooked in my AP history notes. Not a single mention. So, grab your swords and lower your sails as we have a lot of ground to cover to fill in those missing pages…
Music
Intro: Fractured Timeline - Sémø
Outro: Water - ARYEH
Sources
Under the Black Flag - David Cordingly
Black Flags, Blue Waters - Eric Jay Dolin
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