William Kidd

voted on where to sail and who to attack, and they also voted on captains. Unlike captains of the Royal Navy, pirate captains only had absolute power during battle, and they often shared sleeping quarters with their fellow shipmates. Surprisingly though they also showed sympathy to crew members of their enemy’s ships (with the exception of the enemy’s officers). The pirates would often invite their prisoners to join their crew and many were willing to sign the ship’s “rules for governing conduct, compensation and punishment.” Rediker explains, that there were three groups of pirates: “the buccaneers of 1650-80, the prates of the 1690’s, and lastly the pirates of 1716-26.” The pirates of the 1690s, is “the generation of Henry Avery and William Kidd who moved into the Indian Ocean and built a pirate base,” this is also the generation with a close connection to Newport, Rhode Island. According to Merchant, colonial America “viewed London’s trade restrictions as obstacles to be overcome,” rather than “laws to be obeyed.” With Rhode Island, merchants like that of Benjamin Norton, and Joseph Whipple, the people of Newport soon retaliated against the abusive tyrant captains of the English enforcement ships. People such as Newport’s very own Captain Thomas Tew, who was said to be the “native son” of Newport, offered a solution to the trade dilemma… piracy. Captain Tew was friends with a governor in New York by the name of Fletcher, and he also had close connections to arch-pirate…

Pirate ships in the Golden Age of Piracy weren’t very pleasant places to live. It was an exciting life, to be sure, but things weren’t always easy for the sailors. Diseases and injuries were common among the crew. Doctors were scarce and not always well trained, and many pirates died. It is a wonder that so many men chose the pirate life! Life on a pirate ship was greatly influenced by sickness, injuries, and often harmful treatments for both. When pirate problems are mentioned, most people…

Treasure Island The setting of treasure island is set in two different places in the mid 18th century. The book starts at the Admiral Benbow, a small inn by the sea at Black Hill Cove in Bristol, England and treasure island, which is an island off the coast of Spanish America. I think that the significance of The Admiral Benbow Inn represents family, home, and Jim’s starting place. The Admiral Benbow Inn also represents Jim leaving his childhood behind and moving on, starting to grow up. Some…

Jim, Ben Gunn, and Long John Silver are all overcome with a desire to search for the treasure and each is let down and unsatisfied by the end of their adventure. When Ben Gunn arrives on the island three years before Jim, he suggests to his crew that him and the “[b]oys…land and find… Flint’s treasure” (Stevenson 152). After living on the island for so many years Ben is now almost crazy and has been living in a cave all alone. His initial desire to find the treasure ends up with his captain and…

When people generally think of pirates, the image that entertainment goes into our minds, someone with a wooden leg and eyepatch who sails around getting into swordfights over some treasure chests. This view of what a pirate is changes when viewing ‘Pirates, Galleons, and Treasure: Globe Trekker’, a documentary film in which the real pirates that lived are discussed. This film is a good, accurate, representation of why piracy happened along with who the pirates were and what they did. There is a…

Mystery, treasure, and death are some words used to describe Oak Island, a 140 acre island off the south shore of Nova Scotia. What makes this island so mysterious you ask? Well what about its artificial man-made beach, or its triangle-shaped forest, or even better, Nolan’s cross which is a natural formation of boulders forming a cross. But the biggest mystery of Oak Island is the infamous “Money Pit”. Past Excavations It was said that in 1795 a teenager saw strange lights coming from an…

When people think of pirates they think often think of the phrases; Avast! Walk the plank! Me hearty! and most famously Aargh! Truthfully though pirates did not often say any of these phrases, well except for maybe aargh, this is just how the media, and pop culture has portrayed pirates. Real pirates are nothing like what we see in most forms of media, that is except for the case of the game; Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag. Black Flag very accurately depicts the lives of pirates during the…

Pirates: the take-all-leave-nothing swashbuckling badasses of the seven seas. Commonly recognized for their conquests of unsuspecting merchant ships, expensive ransoms, and their never ending pursuit of treasure, what pirates are most known for is flipping the bird to any and every rule that might impede their progress. While some may consider pirates a long gone band of drunken thieves, the end of the pirating age is nowhere in sight-- in fact, it is as alive as it has ever been. Consequently,…

Topic Treasure Island is a novel that represents an era filled with different ways of life, households, laws, and conducts. Taking place in the mid 1700’s Treasure Island heavily examines the way of piracy, which is a prominent figure during this time period. Along with Piracy, there are certain aspects to the lifestyle such as conducts that are followed. Treasure Island introduces the reader to several conducts with in characters in the novel that are either reestablished or abandoned…

1. In the two different selections of reading "Ship of Gold" and "Gold Grubber", Tommy Thompson was presented in two different ways. In the article, "Ship of Gold" Tommy Thompson was presented as a hero. The article states, "In the early 1980's, Thompson began a determined search that took years. He spent many millions and faced many setbacks"(Ship of Gold 20). This shows that Tommy Thompson had patience and perseverance, qualities often found in a hero. However, from a totally different view,…