The True Life of a Pirate

Large groups of bold people once ruled the ocean blue committing crimes for profit find treasure. These people, known as pirates, traveled the seas committing robbery, murder, and other acts of violence. Throughout the age’s different groups of pirates held various territories, lifestyles, beliefs and modes of operation. There were sea thieves in Greek, Roman and Viking times. Pirates have cruised the waters of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean throughout history. The golden age of piracy began around 1650 and ended in the early 1800’s. This was before the days of steam power, when ships were slower and easier to attack. During the golden age the most famous pirates, sometimes called buccaneers, operated in the Caribbean Sea.
“Piracy around the world can be tracked back to 1400 BC, but its effects on the Spanish started in as early as 1490, when pirates entered the Caribbean (Autengruber 1).” Piracy in the Caribbean greatly affected the Spanish economy. In response, the Spanish were forced to develop strategies and policies to eliminate piracy and to maintain dominance in the region. During its heyday in the Caribbean piracy became very popular. Many poor men became pirates for the adventurous lifestyle. Caribbean pirates attacked Spanish merchant ships for their treasure and also took over slave ships and liberated the slaves. Theft of Spanish treasure and slaves made the Spaniards very angry and caused problems with the Spanish economy. Pirates operating around the Caribbean were known as the buccaneers. Buccaneers lived on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and its tiny turtle-shaped neighbor, Tortuga. The main activities of buccaneers were to steal valuable goods and take control of Spanish land and even commandeer Spanish merchant ships.
Author Kelly Davis states, “By the early 1800’s, more than 2,000 pirates were reckoned to be operating in the Caribbean. Most of them were in their late twenties and were drawn to this