Real Pirates of the Caribbean

Leader

Linda Rupert
Assistant Professor of History
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
National Humanities Center Fellow

About the Seminar

Sporting tri-corner hats, eye patches, and colorful beards; bristling with swords and pistols; swilling grog, and saying “aargh” all the time, pirates today fall somewhere between adventurers and terrorists. It is hard to imagine these independent rogues as central to empire and trade, yet they were, especially in the Caribbean, where they shaped emerging colonial economies, societies, and cultures from the first arrival of Europeans in 1492 through the consolidation of the transatlantic trade systems and well into the eighteenth century. Who were they? How did they figure into the imperial designs of England, Spain, France, and the Netherlands? How did their roles change? Join us for treasure to share with your students.

Presentation PDF

Download the presentation PDF.

Online Evaluation

Online evaluation for seminar participants.

Technical Help

Visit our technical specifications page for information about the seminar forum and classroom.

View a brief introduction to AIC online seminars.

Assigned Readings

1. "Pirates, Privateers, and Buccaneers of the West.”
2. “An Alliance to Raid for Slaves,” 1568.
3. "English Corsairs to Certain Spaniards," 1571.
4. "The Life of the Admiral Christopher Columbus.”
5. “Francis Drake on the Pacific Coast of America,” 1579.
6. "William Kidd's Royal Commission,” 1695.
7. “Piet Heyn Captures the Spanish Fleet,” 1628.
8. "Captain Plowman's Privateering Commission," 1703.
9. "Pirate Articles."
10. "The Life of Mary Read and The Life of Anne Bonny".
11. Maps, 9.

Seminar Recording

• Listen to recording of the seminar.