Matts4313 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 17 minutes ago, rackcs said: Random Pirate History Lesson: Many know about the pirate activity in the Caribbean but few know of the extensive pirate legacy in the Indian Ocean and the role it played in the growth of the American colonies. At the end of the 17th century the Caribbean pirate trade became much less lucrative as security for Spanish fleets increased and the governments cracked down on piracy in the region. Not only that but on June 7, 1692 a huge earthquake completely devastated the pirate haven of Port Royal in Jamaica. Many considered it God's judgement on the local pirate population. As piracy died in the Caribbean, many pirates turned their eyes towards a new prize: the Indian Ocean. Many exotic goods such as spices, gems, and silks were common in the Indian Ocean trade and called to the pirates. The Indian Ocean was a heavy area of trade in Asia carrying goods from India, Arabia, China and more, so there was plenty to go around. Most pirates operated with letters of marquee to give them some semblance of legitimacy on the high seas. Letters of marquee were official government documents sanctioning the capturing of ships from countries considered enemies. The profits would then be split between the privateers, investing parties, and the officiant. However these were only recognized by the countries issuing the letters of marquee and therefore the attacked ships would just see these men as pirates and in many ways they were just licensed pirates. Many men with letters never planned on attacking French ships at all but rather planned on targeting ships from the Mughal Empire. As the British Empire was not at war with the Mughals, this was flat out piracy. This did not deter American colonial officials who, hearing of the untold riches of the far east, quickly signed off on many letters of marquee to begin the new age of piracy on the other side of the world. Estimates say that during the 1690's nearly 40 ships sailed to the Indian Ocean from America and/or returned to America from there. Almost all of those captains held letters of marquee but few if any actually followed through on attacking the French. The lure of Indian Ocean treasure was practically irresistible. One contemporary from that time said that the treasures of the Indian Ocean "are such a lure to seamen that there's almost no withholding them from turning pirates." The average legitimate seaman earned only one or two pounds a month at the time whereas a pirate could earn easily earn a hundred or even a thousand times that amount. Few mariners had problems attacking Muslim ships, even those who carried passengers on their Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. In fact, these were particularly popular targets as those on their Hajj typically had their finest clothes and jewelry and also carried a lot of money on them to perform charity as they went. Most of the time the pirates prided themselves in attacking these ships, believing it to not be a sin to kill "infidels" and that it would be considered lawful to plunder "enemies of Christianity." These pirates were not just tolerated, but celebrated by American colonists. By using pirates to bring in these exotic goods, the colonists were able to buy things for far cheaper prices than if they had been brought in legally and taxed by the British. Oftentimes the best items would be sold in London and never even make their way to the colonies. Between that and the fact that they pumped tons of money into the colonies this way made them extremely popular amongst all classes of people. Many pirates only participated in the trade long enough to build up a moderate amount of wealth and then returned to their homes, becoming upstanding members of their communities. Pirates were also protected by their communities because so many people, from family members to officials to merchants, were involved in the pirate trade and if punishments happened for those involved in piracy it would affect many prominent members of society. Pirates played an important role in the establishment of the American colonies as their own entity and many of the sentiments of the colonies being separate from the British that later blossomed into the American Revolution began during this period. 4 minutes ago, MWil23 said: Rack I’m a sucker for a good history lesson. History teachers unite!!! One of you nerds give me a TLDR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickle Rick Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 2 minutes ago, MWil23 said: Rack I’m a sucker for a good history lesson. History teachers unite!!! The waters off of Port Royale is a place I'd like to visit one day. “The earth opened and swallowed many people, before my face, and the sea I saw came mounting in over the wall, upon which I concluded it impossible to escape.” Part of the city was lost to the sea during the earthquake. It is a "modern day" Atlantis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickle Rick Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Matts4313 said: One of you nerds give me a TLDR Once the Golden Age of Piracy (in the Caribbean) ended. Many of the pirates moved on to the Indian Ocean. This more or less coincided with the earthquake that "sank" the pirate capital of Port Royal Edited October 8, 2019 by Pickle Rick 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matts4313 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 2 minutes ago, Pickle Rick said: Golden Age of Piracy ended Napster? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rackcs Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 4 minutes ago, Pickle Rick said: The waters off of Port Royale is a place I'd like to visit one day. “The earth opened and swallowed many people, before my face, and the sea I saw came mounting in over the wall, upon which I concluded it impossible to escape.” Part of the city was lost to the sea during the earthquake. It is a "modern day" Atlantis. Yeah people were literally swallowed into the ground like it was quicksand. Some people were caught halfway buried and then eaten alive by dogs in the days after. It was pretty ******* horrible. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nazgul Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 2 minutes ago, Pickle Rick said: Once the Golden Age of Piracy (in the Caribbean) ended. Many of the pirates moved on to the Indian Ocean. This more or less coincided with the earthquake that "sank" the pirate capital of Port Royal Yeah, I'm not buying Rackcs's story. I doubt the Indians had anything to do with piracy and oceans. Nice try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickle Rick Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 (edited) 4 minutes ago, rackcs said: Yeah people were literally swallowed into the ground like it was quicksand. Some people were caught halfway buried and then eaten alive by dogs in the days after. It was pretty ******* horrible. More like a Caribbean Pompei Edited October 8, 2019 by Pickle Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickle Rick Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 5 minutes ago, Matts4313 said: Napster? Watch South Park. It will teach you the difference between piracy and piracy. You learn a lot from watching Cartoons people.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matts4313 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 1 minute ago, Pickle Rick said: Watch South Park. It will teach you the difference between piracy and piracy. You learn a lot from watching Cartoons people.... Which episode and can I download it from Pirate Bay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickle Rick Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Just now, Matts4313 said: Which episode and can I download it from Pirate Bay? You can't just watch one. They all teach you a valuable lesson Like this one 😂 "This country was founded by some of the smartest thinkers the world has ever seen. And they knew one thing: that a truly great country can go to war, and at the same time, act like it doesn't want to. You people who are for the war, you need the protesters. Because they make the country look like it's made of sane, caring individuals. And you people who are anti-war, you need these flag-wavers, because, if our whole country was made up of nothing but soft ***** protesters, we'd get taken down in a second. That's why the founding fathers decided we should have both. It's called 'having your cake and eating it too.'" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matts4313 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 1 minute ago, Pickle Rick said: You can't just watch one. They all teach you a valuable lesson Like this one 😂 "This country was founded by some of the smartest thinkers the world has ever seen. And they knew one thing: that a truly great country can go to war, and at the same time, act like it doesn't want to. You people who are for the war, you need the protesters. Because they make the country look like it's made of sane, caring individuals. And you people who are anti-war, you need these flag-wavers, because, if our whole country was made up of nothing but soft ***** protesters, we'd get taken down in a second. That's why the founding fathers decided we should have both. It's called 'having your cake and eating it too.'" That quote said nothing about pirates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickle Rick Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 I envision this is @rackcs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rackcs Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Just now, Pickle Rick said: I envision this is @rackcs If only I could be as pure and wholesome as butters 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickle Rick Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Just now, Matts4313 said: That quote said nothing about pirates. That one wasn't lol "Me and Ike, well, we've been talkin' and, well guys, we really had it pretty good back in America. I mean, sure, it's easy to think our lives are boring and full of rules, but a lot of people have it way worse. The pirate's life isn't a life of fun and adventure, it's a life of hardship and suffering. When you get down to it, well we were pretty lucky to have the lives we did." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matts4313 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 3 minutes ago, Pickle Rick said: That one wasn't lol "Me and Ike, well, we've been talkin' and, well guys, we really had it pretty good back in America. I mean, sure, it's easy to think our lives are boring and full of rules, but a lot of people have it way worse. The pirate's life isn't a life of fun and adventure, it's a life of hardship and suffering. When you get down to it, well we were pretty lucky to have the lives we did." I thought you had something cool and educational. It turns out you are just trying to pimp a show I was watching before you were born. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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