Pirates, Politics, and Rum Punch

From the daring exploits of infamous pirates like Blackbeard and Black Sam Bellamy to political suppression of early modern piracy by men like Governor Woodes Rogers, historian Jamie L.H. Goodall will take the audience on a journey through the Golden Age of Piracy. Goodall will discuss the role pirates played in growing conspicuous consumption throughout the English colonies of North America and the Caribbean as well as the political and economic significance of alcohol and taverns in the region. And she'll introduce the (often) ordinary lives of these commerce-raiding men and women. Using documentary sources, archaeological evidence, and material culture, the audience will develop a deeper appreciation for the complex history of piracy in the 17th and 18th century Atlantic World.