Page 9 - Reading Success B5

A pirate is a robber on the high seas. Pirates recognize no government and
obey no laws. In the olden days, a pirate captain divided the shares of treasure
money and other valuables among the crew . As long as ships have carried

goods across the ocean, there have been pirates. The Phoenicians, early
navigators in the Mediterranean Sea, raided cargo ships. Vikings from Norway

seized ships and raided villages along the coast of northern Europe. Arabs, called
the Barbary pirates, attacked and captured foreign ships along the Barbary Coast.
The most active period for pirates was between the 1500’s and the 1700’s.

Spanish ships loaded with gold, jewels, and other booty from the lands the
Spaniards had conquered, were the main victims of pirates. The pirates who
attacked Spanish ships were called buccaneers. One of the most famous

buccaneers was Henry Morgan, who was based at Port Royal, Jamaica, then
known as the “most wicked city in the world.”

One of the most feared pirates to operate in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean
Sea was Blackbeard, whose real name was Edward Teach. He attacked many
defenseless merchant ships that sailed along the Carolina and Virginia coasts

between 1716 and 1718.
Privateers were commissioned by their country’s government to raid and

capture the commercial ships of unfriendly or enemy countries. When privateers
captured a prize, they shared the booty with the government they served.
English seamen and explorers such as Sir Francis Drake were also privateers.

They raided Spanish ships with the full knowledge and blessing of the English
queen, Elizabeth I. Captain William Kidd was a Scottish privateer. He took charge
of a privateer ship and captured merchant ships and searched for pirates that

preyed on British shipping.

Main Idea

What is the main idea of this story?

a. history of pirates

b. how to protect ships from pirates
c. why pirates steal

d. sailors who are exposed to danger by pirates

12_Reading Success B 5