History
53 results total, viewing 1 - 10
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Historians down through the years have held different opinions regarding Captain William Kidd. Some have characterized him as a most notorious pirate while others have claimed he was innocent of any …
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5/23/13
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39 views
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Captain William Kidd, friend and confidant of Rhode Island pirate Thomas Paine obtained much of his reputedly great wealth off the coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean in 1697-1698. The amount …
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Terry D'Amato Spencer
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4/25/13
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30 views
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In 1695 Captain Kidd went to London in his own vessel. E.R. Snow tells us that, while there, Kidd received a commission as a private man-of-war, obtained through the influence of Robert …
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Terry D'Amato Spencer
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4/17/13
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47 views
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In 1690 Rhode Island’s captain Thomas Paine (1632-1715), accused on numerous occasions of piracy, drove French pirates from Block Island and became a celebrated hero. The pirates, under the …
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Terry D'Amato Spencer
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4/4/13
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24 views
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All pirates were not beneficial to Rhode Island, of course, and some of them were not as fortunate as Malbone. One example of the wrath that could descend on the pirates came in 1723 when two sloops …
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Terry D'Amato Spencer
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3/28/13
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9 views
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On a number of occasions Rhode Island has benefited from her liberal policies toward those who engaged in piracy and quasi-legal escapades on the high seas. Usually these adventurers claimed to have …
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Terry D'Amato Spencer
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3/13/13
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102 views
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During this period, William Brown, writing for American History Illustrated, tells us that in 1655, after the forces of Oliver Cromwell failed to take Hispaniola, they captured Jamaica from Spain. …
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Terry D'Amato Spencer
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3/7/13
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3 views
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During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Rhode Island greatly displeased her sister colonies and the British magistrates because of her attitude toward pirates and privateers. Along with a host …
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Terry D'Amato Spencer
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2/28/13
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8 views
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All pirates were not beneficial to Rhode Island, of course, and some of them were not as fortunate as Malbone. One example of the wrath that could descend on the pirates came in 1723 when two sloops …
more
Terry D'Amato Spencer
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2/20/13
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3 views
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Rhode Island's long history has been crisscrossed with episodes of pirates, privateers, buccaneers, "gentlemen of fortune,” free-booters, corsairs and "brethren of the coast.” The …
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Terry D'Amato Spencer
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2/7/13
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376 views
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