The Age of Pirates | A Gold Chain Or A Wooden Leg | 1
American History Tellers
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The Age of Pirates, a Gold Chain or a Wooden Leg
In the late 1600s, Newport was a bustling port city of just over a thousand people. Like all of England's 13 colonies on the Atlantic coastline, Rhode Island was dependent on imported goods and merchandise. To fill that commercial void, many colonial sailors turned to piracy. Some were privateers, captains who received official commissions from their home government. This is the first in our series, The Age of Pirates,. A gold chain or a wooden leg could be worth more than $1 million today.
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