Pirates of the Carolinas

Pirates of the Carolinas digs up the true tales of treachery and villainy that occurred off the coasts of North and South Carolina during the Golden Age of Piracy. The program features the exploits of real sea bandits who roamed the streets of Charleston in the 18th century, including Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet, "Calico" Jack Rackham, and even female pirates such as Mary Read and Charleston's own Anne Bonny. Of course, Blackbeard looms large in this production, just as he did about 300 years ago, when he made the coastal harbors along the Carolinas his personal playground. 

Closed captioning has been provided for this broadcast program.

Pirates of the Carolinas
Episode 1

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The adventures and exploits of pirates and buccaneers have long captured our imaginations. These sea bandits roved the ocean lanes in all parts of the world, from the waters off Africa and Europe and...
Pirates of the Carolinas
Episode 2

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Pirates had a strict list of articles, or laws, that had to be signed by each member of the crew before a voyage began. Those rules governed who would get how much of whatever treasure was captured...
Pirates of the Carolinas
Episode 3

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Blackbeard was one of the most infamous pirates. It's thought that his real name was Edward Teach, and he is believed to have been from Bristol, England. A very tall man for the time period, in a time...
Pirates of the Carolinas
Episode 4

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Stede Bonnett is a wealthy and well-respected sugar plantation owner from the tiny West Indian island of Barbados. He used his own resources to outfit a sloop he christened "Revenge." With ten guns...
Pirates of the Carolinas
Episode 5

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Although males, young and old, comprised the great majority of pirates, some women seeking the same adventure and plunder disguised themselves as males and also signed aboard pirate vessels. Anne...
Pirates of the Carolinas
Episode 6

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For a time, piracy was tolerated. Some would even say encouraged, based on the actions of many public officials in Carolina's port cities. Bargain prices were often paid by town merchants for ill...
Pirates of the Carolinas
Episode 7

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DISCLAIMER: This video has a lot of visual images of hangings and decapitation. Stede Bonnet had sought and received a pardon from Governor Eden at Bathtown, North Carolina, and a privateering letter...
Pirates of the Carolinas
Episode 8

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On November day in 1996, divers representing the private research group Intersal Inc. were concluding the first stage of their search of 18th-century shipwrecks in Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina...