HIST 380: Pirates, Captives, & Slaves: Films

What made cotton so desirable? In the 1790s Americas oldest crops, like tobacco, were depleting farmland and dropping in value. At the same time, the textile industry in Great Britain was exploding, creating enormous international demand for cotton clothing. Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin, which easily separated cotton fiber from its seeds, was merely a motor for a global economic machine. Slavery was its fuel.

Megan McCormick travels to Colombia, Panama, Florida, and the Bahamas to learn about the galleons, treasure, and pirates of the Caribbean. Megan follows the route of 17th-century Spanish galleons on their voyages to bring back gold from the New World. Christopher Columbus’s 1492 journey sparked centuries of treasure hunting and brutal competition. Megan's journey begins at the Museo del Oro (Gold Museum) in Bogota, continuing to the Camino Real mule trail. In Cartagena she takes a tour of the forts and city walls, then visits the burial place of Sir Francis Drake. Next stop is Port Royal in Jamaica to sample pirate food and drink. In the Bahamas, she learns the legend of Blackbeard.

Other than scale, what is the difference between a pirate and the vast armies of an emperor? Were the men who famously traversed the Atlantic actually heroic explorers--or were they…pirates? In The Real History of Pirates, you'll look at world history from a new point of view, realizing much of what you've learned before should be viewed through a more accurate, post-imperialistic filter.

In the 16th century, the Spanish had the largest European presence in the Caribbean. Learn how that power hold was broken and which nationalities joined in the subsequent piratical free-for-all. How do we know what happened there? Discover the historical importance of Alexander Exquemelin's Buccaneers of America and A General History of the Pyrates by "Captain Charles Johnson.

A one hour, unblinking and fact-filled look at the real history of slavery, as revealed in Roots. This documentary features leading historians unpacking the history behind Africa at the time of Kunte Kinte and the Middle Passage, slavery on plantations.

Bringing to light the heartbreaking experiences of the Wenberg sisters - Adelaide, Valerie (Linow) and Rita, SERVENT OR SLAVES celebrates their fortitude in pursuing justice for the crimes committed against them. Their firsthand accounts of officially sanctioned enslavement reveal the true intent of the government policy of ‘protection’ prevalent throughout the twentieth century. Theirs is a David and Goliath battle, waged not only for personal healing, but to shed light on a barely acknowledged part of modern Australia’s history whose consequences are still felt today.

Long ago scores of real pirates plied their brutal trade in the temperate waters of the Caribbean Ocean. In the 1600s and 1700s, Captain Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, Calico Jack Rackham, Ann Bonny, Mary Read, and Black Bart were among the infamous pirates whose crews lied in wait to violently raid the merchant ships of various nations. The true stories of who they were, how they operated, and their various successes and failures in this dark and deadly profession, go far beyond popular legend.