Why We Love Pirates: The Hunt for Captain Kidd and How He Changed Piracy Forever

During his life and even after his death, Captain William Kidd’s name was famed in England and the American colonies for the very crime for which he was hanged: piracy. Captain Kidd was executed in 1701, and from that sprung a massive hunt for all pirates during a period known as the Golden Age of Piracy. Ironically, public executions only led to pirates’ growth in popularity and interest. Because the American colonies relied on pirates for smuggled goods such as spices, wines, and silks, they sought to protect pirates from being captured. The more pirates were hunted and executed, the more the public felt for the “Robin Hoods of the Sea." These historical events were pivotal in creating the portrayal of pirates as romantic antiheroes that we know them today. (Short Discount)