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You've been there as a parent.
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You can buy it.
He thought about it for a moment and then said, nevermind.
I guess I don't want it that much.
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Many kids and grown-ups know about pirates from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
These movies are full of wild adventures, treasure hunts, sword fights, and ghost ships.
The pirates in the films sail on fast ships, wear fancy hats and say things like and shiver me timbers.
The movies are fun, but they are not always true.
The real story of pirates in the Caribbean is just as exciting, but very different.
Pirates were real people.
They lived hundreds of years ago.
Most pirates in the Caribbean were active between the late 1600s and early 1700s.
This time is called the Golden Age of Piracy.
It lasted for about 30 years.
During this time, pirates sailed the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, looking for ships to attack.
So why were there so many pirates in the Caribbean?
The answer has to do with money.
European countries like Spain, England, France, and the Netherlands had colonies in the Caribbean.
They grew sugar, tobacco, and other goods.
They also dug gold and silver from the land and mines in the Americas.
These treasures were loaded onto ships and sent back to Europe.
The ships were slow and heavy.
They made good targets for pirates.
Pirates would attack these ships, steal the treasure, and sail away before anyone could stop them.
Some pirates even attacked towns and ports along the coast.
One famous place that many pirates visited was Port Royal.
It was a city on the island of Jamaica.
In the 1600s, Port Royal was full of sailors, merchants, and pirates.
It was known as one of the richest and wildest cities in the Caribbean.
People called it the wickedest city on earth.
Pirates came there to sell stolen goods, spend their money and enjoy food, drink and entertainment.
Port Royal was important for another reason too.
The British Navy used it as a base to protect their colonies.
Sometimes British leaders even hired pirates, calling them privateers.
A privateer was like a pirate with permission.
They were given a paper called a Letter of Mark.
This let them attack ships from enemy countries during times of war.
Privateers gave some of the treasure to their government, but kept the rest.
One famous privateer was Henry Morgan.
He was born in Wales but sailed for England.
He attacked Spanish towns and ships and brought back lots of treasure.
The English king liked him so much that he made Henry Morgan the lieutenant governor of Jamaica.
But Morgan was still known for being rough and cruel, even after becoming a leader.
Not all pirates were privateers.
Some were true outlaws.
They attacked any ship they could find, no matter what flag it flew.
They didn't care about rules.
These pirates wanted freedom, adventure, and riches.
One of the most famous pirates of all time was Edward Teach.
People called him Blackbeard.
He had a long black beard and tied burning matches under his hat to scare people.
His ship was called the Queen Anne's Revenge.
Blackbeard was very smart.
He made people think he was dangerous so they would give up without fighting.
He didn't actually kill very often, but he looked scary on purpose.
Another famous pirate was Anne Bonny.
She was a woman who dressed like a man and fought like one too.
She sailed with another woman pirate named Mary Red.
Both of them were brave and strong.
They were part of a crew led by a pirate named Calico Jack.
People were shocked to find women on pirate ships, but Anne and Mary showed that women could be pirates too.
Pirates had their own rules.
Most ships followed something called a pirate code.
The code said things like how treasure would be shared, what jobs people had and what happened if someone broke the rules.
Every pirate on the ship got a share of the loot.
Captains often had to be voted in by the crew.
Some pirates even had rules for taking care of injured crewmates.
If a pirate lost an arm or leg, he might get more treasure to help him.
But life as a pirate was not easy.
Ships were crowded, dirty, and full of danger.
Food went bad quickly.
Fresh water was hard to find.
Many pirates got sick with diseases like scurvy.
Battles were bloody and risky.
And if pirates were caught, they were usually hanged.
Pirate life could be exciting, but it was also short and hard.
Now let's look at what is true and what is made up.
Many things in pirate movies are not real.
Pirates did not bury treasure in secret places.
They usually spent their money right away.
They did not make people walk the plank.
That idea came from books and movies.
Pirates also didn't talk like the ones in the movies.
They spoke in many different ways, depending on where they were from.
But some things are true.
Pirates did wear sashes, earrings, and wide hats.
They used swords, pistols, and cannons.
They did fly flags, including the famous black flag with a skull and crossbones.
This was called the Jolly Roger.
It was used to scare other ships.
Pirates hoped the flag would make people surrender without a fight.
One big event changed Port Royal forever.
In 1692, a terrible earthquake hit the city.
Much of Port Royal sank into the sea.
Ships, buildings, and people were swallowed by the water.
After that, the city was never the same.
Some people say the earthquake was a punishment for the city's wicked ways, but really it was just a natural disaster.
By the 1720s, the golden age of piracy was ending.
Countries like England and Spain began to hunt down pirates more seriously.
They sent out navy ships and offered rewards for catching pirates.
Many were arrested and put on trial.
Some became famous after they died, but during their lives, most were seen as criminals.
Today pirates are a big part of stories, books, and movies.
The Pirates of the Caribbean movies helped many people learn about pirate life, even if some parts are made up.
You can still visit places where real pirates once walked, like the ruins of Port Royal or museums in the Caribbean.
The real pirates of the Caribbean were not magic or cursed or part of ghost stories.
They were real people living in a wild time.
They took risks, sailed far, and lived by their own rules.
Some were heroes to their crews, others were feared by all, but their stories continue to be told, even hundreds of years later.
