Can you read it at a rather slow pace please ?
Also, as I wrote it there may be some mistakes left, feel free to correct if you see some.
Thank you
The Golden age of piracy
Most of the pirates tales that we know today like Pirates of the Caribbean, Treasure island or even the manga One Piece come from a common period of time known as the Golden age of Piracy. The first person to use the term was the Swedish journalist George Powell. He used it in 1894 in one of his articles to define the many outbursts of piracy in the previous century.
In fact, the Golden Age of Piracy is a period of time, generally situated between 1650 and 1726 during which piracy has been more than just a trend; it was a real way of life. If there were so many pirates during this period, it is for good reasons. Indeed, Europe was flourishing with colonies such as Jamaica or the Caribbeans and countries like France and Spain established trading with them, selling or buying local products, riches, slaves… The problem was that, at that point in time, trade was only possible by boat and pirates had understood that so they knew that by attacking merchants, a lot of easy money could be made. All you needed was a fast boat, a crew and some weapons. That's why many outlaws, bandits, or even former soldiers would choose the way of the pirate.
Even though some crews did not last long on the cruel oceans, it still led to many great tales of great pirate captains, like Henry Morgan, William Kidd, Black Beard, Calico Jack and even some famous female pirates like Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Every treasure you could ever dream of was just here for the taking.
However several governments paid attention to the pirates' actions and Portugal, Spain, France and Great Britain would deploy a lot of money, soldiers and boats to stop the pirates from terrorizing the seas. That's how the oceans were flourishing with navy boats by the beginning of the 18th century, to protect the merchants and hunt the pirates down. As such, piracy was on a strong decline, the hunters became the hunted and by 1720, the last crews that remained were seeking refuge on islands in the Pacific or Atlantic ocean or near Africa where they could trade their treasures and settle. That's how the Golden Age of Piracy came to an end and now only remain tales to be told and dreams of finding buried treasures.
Hi Knottycarla, thanks a lot for your contribution. However, as the recording is destined to learners, Iwould like one with a more neutral accent. No offense and again, thank you very much :)