Introduction to Research Paper

Spanish explorers reaching the Americas

When the word pirate comes up in a conversation today, the witty smart-mouthed Captain Jack Sparrow from the Disney movie series Pirates of the Caribbean usually pops up in someone’s mind. If the great Captain Jack Sparrow does not come up, then an individual wearing a baggy shirt, a tricorn hat, and a parrot attached to their shoulder should be a familiar image. Children hear the stories of these infamous and violent species engaging in horrendous acts and battles in order to secure the “booty” when they are at a very young age. They start to fill up with action-packed adventures as sparks begin to light up their imagination. Their boundless minds cannot help but emulate the feeling of being able to do anything anywhere they wanted without having to deal with parents or the law to cause a halt in their journey. Names including Sir Francis Drake and Henry Morgan are some of the most notorious pirates to ever live as they traveled the seas plundering from victims whatever they deemed was valuable to them. They were pirates who ruled the ocean during the 1600s and 1700s, a time period known as the “Golden Age of Piracy”. These individuals invoked fear into all as they roamed the waters of the globe. Furthermore, these individuals were not originally considered pirates as they were known as privateers to their respective countries. Depending on the perspective we look at, individuals such as them are not much different from the heroes we praise today like Christopher Columbus. He is highly touted for finding the Americas in an attempt to find a direct water route from Europe to Asia by heading westward, but he is also considered a villain committing genocide and cruelty throughout the regions he claimed. A large number of people ignore this fact and still give him the fame and reputation that he does not deserve. Christopher Columbus even has a holiday on October 12th in order to celebrate the anniversary of his arrival to the Americas. The Italian explorer has become a household name with numerous films and books about his impressive accomplishments. However, Christopher Columbus is not the only figure that we have learned in the history books with a sinful side to their amazing achievements. In our history textbooks and the social studies classroom, Spanish explorers such as Hernando De Soto and Hernan Cortes are also prime examples of iconic figures that have been highly praised for their feats such as the expeditions to the Americas and conquering land for Spain. Although the legacies of these individuals granted them approval and admiration by many as heroes, the truth behind it all is that they are villains committing the worst of crimes like pirates. The question of why famous explorers should be classified as pirates. During the age of exploration, explorers expressed similar characteristics to pirates through their mistreatment of Native Americans in the Americas, their living conditions on board ships, and their unstable obsession for items they saw valuable.