Set against the backdrop of the Age of Exploration, Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America’s Most Notorious Pirates reveals the dramatic and surprising history of American piracy’s “Golden Age”—spanning the late 1600s through the early 1700s—when lawless pirates plied the coastal waters of North America and beyond. In his slide show and presentation, Eric Jay Dolin will illustrate how American colonists at first supported these outrageous pirates in an early display of colonial solidarity against the Crown, and then violently opposed them. Through engrossing episodes of roguish glamour and extreme brutality, Dolin depicts the star pirates of this period, including towering Blackbeard, as well as pirates whose stories are less familiar, but whose despicable deeds are often just as riveting. Upending popular misconceptions and cartoonish stereotypes, Dolin provides this wholly original account of the seafaring outlaws whose raids reflect the precarious nature of American colonial life. Event subject to becoming virtual-only. Check here for updates: America’s Pirates – Great Lives (umw.edu)