Ahoy, in case you don't already know it from the pirate-ese bein' spoken around you in the classroom, today is National Talk Like A Pirate Day. Aye. Arrr, ha'en't the foggiest how t' talk like a pirate? Arrr, the pirate speak translator will get your started on your quest. Aye, get your pirate on and celebrate Rhode Island's pirate tradition on the one day o' the year whar talkin' like a pirate is a perfectly acceptable way t' speak.

Once ye've gotten your bottle of rum, batten down the hatches, and gather 'round for some tales of pirate misdeeds that will shiver yer timbers:  Did ye know that Rhode Island has a long tradition of Pirates?  Ay, it's true, mateys!

From 1650 to 1700 piracy was an important industry here in Rhode Island. Both Newport and Providence were considered so welcoming to pirates that many took up residence in the state (William Kidd, Blackbeard, Henry Every, and Thomas Tew, to name just a few). Many Rhode Islanders were recruited for pirate ships crews.

Thomas Tew is known as the Rhode Island pirate. His two pirate voyages netted him 14 times the value of the vessel in which he sailed. He brought his loot to Newport, RI when he'd finished his pillaging and plundering. When he'd arrive, the whole town turned out to greet him.

Things were different for Captain Abraham Blauvelt, a Dutch pirate who came to Newport, RI to divvy up his booty. By then, the people of Newport were worried that the pirate would sully the good reputation of the state and treated him poorly. He left the shores in the 1600s ne'er to return. Luckily, his reputation remains.

The London Board of Trade made a formal complaint about the numbers of pirates that called Rhode Island their home base. By the early 1720's, piracy had lost its appeal, as laws began to outlaw merchants association with pirates, and the end of piracy in Rhode Island came when 26 pirates were hung outside Newport.

Aye, and if you war e'er goin' t' drink grog in the classroom, today is the day. And if anyone comes near ye, tell 'em, "Ye'll ne'er get me buried booty!"  Gar, now where can I find a bottle o'rum?