The document summarizes the history of Barbary pirates who operated from North Africa between the 11th and 19th centuries. They attacked ships in western Europe and along the coast of Africa, capturing thousands of European slaves for the slave markets. Notable pirates included Jean Lafitte who established an illegal slave smuggling operation in New Orleans, and Blackbeard who patrolled the Caribbean from 1713 to 1718 when he was killed. To avoid capture, Americans had to pay fees to the Barbary states or avoid pirate-controlled waters in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic.