Jolly Roger Dbq Essay

During the Golden Age of Piracy, crime on the high seas flourished. Many individuals had a positive outlook toward a life under the Jolly Roger because they believed they would be independent of the national laws set in place, and more importantly, they expected to be treated better than the typical sailor. It was common for former seaman to become dastardly pirates as they hoped to escape the life of poverty, share out equally in prize money, and to become rich on the plunders of treasure and cargo ships. However, with the increase in privateers around 1717, many pirates were persecuted and brought to justice. With the number of pirate attacks around the world slowly declining, it was assumed that piracy was never to be heard of again, but

With the issuing of the Letters of Marque and Reprisal, which were the “the official documents by which 18th-century governments commissioned private commercial ships, known as privateers, to act on their behalf, attacking ships carrying the flags of enemy nations,” (“Congress Authorizes”) privateers began to hunt down pirates, bring them to justice, and clear the waters of hostility. The Letters of Marque also stated that any fortunes found aboard a ship were to be shared with the captain of the privateer voyage and the government that had issued such letter. Due to the large profits obtained from these missions, there was an increase in the desire to become privateers; however, some men became greedy and wanted more than just half the share of the recovered goods found aboard captured ships. The lure of the possible rewards a pirate could procure was a motivation enough for the crime. One example of a privateer turned pirate was Edward Teach, who is more formerly known as

These women were two of the most feared female pirates of the early 18th century, and many wonder why they chose to embark in a life of adventure on the high seas. Historians Rudolf M. Dekker and Lotte C. van de Pol deduced that Anne Bonny disobeyed her father’s orders and followed her instincts for a life full of adventure and romance, while Mary Read chose to leave her life of poverty behind for a more opportunistic future and for economic necessity (Rediker 105). Anne was married to a man by the name of James Bonny, and the two moved to New Providence where Anne became acquainted with John Rackham, who is more commonly known as Calico Jack. She fell in love with Calico and joined his crew of pirates, leaving her husband behind. It would appear that love is a strange motivation for a life in piracy, but with Anne’s aggressive and vicious background, she settled right in underneath the Jolly Roger. On the other hand, Mary Read had very different incentives that brought her into the lifestyle. Unlike Anne, Mary was born into a very poor family and in order to escape her life of poverty, she chose to suit up as a man and join the voyage shipping to the West Indies (Johnson 153). The ship was later captured by pirates and the captain of the ship asked Mary to join his crew, in which she eagerly accepted. Although she never had the idea of piracy in mind, the