Golden Age Of Piracy Thesis Statement

The Golden Age of Piracy The Golden Age of Piracy appeared with the rise of new empires and the discovery of The New World. Though throughout history piracy has been a recurring problem, but none of those times compare to The Golden Age of Piracy. Generating from 1655 to the 1730s, the greatest acts of piracy were recorded in history, with 2,500 to 10,000 total active pirates during this era. Whenever there were unprotected trade routes and treasures to be captured, pirates prevailed. Many pirates expressed the earliest ideas of freedom and democracy. Thesis Statement.

Most pirates were originally seamen that severed for the British naval ships. When many of those men lost their jobs they turned to piracy to make a living (“Life Aboard Ship

This gave crew members a say and limited the captain's control. Countless sailors were ready to ditch the naval ships and join the pirates. When pirates raided ships, they gathered up the sailors and stood them in a straight line. They asked who would like to join them and many sailors immediately stepped forward (“Life Aboard Ship in the Golden Age of Piracy”). Upon joining, all new crew members had to a sign The Pirate Code. This being set of articles that stated food and liquor were distributed equally, division of the treasure was equal, injuries would be paid for, and everyone had a vote. “There were three levels of authority on a pirate ship: the captain, the quartermaster, and the pirate council”(“Life Aboard Ship in the Golden Age of Piracy”). The captain had complete control over the crew, but could be voted off if they found him unworthy. Then came the quartermaster who was in charge of everybody getting an equal share and treatment. Finally, was the ship's crew, they were the most important part of a pirate ship. They kept the ship in tack and were the manpower behind every attack. Without the crew, the captain could not have been able to hold a successful attack. The Golden Age of Piracy started somewhere, and it began with a famous explorer (“Life Aboard Ship in the Golden Age of

Spain colonized the Spanish Main in 1630. The main source of food on the island were pigs. Settlers cooked the pigs on an open fire which was referred to buccaning. This is how the settlers received their name the Buccaneers. As the population grew on the Spanish Main, the Spanish became nervous. They slaughtered the pigs and destroyed the only food source on the island. Many buccaneers turned to piracy to meet their needs (Krysteck, Lee). The buccaneers attacked ships in the Indian Ocean, West African Coast, Caribbean waters, and the Atlantic Sea (“Famous Pirates and the Golden Age of Piracy”). Pinnaces happened to be the main attack ship for the buccaneers. They were small and swift, so the buccaneers could sneak up on merchant ships and surprise attack them (Krysteck, Lee). Treasure was not just the only thing they were after. They would also steal food, water, alcohol, clothing, and weapons (“Golden Age of Piracy”).These men followed no rules, so whatever they wanted they got. Buccaneers soon found out it was difficult to attack Spanish ships crossing the ocean, and instantly captured the treasure before it was put on the ships. Weak and defenseless Spanish towns shortly became the buccaneers main source of attacks. As time went on, the buccaneers turned into pirates that were rough and reckless (“Famous Pirates and the Golden Age of