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The concept of the pirate life is one that has fascinated children and adults alike for generations. It's the idea of pure unadulterated freedom, living free from the shackles of responsibility, regulation, and reality. On a lone vessel dancing along the waves of a vast ocean, the world is truly your oyster, and the possibilities are endless! This swashbuckling fantasy has been fueled time and time again by classics like Pirates of the Caribbean in the early 2000s, Treasure Island in the late 1800s, and A General History of the Pyrates in the early 1700s. So considering how impactful the pirate genre has been on the greater populace, it might come as a shock to learn that our understanding of real pirate history is relatively meager. That last listed classic, A General History of the Pyrates by Captain Charles Johnson, remains one of our most primary sources for pirate history during the Golden Age, a novel which we know to have exaggerated and stretched the truth for sensational effect. While unfortunate, it does make sense that accurate recordings of the true history of piracy are scarce given the criminal and elusive nature of pirates themselves. One isn't really an efficient criminal by making their personal information as known as possible. Combine that with the fact that most pirates came from poverty and low social status, and the fact that many primary court documents have been lost to time, it makes sense that this history can be hard to accurately map and result in much speculation. In this video, much speculation must be made to connect the dots we have about Stede Bonnet's life for example. Naturally, this can lead to inaccurate assumptions, so with that in mind I tried my best to choose language carefully when telling this story. Take note of the numerous sentences initiated with, "It's believed" for some insight into when speculations are made.
The illusiveness of pirate history feeds into the fantasy. After all, these were criminals, and if we could go back in time and ask them, we'd find many of them wouldn't choose this way of life if given the choice. The story of piracy is the story of class struggle, with rare exceptions like Bonnet aside, the lowest rungs of society were the ones who populated the pirate ranks. Poor sailors who lost their livelihood, impressment victims seeking freedom, privateers losing their state-backed support, and those with nowhere to turn but the sea were the ones who became pirates. It's a position born out of struggle and poverty, the same struggle that can be seen with the Somali pirates in the modern day. In essence, they are no different than the glorified pirates of the Caribbean: disadvantaged victims of society merely doing what they can to survive.
Works Consulted / Read More:
(Will add later)