Governance in 18th-century piracy
Okay kiddo, so back in pirate times, they didn't have a government like we do today. Instead, the pirates created their own rules and ways of doing things. This was called "governance."
Pirates would elect a leader, who was called the "captain." The captain was in charge of making decisions about what the pirates should do, like which ships to attack and how to split the loot.
But the captain couldn't just make all the decisions by himself. Pirates had their own set of rules called the "Articles of Agreement." These rules were created by the pirates themselves and everyone had to follow them.
The Articles covered things like how the loot would be divided, how punishments would be handled, and even rules about drinking and gambling. The pirates all agreed to follow these rules, and if someone broke them, they would be punished.
The pirates also had their own justice system. If someone committed a serious crime, like stealing from another pirate, they would have a trial. The trial would be held by a group of pirates, who would decide if the person was guilty or not. If they were found guilty, they would be punished by the crew.
So you see, even though the pirates didn't have a government like we do today, they still had their own system of rules and ways of making decisions. It wasn't always fair, but it was the way things worked for them.
Pirates would elect a leader, who was called the "captain." The captain was in charge of making decisions about what the pirates should do, like which ships to attack and how to split the loot.
But the captain couldn't just make all the decisions by himself. Pirates had their own set of rules called the "Articles of Agreement." These rules were created by the pirates themselves and everyone had to follow them.
The Articles covered things like how the loot would be divided, how punishments would be handled, and even rules about drinking and gambling. The pirates all agreed to follow these rules, and if someone broke them, they would be punished.
The pirates also had their own justice system. If someone committed a serious crime, like stealing from another pirate, they would have a trial. The trial would be held by a group of pirates, who would decide if the person was guilty or not. If they were found guilty, they would be punished by the crew.
So you see, even though the pirates didn't have a government like we do today, they still had their own system of rules and ways of making decisions. It wasn't always fair, but it was the way things worked for them.