It is #MinecraftMonday and we are having fun with a Pirates lesson. Now you may not know, but Pirates are still around today, just not worldwide and definitely no longer reflect of the Pirates we knew and learn about.
History
The Golden Age of Piracy is a common designation for the period between the 1650s and the 1730s, when maritime piracy was a significant factor in the histories of the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, the Indian Ocean, North America, and West Africa. Histories of piracy often subdivide the Golden Age of Piracy into three periods: The buccaneering period (approximately 1650 to 1680), characterized by Anglo-French seamen based in Jamaica and Tortuga attacking Spanish colonies, and shipping in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The Pirate Round (1690s), associated with long-distance voyages from the Americas to rob Muslim and East India Company targets in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea. The post-Spanish Succession period (1715 to 1726), when Anglo-American sailors and privateers left unemployed by the end of the War of the Spanish Succession turned en masse to piracy in the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the North American eastern seaboard, and the West African coast.
Narrower definitions of the Golden Age sometimes exclude the first or second periods, but most include at least some portion of the third. The modern conception of pirates as depicted in popular culture is derived largely, although not always accurately, from the Golden Age of Piracy.
Factors contributing to piracy during the Golden Age included the rise in quantities of valuable cargoes being shipped to Europe over vast ocean areas, reduced European navies in certain regions, the training and experience that many sailors had gained in European navies (particularly the British Royal Navy), and corrupt and ineffective government in European overseas colonies. Colonial powers at the time constantly fought with pirates and engaged in several notable battles and other related events.
But there are some famous pirates you may have heard of like Blackbeard, Sir Francis Drake, Captain Samuel Bellamy, Ching Shih, Bartholomew Roberts, Captain Kidd, Henry Morgan, Calico Jack, Ann Bonny, and the Barbarossa Brothers. You can absolutely dive into when, where and why they were Pirates. This would be great for older kids to work on research. You can also compare their stories to the films made about them, or featuring characters based on their history like in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Then Matthew and I went into Minecraft and found pirate ships. We explored, talked about why ships were used, how they made people feel facing them and how effective (or non effective when it comes to sunken ships and lost treasures) they were.
Two very different styles but remember, not all pirates sailed with black flags. At one point, pirates were legally employed by the Royal Navy.
Do you like pirates and was this fun? We hope so, let us know below what you added to your lesson.