• Rediker states that piracy was “a way of life, voluntarily chosen, for the most part, by large numbers of men who directly challenged the harsh ways of maritime society” (p. 156). What was harsh about maritime society? Why did so many sailors voluntarily join the ranks of the pirates who captured their vessels?

• Rediker argues that pirates maintained a “different social order” (p. 158). What were the important aspects of this social order, including the distribution of plunder and the regulation of conflict among pirates?
• Why did British government and naval authorities want to violently suppress piracy?