#flatstanley #flathal
The pirates and privateers of the 1700s would be shocked! Flat Hal and Flat Halena sailed from Florida to Barbados in just 3 days. On the ship, these young travelers spent their time playing games, making friends, and reading.
A picture of what the Flat Friends sawPirates didn’t have much time for fun. They spent their days pulling heavy ropes, setting sails, and scrubbing the floors (this was called swabbing the deck). They had many chores to do! Our Flat Friends are lucky—they are passengers on this trip, not workers!
And a piece of art representing where it took their minds as they tried to imagine what life was like here hundreds of years ago.In the 1700s, it was common for ten-year-old boys to work on ships as cabin boys, usually helping the Captain. At that time, girls were mostly left on land because sailors believed having a girl on a ship was bad luck. Today, we know that was just a myth—which is a story that many people believe even though it isn’t actually true! (Like the stories about Kraken’s reef.)
Pirate? Or Privateer? What’s the Difference?
PIRATES were sea robbers. They were criminals.
Their Boss: Nobody! They worked for themselves.
Who they robbed: Everyone! They didn’t care what country you were from.
If caught: They would be arrested and get in huge trouble by anyone who caught them.
PRIVATEERS were captains hired by a King or Queen during a war.
Their Boss: The King, Queen, or government of their home country.
Who they robbed: Only the enemy ships that their boss was fighting.
If caught: If their own country caught them, they showed their permission slip and were treated like heroes. (If the enemy caught them, they were treated like pirates!)
Here are some cool words sailors used back then.
Letter of Marque (Say it like: Letter of Mark)
What it means: This is the “permission slip.” It was a fancy piece of paper signed by the King that turned a regular captain into a Privateer. Without this paper, you were just a pirate!
Booty or Plunder
What it means: The treasure! Gold coins, jewels, fancy cloth, and spices that they STOLE from other ships.
The Jolly Roger
What it means: The scary black flag with the skull and crossbones. Only Pirates flew this to scare people into giving up without a fight.
The National Flag
What it means: Privateers usually flew the flag of their own country, so the enemy knew exactly who was attacking them.
