Truth of Pirates

Pirates have been popularly portrayed as despicable villains and mindless brutes who did nothing but steal and murder and drink rum. They're not renowned for freeing slaves, being contracted by governments, or being betrayed and persecuted by those same governments. The truth is much more complex. From military sailors abandoned by their governments, to escaped slaves (many pirates were black), and others who had been mistreated and neglected by the establishment. These pariahs came together and formed an egalitarian society where they could drink rum, steal from outsiders, and murder those they felt had wronged them.