Blackbeard the Pirate: History, Legend, and Popular Appeal

Introduction: The Enduring Myth of Blackbeard

Say the name Edward Teach, and most people will not react. Say this person's nickname — "Blackbeard" — and people have a very different reaction. Ironically, although this pirate was evil incarnate with no second thoughts about killing, he is often idolized alongside other pirates. What makes pirates so popular, despite their lack of redeeming qualities? The answer lies in a potent combination of adventure, rebellion, and nostalgia.

From Privateer to Pirate: The Rise of Edward Teach

Captain Teach was born in Bristol, England, and learned his trade with privateers in the East Indies during the old French war. Around the latter part of 1716, a privateering captain named Benjamin Hornigold put Teach in command of a recently captured sloop, and his future was set. It did not take long for him to move from privateer to pirate status. Not only did he make this change himself, but he also urged his old captain to join him. This led to a series of bold and lawless adventures that made his name infamous — the name "Blackbeard" coming from the large, terrifying quantity of hair that frightened people more than anything else. He wore a sling over his shoulders fitted with three braces of pistols and stuck lit matches under his hat, making him look all the more fierce and wild (Johnson & Pyle 29).

One reason that pirates have always had a mixed reputation is that they were sometimes useful to the authorities. The governors of Caribbean colonies, for example, sometimes asked pirates to act against Britain's French and Spanish colonial rivals, with the government secretly pocketing a share of the pirates' booty. However, from the start, Blackbeard refused to play that game. When his partner Ben Hornigold accepted an amnesty from the British Crown in 1717 and abandoned the pirate life for good, Blackbeard assumed leadership of a handsome, 20-gun former French vessel called La Concorde. He renamed it the Queen Anne's Revenge — after the recently reigning English monarch — added another 20 guns, and made it his flagship for the remainder of his career (Jones).

Terror on the Seas: Blackbeard's Career and Downfall

Blackbeard moved quickly to extract as much as he could from the Caribbean's lucrative merchant trade, taking some 45 ships and spilling a great deal of blood. Despite his violent reputation and savage appearance, he would show mercy to victims who surrendered without a fight. Any resistance, however, meant the ship would be burned. Unlucky survivors were marooned on distant deserted islands to starve. This approach eventually made enemies of the wrong people (Jones).

After his flotilla of four vessels and 300 pirates boldly blockaded the port of Charleston, South Carolina, for an entire week in May 1718, the British authorities finally moved against him. His old pirate associate Bonnet — whom Blackbeard had also wronged — was seized and hanged. Sensing danger, Blackbeard negotiated a deal with Charles Eden, Governor of North Carolina, agreeing to scuttle the Queen Anne's Revenge and quit piracy in exchange for a pardon (Jones). For a short time he gave in to life on land, marrying his 14th wife and drinking away the profits of his illicit career.

He could not stay away from the sea for long, however, and gathered his old crew to plot further acts of piracy. Alexander Spotswood, Governor of Virginia, saw an opportunity to outmaneuver his rival Governor Eden and win favor from the Crown by eliminating the Caribbean's most notorious pirate. He dispatched a Royal Navy squadron that cornered Blackbeard at Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina, on November 22, 1718. True to form, Blackbeard put up a fight. He sustained five musket ball wounds and more than 20 sword slashes before dying. Spotswood took his head as the ultimate trophy.

Conclusion: Romanticizing the Outlaw

Regardless of what is accurate history or admirable behavior, people of all ages will probably continue to romanticize the life of a pirate. The combination of adventure, defiance of authority, and the haze of historical distance makes figures like Blackbeard irresistible. Yet if one's own vessel were stopped by today's pirates on any of the world's oceans, it would not take long to understand exactly why Blackbeard had such a terrible reputation.

References

Daily Mail. (November 10, 2006). Blackbeard's last secret.

Jones, N. (September 9, 2006). Not so jolly Roger. Daily Mail.

Mackie, E. (2005). Welcome the outlaw. Cultural Critique, 59, 24–62.

Pyle, H., & Johnson, M. (1921). Howard Pyle's book of pirates. Ten Pound Island.