c. 1680
November 22, 1718
Pirate
The famous pirate Blackbeard sailed the waters of the Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans between 1716 and 1718. According to legend, he was a vicious murderer who tortured his victims and showed little mercy. In 1997 a sunken ship was discovered off the North Carolina coast that is believed to be Blackbeard’s vessel, Queen Anne’s Revenge. The find generated new interest in the pirate. Scholars now believe that the seafaring renegade did not resemble the “brother of the devil” portrayed by legend. (See original entry on Blackbeard in Outlaws, Mobsters, & Crooks, Volume 3.)
Artifacts salvaged from shipwrecked vessels have provided archaeologists (scientists who study people or cultures by examining artifacts) with new information about pirates. Aided by these valuable finds, scientists are piecing together a more accurate picture of pirates than that painted by legend. Historians, too, are taking a second look at piracy. “As the divers continue to piece together the shipwreck puzzle, the historians have been doing the same thing with the historical record,” wrote Constance Bond in Smithsonian. Prompted by the new finds, scholars are examining original sources—such as the recorded accounts of eyewitness, newspaper clippings from the time, and court proceedings— to help separate fact from fiction.
Archaeologists and historians are uncovering evidence that pirates in general, and Blackbeard in particular, were not the ruthless, bloodthirsty tyrants they were made out to be. But it is no accident that this image developed. Pirates wanted to be thought of as fearsome so that their victims would immediately surrender—thereby avoiding bloodshed. Archaeologists have found weapons, including hand grenades from the ship believed to be the Revenge, that were meant not to kill but rather to create the impression of greater firepower. Writing in Science Desk, William Broad explains that such weapons “appear to have been meant more for intimidating victims and waging psychological warfare than for blasting apart ships.”
British officials, too, had an interest in promoting the belief that pirates were vicious predators. Pirates looted British ships and disobeyed the law. Authorities wanted them dead, and turning the public against pirates served their purpose.
Some scholars also believe that the pirates’ self-government, a democratic system, put them at odds with the British government, in which the people were ruled by a king who was considered to have the divine right to govern. Democratic ideals posed a threat to the long-standing order of British society. “These crews had established floating democratic commonwealths that were at war with the whole world,” explains Kenneth Kinkor, research director at the Expedition Whydah, in Science Desk.
Scholars have also uncovered evidence that pirate ships, including Blackbeard’s, were multicultural. While British ships transported black slaves across the Atlantic, pirate ships employed black sailors as full members of their crews. Pirates who captured slave ships were known to free the black slaves and take them on board as sailors.
Much of the truth about piracy lies buried under the sea. Archeologists continue to excavate pirate vessels, such as a recently discovered ship believed to be Blackbeard’s Adventure, one of the smaller vessels in Blackbeard’s fleet that was sunk while trying to assist the Queen Anne’s Revenge. And, using archival materials, scholars continue to deconstruct popular history. One day the legend of Blackbeard may be exactly that—something not to be confused with fact.
All Smoke and No Action
To intimidate his victims, Blackbeard portrayed himself as “the brother of the devil.” He placed smoking fuses in his beard and bellowed threats and curses. But scholars now believe he was a showman; his appearance and manner were probably bluffs. In studying old documents, historians have concluded that there is no evidence that the pirate known as Blackbeard claimed any lives until the final battle in which he was killed.
Allen, Laura. “Searching for Blackbeard.” Science World (March 8, 1999).
Bond, Constance. “A Fury from Hell or Was He?” Smithsonian (February 2000).
Broad, William. “Archeologists Revise Portrait of Buccaneers as Monsters.” New York Times (March 11, 1997).
Broad, William. “Deep Into Pirate History: Blackbeard’s Ship Reportedly Found Off North Carolina.” Daily News (Los Angeles, California) (March 4, 1997).
Broad, William. “New Clues Say Pirates Get a Bad Rap Scholars Revising Buccaneers’ Image.” Rocky Mountain News (Denver, Colorado) (March 4, 1997).
Broad, William. “Sea May Have Yielded Piece of Pirate Lore.” New York Times (March 4, 1997).
Butler, Lindley S. “Revenge.” American History (August 2000).
Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag: The Romance and Reality of Life among the Pirates. San Diego, CA: Parmer Books, 1995.
Fesperman, Dan. “Piracy Worries in Pirate Dispute.” Baltimore (Maryland) Sun (March 16, 1997).
Rozsa, Lori. “Tracking Blackbeard.” Miami (Florida) Herald (March 16, 1997).
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