What Is Blackbeard A Bad Pirate

Blackbeard was not the big bad pirate that he is thought to be. Most people think that he was the most fearsome and dangerous pirate that has ever lived, which in most ways he was. However, he made up stories and stretched the truth to make him self look much tougher than he really was. In the early 1700’s Edward Teach earned his place in pirating history, acquiring the name Blackbeard because of his large black beard that almost covered his entire face. Blackbeard terrorized the coastal settlements of Virginia and the Carolinas around 1717 mostly taking valuables, rum, and weapons from his victims. Blackbeard was born Edward Teach is believed to be born around 1680 in Bristol England. Before he had become a pirate Edward began his
He got the name “Blackbeard” because of his large black beard that almost covered his entire face. Before a battle he plaited his beard into small pigtails tied with colored ribbons. In these pigtails he placed and lighted long, slow burning matches that were usually used to set off a cannon. Since Blackbeard had such a tall and mighty physique, the smoke that curled out and around his face gave him a devilish appearance. In addition with his smoking face, he carried pistols, daggers, and a cutlass in his belt. Across his chest he also carried six cocked, ready to fire pistols. With all the weapons and crewmembers, Blackbeard petrified the people along Carolina and Virginia coasts in his ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge taking mostly valuables, rum, and weapons from other ships that crossed his path. He also captured ships in the harbor and seized citizens for ransom. “It is said that Blackbeard in battle array was an awesome sight and, to sailors of the day, as feared as the devil himself, to which many believed him akin.” (Pirates and Privateers) To prove his ruthlessness, Blackbeard stirred things up by lighting pots of sulfur in his own ship, or even shooting off pistols beneath the table while entertaining friends in his cabin. He mostly did these kinds of things when action was slow, and he was restless. Many of his crewmembers were quite scared of him, fearing
He intentionally developed the character of “Blackbeard” as assistance in encouraging a quick surrender with minimal resistance by his objective at sea. Obviously Blackbeard was a believer in the importance of first impressions. He regularly dressed completely in black to create an appearance as horrifying as his deeds. It seemed to work, because many of his victims were quick to surrender without a fight. Just the sight of Blackbeard was enough to keep the other ships from fighting back. The smoke around Blackbeard’s face along with his tall physique scared them too much to fight. The reason why Blackbeard acted so crazy at times was because he needed to maintain his devilish image in order to sustain the respect of his crewmembers. Nevertheless, very few members of the crew doubted that he was the devil himself, very few didn’t fear him, and therefore they obeyed him. (Pirates!) But just how terrible was he? Legend has it that Blackbeard once made a prisoner eat his own ears and that he chopped off the finger of one captive who refused to give up his ring. There is, however, no documentation of either incident. Chances are that these were just stories that were made up by Blackbeard to show his ruthless appearance. The most prominent aspect of the Legend of Blackbeard is his great-buried treasure. The legend says that he buried his treasure on the Isles of Shoals near the