10 Chapter 9 Blackbeard's Legacy

Chapter 9 Blackbeard's Legacy In 1724, a book was published that helped make Blackbeard and many other pirates famous. Written in England by a man named Charles Johnson (which historians think was probably not his real name), A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates told tales of pirates on the high seas, raids on ships, and the treasures they captured. Johnson's book is one of the only places that Edward Teach is called Blackbeard. But the image Johnson described made Blackbeard clear in the reader's mind: the belt of pistols, the enormous smoking beard, and Blackbeard's fiery eyes. Because no paintings or drawings of Blackbeard were made while he was alive, many

of the images we're now familiar with were based on Johnson's descriptions. Those pictures helped spread the Blackbeard legend. Creating that legend was a big part of Blackbeard's life. He worked hard to create a fearsome look. His long, wild beard was said to cover most of his face. He wore not one or two but many swords and pistols when he went into battle. He burned ships, stole whatever he could take, and threatened people with death. It was rumored that he even shot at his fellow pirates to keep them in line. But in reality, it is not known that Blackbeard ever killed any of the prisoners he took. He released his hostages. And he actually let some ships go on their way if they did not have much for him to steal. For a short time, at least, he settled into a life on land in a house in Bath. One account even says that he was married there. Still, the legend of Blackbeard lives on. Unfortunately, piracy has never really gone away.

In recent years, pirates from East Africa have attacked and captured ships in the Indian Ocean, including large oil tankers and luxury yachts. They steal money they find on board or steal the contents of the tankers, including the valuable oil. Today's pirates use fast motorboats to catch and overtake the slow-moving tankers.

PIRATE MYTHS SINCE THE GOLDEN AGE OF PIRACY, MANY MYTHS AND LEGENDS ABOUT PIRATES HAVE SPRUNG UP. HISTORIANS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SHOW THAT SOME OF THE MOST FAMOUS PIRATE TALES IN THE WORLD ARE NOT TRUE AT ALL. ONLY ONE PIRATE, CAPTAIN WILLIAM KIDD, WAS ALLEGED TO HAVE BURIED TREASURE. IN FACT, MOST

PIRATES NEVER MADE SO MUCH MONEY THAT THEY COULD AFFORD TO LEAVE SOME BEHIND. THEY NEEDED IT TO BUY FOOD, AMMUNITION, AND RUM. PIRATES DID NOT SAY "ARRR!" THAT NOW-FAMOUS WORD WAS FIRST USED IN A 1950 MOVIE VERSION OF ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON'S FAMOUS PIRATE BOOK, TREASURE ISLAND. THE ACTOR ROBERT NEWTON PLAYED PIRATE CAPTAIN LONG JOHN SILVER. NEWTON BASED HIS ACCENT ON MEN FROM THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF ENGLAND, WHERE IT'S BELIEVED MANY PIRATES SAILED FROM. THERE IS ALMOST NO HISTORICAL RECORD OF PIRATES MAKING PRISONERS "WALK THE PLANK." THOUGH SOME PIRATES DID KILL THEIR HOSTAGES, MOST LET THEM GO.

Blackbeard and other pirates continue to have a huge impact on modern culture. Pirates have always been popular in movies. As early as the 1920s and 1930s, films like The Sea Hawk and Captain Blood told tales of pirates at sea. Burt Lancaster starred in the exciting film The Crimson Pirate in 1952. And a comedy called Blackbeard's Ghost came out in 1968. More recently, the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series made pirate lore and legend popular once again. People enjoy the legends surrounding pirates such as Blackbeard. Historians, however, look for the facts.