The Man behind the Beard: Unpacking the Myth and Reality in Blackbeard Imagery

Abstract

Out of all the pirates who terrorized the shores of the Americas during the late 17th and early 18th centuries Blackbeard is the most notorious. He was most successful or the most bloodthirsty pirate that sailed during his lifetime. This goal of this paper is to show that the source of Blackbeard's fame came from the image that he created for himself. Blackbeard was a product of his environment and other agents had motive to manipulate Blackbeard's image during his life and after his death. He was an expert showman and the image that he created for himself was embellished on by others to fit their needs. One of the most abhorrent acts attributed to Blackbeard is the marooning of his crew before his retirement in North Carolina. This paper shows that this event can be interpreted differently and that Blackbeard might not be responsible. It will also show that Blackbeard's power as a captain was limited and that the principles of economics show that many acts that are attributed to Blackbeard were unlikely.