Blackbeard

=Blackbeard: North Carolina's Pirate King=

**Instructions:**
1. Write a list of everything you think you know about Blackbeard or pirates in general. 2. Write a list of everything you want to know about Blackbeard. 3. Read the following article about Blackbeard, the Pirate King of North Carolina. Examine the links about Blackbeard and his fellow pirates. 4. Write a list of everything you learned while exploring this subject. You are not limited to this page! 5. Complete the other activities listed at the bottom of this page.

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Biography
Blackbeard was a famous pirate that sailed in the Caribbean and along the British-American colonies that would become the United States. Although historians are unable to prove what his real name was, most believe he was a British man named Edward Teach or Edward Thatch. He stole a boat called //Queen Anne's Revenge// and used it as his pirate ship. He was famous for causing fear in the people he captured, even though he rarely harmed them. After many years of chasing him, the British Royal Navy found him hiding behind Ocracoke on the coast of North Carolina and killed him.

Tactics
Pirates were terrifying people to come across. They were found on the high seas and could be identified by their __fearsome__ flags, called Jolly Rogers. They typically had more than two or three times the men on board as a non-pirate vessel. All the pirates carried swords, knives or multiple guns and their ships were __equipped__ with cannons of different sizes. In addition to these things, Blackbeard was also famous for braiding fuses into his hair and beard before lighting them on fire. This caused him to always appear in a haze of smoke. He was a huge man, over six feet tall, and had a booming voice; all of which caused him to be one of the most feared pirates of the day. This is interesting, given that Blackbeard was one of the more __lenient__ pirates around. He would imprison people, threaten them, and treat them roughly, but he rarely killed his captives. The people he released actually helped his cause by spreading stories of his terror.

Geography
Pirates often needed special places to careen their ships. Careening is when sailors would run their ships aground on purpose in order to scrape off all the things, like seaweed and __barnacles__, that grew on the bottom of the ship and made it sail more slowly. Pirates careened their ships often to make sure they were going as fast as possible. The Outer Banks of North Carolina were ideal for this because they are so sandy that when the ships were run __aground__, the sand did not damage the __hull__. The __inlets__, __bays__ and __coves__ created by the Outer Banks also made perfect hiding places for pirates that needed to careen their ships or find fresh water and supplies. Blackbeard tried to hide out in the Outer Banks and make a new life for himself as a regular citizen, but he had made too many enemies. The British Royal Navy was out to get him!

Death
Blackbeard's death was as __epic__ as his life. He was cornered behind Okracoke Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina, by Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the British Royal Navy. Both men accidentally ran their ships aground, and were able to shout __degrading__ comments to each other across the water while they were waiting for the tide to come in. When they were able to sail again, they exchanged cannon fire. While smoke blocked Blackbeard's view of Maynard's ship, Maynard ordered most of his men to hide below decks. When the smoke cleared Blackbeard thought he had won the battle and ordered Maynard to turn over his ship. Once the ships came closer, Maynard ordered his men to come out and they surprised Blackbeard by boarding his ship. It took 5 gunshots and many sword __wounds__ to kill Blackbeard. Eventually, Blackbeard was beheaded and his body was thrown overboard. Legend has it that Blackbeard's headless body swam three times around the //Queen Anne's Revenge// before finally sinking. His head was tied to the end of the __bowsprit__ as a trophy to show everyone that Maynard had defeated the __infamous__ pirate!

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Other Activities
This is a picture of a Venn Diagram, which is used to compare two different events, ideas or things. For example, if you were comparing apples and oranges, in the "A" space you might write red, grows in colder climates, fleshy, and edible skin as traits of the apple. In the "B" space, you might write orange, grows in warm climates, pulpy, and must peel skin as traits of oranges. In the middle, you would write traits that both apples and oranges share, like fruits, make juice, grow on trees and planted in orchards.

Search the internet for information about another pirate you can compare to Blackbeard with a Venn Diagram. You could research Sir Francis Drake, Sam Bellamy, Anne Bonny, "Calico" Jack Rackham, Bartholomew Roberts, Charles Vane, William Kidd, Captain Henry Morgan or Henry Avery. Each of these names links to the pirate's wikipedia page to get you started. As you find information, fill in your Venn Diagram comparing your pirate to Blackbeard.



Vocabulary

 * aground**: putting the bottom of a boat or ship on the ground


 * barnacle**: sea creature with a shell that attaches itself to hard surfaces, like ship bottoms, rocks, and plants


 * bay/cove**: cut out part of a shoreline; a bay is larger than a cove


 * bowsprit**: the long stick on the bow (front of a boat)


 * degrading**: emotionally harmful or negative


 * demise**: a person's death


 * epic**: very impressive, grand, beyond ordinary


 * equipped**: provide what is needed for an undertaking (furnish, provide)


 * fearsome**: causing fear (intimidating, frightening)


 * hull**: bottom part of a ship that is in the water


 * [|inlet]:** narrow passage between islands


 * infamous**: having an extremely bad reputation


 * lenient:** tolerant, indulgent


 * wound**: an open injury or cut to the skin