PIRATES OF THE WORLD

                                                                                                                 Pirates are treasure-thirsty criminals that would do anything                  to get their way, even if it meant killing someone or                                                   sawing off a finger.  

                 Most people think, when they hear the word "pirate"  they think of pirates as handsome, eye patched , wooden legged, and have hooks as hands but as this may have been true sometimes most pirates are dirty and smelly. Many people turned to piracy for many reasons maybe because they were dirt poor, mistreated, and runaways.Many pirates were men but a couple of women were on the ships too. The most well known women pirates are Mary Read and Anne Bonny. The only way women could get aboard is by acting and dressing like a man.

Pirate captains needed about 200 men or more to run a ship because many of them were expected to die on sea from battle or deadly sicknesses.Scurvy, was one of the most common disease on the sea, it is from  lacking vitamin C which is in fruits and vegetables. If a pirate is caught not much hope is left for him or her. They will most likely be hanged to death or if they can pursue the judge that the were forced into piracy then they would most likely dropped from the hook aka spared.There were many infamous pirates that ruled the sea and we will talk about two of the most mighty pirates in history.

                    

                                                     BLACKBEARD

BLACKBEARD

By Lexi 1-2016

Many people know Blackbeard as a ferocious, bloodthirsty pirate but what was his life like before he became a pirate?  He was originally named Edward Teach and was a young sailor on a privateer ship during Queen Anne’s War.  (2) After, the war was over he settled down in New Providence, The Bahamas but destiny had a better plan for him. Edward stumbled into Captain Benjamin Hornigold and joined his crew becoming a captain of one of Hornigold’s ships.   An odd relationship connected the two men because they both participated in acts of piracy. A couple of years later Hornigold decided to retire from piracy but Edward Teach  who was slowly turning into a terrorizing beast that will have the name Blackbeard continued to steal from merchant ships. He will become the most deadly and feared pirate ever in history.

            Blackbeard‘s appearance could easily scare anybody so much that they would surrender without a fight. The sailors who encountered Edward perceived him as a frightening person, one that they didn’t want to mess with. His coat was studded with three pistols, a cutlass, and a dagger. (2) But what made Blackbeard even scarier was the smoke that encircled his cold evil eyes because he stuck matches under his hat and had them alight during battle. Although he already looked scary, he had his hair and beard braided and tied with colorful ribbons which made him look rather more alarming. Blackbeard used his appearance to get what he wanted unlike most pirates who used cruelty. Blackbeard rarely used violence but once he wanted a ring so badly, but the person refused to give it to him, so with a sharp knife and a persistent attitude he cut off his finger.  The result was that Blackbeard was happy with his stolen ring and the man was screaming and had one finger less.  Blackbeard‘s trick to use his appearance instead of violence was affective and he gained way more ships and money using his appearance instead of using savagery.

             Edward Teach had a horrifying figure but his death is also well known One time, after capturing a ship of riches Blackbeard and his crew celebrated with alcoholic beverages and stories. As happy as they were they didn't know that their captain would die that very same day. Not that far away from them a ship was coming their way. It belonged to Robert Maynard a fearsome pirate hunter. Being drunk, Blackbeard shouted a few nasty words as well as a cannon at Maynard’s ship. Smoke filled the air. (vss) Smartly, Maynard ordered his men to hide causing Blackbeard to be baffled and to believe that he destroyed everyone on the ship except for Maynard. Blackbeard and his crew jumped on his rival's ship and then Maynard’s men bolted out of their hiding spots and started to attack. The battle was a gruesome one with Blackbeard and Maynard fighting and trying to kill each other. Blackbeard was the one who fell and died from five pistol shots and twenty hideous slashes from a cutlass. Blackbeard most likely died from being unfocused from the over usage of rum. Maynard hacked at Blackbeard’s head and hung it on the ship telling people that he destroyed the most powerful man on the sea. The legend is that Blackbeard’s headless body swam around the boat three times before sinking to the bottom. Blackbeard was a man of the sea that had a spine-chilling mien that made everybody fear him. He will always be the first pirate that comes to mind because of his unique way of getting what he wants. 

This is an image of Blackbeard's flag that he flew on his ship to terrorize merchant ships even more then just his appearance. This flag is a skeleton holding a hour glass telling people that they are running out of
time and the spear piercing the heart is saying
you will die if you don't surrender.

BLACK BART  

BLACK BART By Karis 1-2016

                                                    Black Bart, the most successful buccaneer of the (2) Golden Age of pirates, started off as simply John Roberts. Before his swashbuckler days, Roberts served in the navy for a quarter of a century, and was paid only 3 dollars a month, a pitiful payment. He ended his 25 year navy job because of his low wage and instead joined the crew of the Princess as 3rd mate. The Princess was a slave-ship. John Roberts’s life on the slave-ship isn't extremely recorded of except one thing. One day, the Princess was overtaken by pirates. After snatching the Princess's hearty treasures and goods, the successful pirates gave the sailors the choice to either die, or join the crew as another pirate. John Roberts pointedly refused the offer. The pirates, who observed him as a needed person, forced Roberts into piracy.

 John Roberts dressed up his name a little by changing it to a more ferocious (Barth-all-a-mew) Roberts when he unwillingly joined the pirate crew which would be his home for the next four years to come. He proved to be an excellent pirate and his shipmates elected him new captain after only six weeks of life aboard the pirate ship. The last pirate captain died in a recent battle. Captain Roberts was a positively unique captain. Oddly, Bartholomew was not a fan of alcohol; he preferred a gallon of spiced tea, sipped from pretty, stolen teacups. He was most-likely the only teetotaler pirate ever, which made him very different from his often-drunk crew. Considered a gentleman, Roberts held peaceful Sunday services which were enjoyed by the crew. Also to attain order, the captain carefully penned the "Pirate Articles." Those set of rules were to be much-used by other pirates after Roberts put pen to paper. He was able to construct the pirate articles because he had been unusually educated to read and write. Bartholomew's successes mount up to 470 captured ships and all the treasure totals to over 50 million dollars worth of coins, gems, and goods, including (2) the ships. About 4 years that took.

The successful pirate ships that captured those treasures are all fringed with at least one terrifying flag. One of Robert's two flags sports a pirate grinding two skulls beneath his feet and the right arm grasps a deadly sword. This is his flag.                                                

Robert's treasure-hunting life ended completely when he was brought down by a grape cannon. A grape cannon is a regular cannon loaded with small balls bunched together to form a sort of clump which resembled a bunch of grapes. These (2) metal nuggets struck his neck leaving it somewhat sieve-like. After the famous pirate's death, people granted him the name Black Bart. The reason for that names is because of his dark hair and skin, instead of his gruesome tortures which most people would think was the reason that name was given to him. The result is everyone now recognizes John Roberts, a studious, quiet man as the evil, torturous, pirate, Black Bart. There is a chance, however, that Black Bart was not a man at all. Black Bart's face was always clean-shaven without a trace of a beard. Also he insisted on complete privacy, an unusual request. In preparation for his death, he told his crew to directly toss him overboard instead of usually sewing the body up in his hammock. If that's true, the most successful pirate ever in the world could have been a woman.

BLACK BART

By Karis 1-2016