The History of Blackbeard as Inspiration for Treasure Island

The History of Blackbeard as Inspiration for Treasure Island
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391px-Edward Teach Commonly Call’d Black Beard (bw)

Long John Silver, the famed pirate of the novel may have had some of his character’s qualities drawn from a famous pirate from the North Carolina coast. It is speculated that some of Stevenson’s inspirations when creating his pirate crew were based on stories filtering into England from the Americas and the Caribbean about the notorious pirate, Edward Teach- commonly known as Blackbeard.

Edward Teach, born in London, began his pirate career working as a privateer, which is basically a pirate hired by a royal family. His fame grew and his ships skulked the blue waters of the Caribbean, robbing others of gold, jewels, weapons and rum. At the height of his fame, he had forty ships and over three hundred pirates under his command. He was killed off the coast of North Carolina, and rumors swirl about how many musketballs and swords it took to kills this mighty pirate.

Rumors swirl too, about his ghostly spirit haunting the shores of the North Carolina coast. Some say he is looking for his severed head. Some say he is guarding his treasure against other pirates. One thing is for sure, before reading Stevenson’s novel, it’s a great idea to review this pirate’s life story with your students. Use the downloadable power point and the creative treasure map assignment, just for fun.

Downloads

References

  • Illustration by Joseph Nicholls (fl. 1726–55).[1] Although James Basire (1730–1802) is attributed as the engraver based on the signature “J. Basire”, unless he engraved the item at the age of 6, it is likely his father Isaac Basire (misreading of initial?) or another J. Basire. [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

This post is part of the series: “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson

“Treasure Island” is a great book to teach in your Middle School classroom. This 5-part series takes you through the whole novel and includes downloadable power points, worksheets and assessments.

  1. A Pirate Says… Introducing Pirate Lingo Before Teaching Treasure Island
  2. Stevenson’s Inspiration? Blackbeard the Pirate and Treasure Island
  3. Treasure Island Assessments for Reading The Novel
  4. Pirate Compare and Contrast: How Long John Silver Stacks Up
  5. Music To A Pirate’s Ears Paying Tribute to Pirates in Song