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Educational Resources on Blackbeard and Maritime History

Much confusion exists between the myth and reality of pirates during the 17th and 18th centuries.

To help educators integrate an accurate picture of Blackbeard into their curricula, we collected some of the holdings of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources that relate to pirates, Blackbeard, the Queen Anne's Revenge and underwater archaeology below.

Our educational initiatives have included interactive webcasts that connect students and educators with archaeologists from the QAR lab.

18Months spent as an active pirate For all his renown, Blackbeard's documented pirating career was surprisingly short. He likely gained seafaring experience as a British privateer prior to turning to piracy.
"Teach"May not have been Blackbeard's last name. "Because pirates tended to adopt one or more fictitious surnames while engaging in piracy, there is no absolute certainty of Blackbeard's real surname." - NCpedia
14Brides Blackbeard was rumored to have wed. The unproven figure comes from page 75 of Charles Johnson's A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates, published 1724.

Take Your Class to Our Lab

Bring your class to visit the QAR Lab for free. While on your visit you and your students can view pieces of a real pirate ship, including a 12-foot anchor and parts of the hull structure itself, explore how archaeologists and conservators reveal mysteries of the sea through x-ray technology and much more.

Register for an Educational Visit

Online Resources

Meet Our Team (Virtually)

In 2013, we produced a live webcast from the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort where students from around the state, country and world were able to meet our archaeologists and conservators, see live demonstrations of their work and ask questions. The archived video is a great teaching tool.

Watch the Archived Video

A Biography of Blackbeard

Few figures from North Carolina history inspire as vivid an image in the popular imagination as Blackbeard. Check out an overview of his life story on NCpedia, originally published in the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, to begin to separate fact from fiction.

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