Essay Comparing Blackbeard And Calico Jack

In the 18th century, the Golden Age of Piracy took the world by storm. An unstable government and fewer jobs for sailors and privateers lead many to the life of piracy. This became a time of terrorization among the waters and coasts of the world. Although there were many pirates in the world making a name for themselves, two pirates in particular stood out the most: Blackbeard and Calico Jack. Blackbeard’s career started in 1716 and ended in 1718. With the end of Blackbeard came the start of Calico Jack in the same year as Blackbeard’s death in 1718. Even though the reputations of both of these famous pirates were very different compared to each other, they had definite similarities as well.
There is little record of Blackbeard before his life …show more content…
Around the start of the 18th century, he moved to the New World. The first recording of Rackham in the New World came from the crew manifest from the pirate ship, The Ranger, commanded by Captain Charles Vane, where Rackham served as a quartermaster upon the ship. Captain Vane and his crew confronted a large French warship that was twice the size of The Ranger. Captain Vane decided to retreat from the larger vessel because he thought it was impossible for them to overtake it due to the fact that The Ranger needed repairing. Outraged by his decision to retreat, Rackham took charge in accusing Vane of poor decision making. Seventy five members of Vane’s crew sided with Rackham, bringing about a vote to remove Vane from captaincy. This in turn lead to Rackham becoming the new captain of The Ranger and receiving the name of “Calico Jack”, coined after the bright Indian calico clothes he often wore. The reign of Captain Calico Jack started with pirate runs against smaller merchant and passenger vessels. He also managed to attain several larger ships during some of his runs as well. One chance that Calico Jack never thought he’d have was the chance to capture the large Jamaican vessel, The Kingston. Although he was successful in capturing The Kingston, his successful capture was seen by many eyes due to the fact that the ship was within eyesight of Port Royal Harbor. A pirate hunt for Calico Jack was organized so that the outraged merchants could punish him for his crime. In February of 1719, a group of pirate hunters caught up to Jack and his crew. As a result, the Kingston was lost. After the loss of their ship, Captain Jack and his crew pleaded their case to the English government, telling how Charles Vane had forced them into the life of piracy. Having hatred for Charles Vane, Governor Woodes Rogers, famous for suppressing piracy in his time, accepted the plea on the condition