What's Wrong with Black Beard?

On March 19, 2015, Kevin P. Duffus delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "What's Wrong with Black Beard?" The traditional historical interpretation of the notorious Black Beard, and the pop culture-Hollywood incarnations it has begotten, may be among the more enduring historical frauds of colonial American history. Much of what the public knows about the infamous pirate simply isn’t true, nor is there documentary evidence to support it. To find the elusive truth of history, noted North Carolina research historian and author Kevin Duffus has delved deeper into the primary sources than anyone to discover a new, more accurate account that reveals the identity, origins, and motivations of Black Beard and his inner circle of cohorts. Join the award-winning research historian, author, and filmmaker in an all-new multimedia presentation that lays bare the popular myths of Black Beard’s widely believed surname of Teach, his ferocity, his purported birth date, his many houses, his many “wives,” and his long-lost treasure. Kevin P. Duffus, a researcher and filmmaker, is the author of several books, including Shipwrecks of the Outer Banks: An Illustrated Guide, The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate, and War Zone: World War II off the North Carolina Coast. The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.