The History of Port Royal, Jamaica

The History of Port Royal, Jamaica Port Royal is a town on the southern coast of Jamaica. It was initially colonized by the Spanish but was attacked and captured by the English in 1655. Because of its excellent natural harbor and critical position, Port Royal quickly became a significant haven for pirates and buccaneers, who were made welcome because of the need for defenders. Port Royal was never the same after a 1692 earthquake, but there is still a town there today. The 1655 Invasion of Jamaica In 1655, England sent a fleet to the Caribbean under the command of Admirals Penn and Venables to capture Hispaniola and the town of Santo Domingo. The Spanish defenses there proved too formidable, but the invaders did not want to return to England empty-handed, so they attacked and captured the lightly fortified and sparsely populated island of Jamaica instead. The English began construction of a fort on a natural harbor on the southern shores of Jamaica. A town sprang up near the fort: at first known as Point Cagway, it was renamed Port Royal in 1660. Pirates in Defense of Port Royal The administrators of the town were concerned that the Spanish could re-take Jamaica. Fort Charles on the harbor was operational and formidable, and there were four other smaller forts spread around the town, but there was little manpower to defend the city in the event of an attack truly. They began inviting pirates and buccaneers to come and set up shop there, thus assuring that there would be a constant supply of ships and veteran fighting men on hand. They even contacted the infamous Brethren of the Coast, an organization of pirates and Buccaneers. The arrangement was beneficial for both the ​pirates and the town, which no longer feared attacks from the Spanish or other naval powers. A Perfect Place for Pirates It soon became apparent that Port Royal was the perfect place for privates and privateers. It had a large deepwater natural harbor for protecting ships at anchor, and it was close to Spanish shipping lanes and ports. Once it started to gain fame as a pirate haven, the town quickly changed: it filled up brothels, taverns and drinking halls. Merchants who were willing to buy goods from pirates soon set up shop. Before long, Port Royal was the busiest port in the Americas, primarily run and operated by pirates and Buccaneers. Port Royal Thrives The booming business done by pirates and privateers in the Caribbean soon led to other industries. Port Royal soon became a trading center for slaves, sugar and raw materials such as wood. Smuggling boomed, as Spanish ports in the New World were officially closed to foreigners but represented a huge market for African slaves and goods manufactured in Europe. Because it was a rough-and-tumble outpost, Port Royal had a loose attitude towards religions, and soon was home to Anglicans, Jews, Quakers, Puritans, Presbyterians, and Catholics. By 1690, Port Royal was as large and important a town as Boston, and many of the local merchants were quite wealthy. The 1692 Earthquake and Other Disasters It all came crashing down on June 7, 1692. That day, a massive earthquake shook Port Royal, dumping most of it into the harbor. An estimated 5,000 died in the quake or shortly after that of injuries or disease. The city was ruined. Looting was rampant, and for a time all order broke down. Many thought that the city had been singled out for punishment by God for its wickedness. An effort was made to rebuild the city, but it was devastated once again in 1703 by a fire. It was repeatedly hit by hurricanes and even more earthquakes in following years, and by 1774 it was essentially a quiet village. Port Royal Today Today, Port Royal is a small Jamaican coastal fishing village. It retains very little of its former glory. Some old buildings are still intact, and it’s worth a trip for history buffs. It is a valuable archaeological site, however, and digs in the old harbor continue to turn up interesting items. With increased interest in the Age of Piracy, Port Royal is poised to undergo a renaissance of sorts, with theme parks, museums and other attractions being built and planned. Famous Pirates and Port Royal Port Royals glory days as the greatest of the pirate ports were brief but noteworthy. Many famous pirates and privateers of the day passed through Port Royal. Here are some of the more memorable moments of Port Royal as a pirate haven. In 1668, legendary privateer Captain Henry Morgan departed for his famous attack on the city of Portobello from Port Royal.In 1669, Morgan followed up with an attack on Lake Maracaibo, also launched from Port Royal.In 1671, Morgan made his greatest and final raid, the sacking of the city of Panama, launched from Port Royal.On August 25, 1688, Captain Morgan died in Port Royal and was given a send-off worthy of the greatest of the privateers: warships in port fired their guns, he lay in state at the Kings House, and his body was carried through town on a gun carriage to its final resting place.In December of 1718, pirate John Calico Jack Rackham captured the merchant ship Kingston within sight of Port Royal, infuriating local merchants, who sent bounty hunters after him.On November 18, 1720, Rackham and four other pirates who had been captured were hanged at Gallows Point at Port Royal. Two of his crewmates -   Anne Bonny and Mary Read  - were spared because they were both pregna nt.On March 29, 1721, infamous pirate Charles Vane was hanged at Gallows Point in Port Royal. Sources Defoe, Daniel. A General History of the Pyrates. Dover Maritime, Paperback, Dover Publications, January 26, 1999. Konstam, Angus. The World Atlas of Pirates. Guilford: the Lyons Press, 2009.

Idioms and Expressions in Context

Idioms and Expressions in Context Its important to learn and use idioms and expressions in context. Of course, idioms are not always easy to understand. There are idiom and expression resources that can help with definitions, but reading them in short stories can also provide context that makes them come more alive. Try reading the story one time to understand the gist without using the idiom definitions. On your second reading, use the definitions to help you understand the text while learning new idioms. After you understand the story, take the quiz at the end of each reading to test your knowledge. Teachers can print out these short stories and use in class in combination with teaching ideas provided at the end of this resource list. Idioms and Expressions in Context Stories Johns Keys to SuccessA story about a man was an accomplished businessman and happily gives advice to young people he mentors. Odd Man OutA story about a man who gossiped a little too much at parties making him the odd man out anytime he joined the fun. Young and FreeA short story about what it takes to be successful in a small company. Its good preparation for young adult English learners who are college age. My Successful FriendHere is a story about a mans friend who has had a very successful career. The Road to SuccessHere is a short essay on how to succeed in todays difficult economic environment. It makes good reading for business English classes. For Teachers Use these idioms in context stories with your advanced-level classes to provide context for learning common idioms in English. Each short story of two to three paragraphs provides approximately 15 idioms. These idioms are then defined following the story followed by a short quiz testing a number of idioms from the selection. Following this introduction to the idioms in context, you can practice use of the idioms in a number of ways. Here are a few ideas: Ask students to write their own short stories using the idioms in context.Have students write dialogues using the idioms to act out in class.Group students together to create their own gap fill quizzes for other groups.Write up questions using the idioms presented and discuss as a class or in groups.Make up situations that fit each idiom on-the-fly and ask students to choose the idiom that fits best. Learning Idioms in Context   You might wonder how you can recognize an idiom when you are reading a book, online or perhaps watching TV. Here are a few tips on how you can spot an idiom: Idioms dont actually mean what they say. Thats right, the actual meaning of the words dont necessarily indicate the meaning of the idiom. Lets take a look at a few: Remember my son, the early bird catches the worm.   This idiom means that its important to get up and get to work in order to succeed in life. Of course, early birds probably catch worms as well! However, the meaning has nothing to little to do with the words.   Idioms can seem out of context. You can be sure youve spotted an idiom if you notice that the words have little to do with the context. For example, lets imagine that youre in a business meeting. Someone says: Well, itll be smooth sailing after this quarter. If youre in a business meeting, you dont expect to be talking about sailing on the open sea. This is an example of something out of context. It doesnt fit in. Thats a sure sign that it might be an idiom.   Idioms are often phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs can be literal or figurative. Literal means that the words mean exactly what they say. For example: I picked up the bag. In this case. pick up is literal. Phrasal verbs, can also be figurative pick up also means to learn: She picked up some Spanish in Madrid.   Idioms are often figurative phrasal verbs as well. Use these queues and youll start recognizing idioms in context everywhere you look and listen.