Introducing
Your new presentation assistant.
Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.
Trending searches
Rogers met numerous problems in addition to pirate problems. Fort Nassau was in a poor state and in need of repair and provided no defense in the event of a spanish attack. The city was a slum filled with garbage. The residential areas were described as a "cesspool of humanity" where diseases were common. In an effort to rebuild the town, fort and maintain the soldiers, rogers spent all his money plus used his own savings. He finally had to borrow money to continue the rebuilding of Nassau.
Rogers arrived in Nassau on July 27, 1718 and he brought with him ships, soldiers, cannons and settlers. Upon his arrival, he performed three tasks. First and foremost he had to take control of the islands from the pirates by a means of peace or otherwise. Second, he had to establish a government. Third, he had to clean up Nassau.
He also proclaimed a royal pardon that was offered to those pirates who promised to give up piracy. He declared martial law, confiscated all ships in the harbour, nominated a council of twelve and appointed various government officials. About 300 pirates decided to accept the royal pardon.
In an effort to accomplish his goals, Rogers also offered the inhabitants paid work and free land to farm. However, the pirates were poor workers. Either they showed up late for work or they were drunk. Often they did not show up at all. Slowly, one by one they drifted back to their old profession, piracy. About 100 pirates returned to piracy.
When Rogers returned to England in 1721, he was replaced by George Phenney. When Phenney arrived all was quiet in the colony and there was no longer a pirate problem.
Phenney introduced a new industry to The Bahamas. He brought some women from Bermuda to show women how to sew leaves of palm trees into baskets and other items. This was the beginning of the straw work industry. He also encouraged the settlers to start farming. He also brought some cannons with him to place in Fort Nassau to help along with an attack from the Spanish, however, they were to large and the fort could not support them.
In everything that Phenney did he had one problem, his wife. She was described as a hard-mouthed, ambitious woman who dominated and abused everyone she met. Mrs. Phenney monopolized import and export trade of the colony. She charged the inhabitants very high prices for goods she sold and often forgot to pay for things she bought. George Phenney was dismissed, mainly because of his wife in 1729. Woodes Rogers returned as governor of The Bahamas.
In 1721, after two years and nine months in Nassau, Rogers returned to England. The two main reasons for his return was to regain his health and to look for more money. When he arrived in England, he was dismissed as governor and was put into debtor's prison because he was unable to pay his debts.
Part of the reason Rogers was not an effective governor was due to the pirate problem. Pirates found it difficult to leave piracy and return to a normal life on land. Rogers did his best to rid The Bahamas of the pirate problem.
A new Governor was needed and the choice was Woodes Rogers. This time he was to receive a salary and was to organize an elected assembly to help him run the colony.
During this time Rogers brought about some progress in cotton, salt and shipbuilding but there were still few settlers on the island. His main problem was the Assembly which tried to stop many of his planned projects. This was because it was led by John Colebrooke, an enemy of Rogers. Eventually the Assembly was dismissed by Rogers.
Rogers' second stay in the Bahamas was not as successful as he had hoped. Worn out, he died in Nassau in 1732.
Although the pirates were in control of The Bahamas, The Lord Proprietors still had their rights and ownership of the islands. They really did not want to give up The Bahamas, but on October 28, 1717 they surrendered their rights to the government of England, however, they kept their ownership of the islands.
In 1718 Woodes Rogers was appointed as the first Royal Governor of The Bahamas. Rogers was a former privateer who had plundered the Spanish in the Americas and returned to England with a fortune of prizes.