Bahamas Bahamas History

The first Bahamians were of the Arawak Lucayan tribe, a peaceful people dependent on agriculture and fishing for their livelihood. In 1492, when Christopher Columbus arrived, there were about 40 000 Lucayan Indians living in The Bahamas. Enslaved and sent to work in mines, this population was wiped out within 25 years of Columbus’ arrival.

In 1648 a group of Englishmen arrived and named the group of islands. They established settlements on the islands of Eleuthera and Harbour Island. As trading wars increased in the seventeenth century between the European powers, The Bahamas became an easy home for pirates seeking to steal from merchant vessels. Blackbeard and Calico Jack are just two of the infamous pirates who patrolled Bahamian waters in search of booty.

The Bahamas has had a close relationship with the United States throughout its history. In the eighteenth century, during the American War of Independence, The Bahamas was a refuge for American colonists still loyal to Britain. Many of them were granted land in The Bahamas as compensation for property lost during the war. They brought with them their colonial style of architecture, their agricultural and shipbuilding expertise. During the American Civil War, The Bahamas was an important trans-shipment point for American cotton to Britain. And during the Prohibition Period in the 1900s, The Bahamas benefited greatly from the smuggling of alcohol into the United States.

The Bahamas became independent from Britain in 1973, and is a constitutional democracy. The major drivers of its economy are now tourism and financial services.