History of the Bahamas

History of the Bahamas

The Bahama Islands were discovered on October 12, 1942 by Christopher Columbus. Columbus and his Spanish crew stumbled upon the archipelago while looking for a trade route to the wealth of the West Indies and named is San Salvador. (Craton, pg. 30) The Spanish settlers encountered the native Bahamians, the Lucayans upon thier arrival. The Lucayans were a primitive race of farmers and fisherman that had migrated north from Venezuela to escape the cannibalistic Caribs.(Bothwell, pg. 27) The hospitality of the natives was not returned by the Europeans and since the lucayans themselves were the only valuable commodity to the Spanish they were all enslaved and sent to Hispaniola to work and die in the mines or sent to dive in the pearl fisheries of Trinidad. (Craton, pg. 187)

The name of the Islands originated from the explorer Jaun Ponce de Leon in 1513 who searched the archipelago for the "fountain of youth." After sailing through the islands he named them "Bajamar", the Spanish word for Shallow Waters.(Craton & Saunders, Vol. I, pg. 5)

The first English Settlers of the Bahamas were puritans that fled Bermuda after Anglican and Puritan Conflicts arose. The Puritans formed the “Company of Elutherian Adventures” led by Captain William Sayle and escaped the religious persecution of Bermuda. The Puritans faced times of trouble when their ship was wrecked upon reaching the Islands. They called for aid from their Puritan friends in Massachusetts who undoubtedly saved their lives by sending them a shipment of goods. (Bothwell, 117) Many of the Puritan settlers found life to difficult in the Bahamas and by 1657 most of them returned to Bermuda. In 1670, Charles II granted the proprietors from the Carolinas the right to take over New Providence Island. A population close to five hundred settled the islands and grew cotton, tobacco and sugar cane. (Craton & Saunders, 194)

GRAFICAS

The lackadaisical approach of governing that consisted of heavy drinking and neglecting crops resulted in an open invitation for pirates. Pirates such as Black Beard ran amuck the throughout the islands for a quarter of a century until order was restored under the first royal governor, Captain Woodes Rogers. (Craton, pg. 251)

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...of the German U-boat. American investment led to the development of airports and after the war the Bahamas became a popular tourist destination. (Craton and Saunders, 300)

On January 7, 1964 the Bahamas attained internal self-government through a new constitution. The rise of the Progressive Liberal party created a dual party system along with the long dominant United Bahamian Party. The first leader of the Progressive Liberal Party and the first Negro premiere was Lynden O. Pindling. On July 10, 1973 under Pindling, the Bahamas was granted complete independence from Great Britain. His policies brought prosperity and stability to the Bahamas and the education system dramatically improved under his rule. He has faced controversy over his deliberate ignorance or possible role in the drug crime wave of the 1970’s and 80’s. (Craton & Saunders, Vol. II, pg. 378) He was outvoted in 1992 and replaced by the current Prime Minister, Hubert Ingraham, a member of the Free National Movement party. Under Ingraham, the country has expanded its economy and foreign industry creating a stronger sense of national identity and preserving peace and prosperity throughout the islands.