Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
The peaceful Lucayans knew a good spot when they found one. They paddled into the Ba-
hamas' glistening seas as early as the 6th century and decided to stay. Smart, those guys.
Unfortunately for them, they weren't the only ones with eyes on the turf. The Spanish
sailed through in the 1500s, searching for gold and carting off Lucayans to use as slaves.
A century later, British settlers arrived, seeking religious freedom. Butting heads with the
Spanish, they declared the territory ungovernable and let pirates run rampant in Nassau.
Some of the most interesting moments in Bahamian history come from this time period, with
notorious villains like Blackbeard, Calico Jack and Stede Bonnet turning Nassau into a non-
stop pirate party.
But the party was over in 1718, when English pirate fighter Woodes Rogers became the
first Royal Governor of the Bahamas and booted the bad guys. More Englishmen arrived
later that century, Loyalists fleeing the newly formed United States after the Revolutionary
War. The population tripled, with many new arrivals being African slaves brought down to
work the Loyalist plantations.
Best History Museums
» Pirates of Nassau, Nassau
» Albert Lowe Museum, Green Turtle Cay, Abaco
» Bimini Museum, Bimini
» Wyannie Malone Museum, Hope Town, Elbow Cay, Abaco
The abolition of slavery in 1834 brought an end to the plantation system, and the Bahamas
soon found another economic niche: a base for Confederate blockade running during the
American Civil War. Sixty years later, it served a similarly shady role as a jumping-off point
for rum-runners during Prohibition.
The 20th century brought two major developments: the decline of the British Empire and
the rise of the tourism industry. Americans began flocking to the country in the 1960s, after
the embargo against Cuba made Havana a no-go. In 1973, the Bahamas became fully inde-
pendent from England, hence its current name: The Commonwealth of the Bahamas.
By the way, no one is sure of precisely where the name 'Bahamas' comes from. Some
say it's derived from the words
baha mar,
Spanish for 'shallow seas,' while others think it's
based on the Lucayan name for Grand Bahama island, ba-ha-ma.
