History & culture of Bahamas Islands

Bahamas is a 100,000 square mile archipelago that extends over 500 miles of the clearest water in Caribbean Sea and has 700 islands, including uninhabited cays and large rocks, total an estimated land area of 5,382 sq miles. Most notable is that each island has its own diversity that continues beyond geography carrying through to the heart of The Bahamas, the peoples of Bahamas.

Rich History

The Lucayan Indians settled in the islands of the Bahamas in 10 century. They had left the Lesser Antilles to avoid their enemies, the Carib Indians, who were known to be fierce warriors and cannibals. The Lucayans were farmers who lived in thatch huts, used stone tools and made their own pottery. They were politically, socially and religiously very advanced.
In 1492, when Christopher Columbus arrived on San Salvador, there were more as 40,000 Lucayans living on Bahamas islands. Taking advantage of the people's gentle nature, he enslaved them three years later and shipped them off to Hispaniola to work in his mines. Slavery, disease and other hardships wiped out the entire tribe within 25 years of Columbus arrival.
Because Bahamas was located close to Florida , the islands Bahamas caught the attention of explorers, settlers, invaders and traders. These people shaped the colorful history of The Bahamas and made the country what it is today.
In 1648, a group of dissident English puritans, known as the "Eleutheran Adventurers", arrived here in their quest for religious freedom. Although the adventurers gave the island its name, the island didn't give much back, and the settlers experienced food shortages, a lack of proper supplies and internal strife that split the group into separate communities along Governor's Harbor and Preacher's Cave in Eleuthera. Seeking peace, the Eleutheran's leader, Captain William Sayles, set sail for the American colonies and succeeded in obtaining survival supplies from the Massachusetts Bay Colony and then returned to the struggling outpost. To better guard against marauding Spanish troops in the area, another settlement was then established on the nearby and more easily defended Harbor Island.
The islands of Bahamas were an ideal home base for pirates and privateers. The numerous islands and islets with their complex shoals and channels provided excellent hiding places for the plundering ships. And since the islands were close to well-traveled shipping lanes, it gave to buccaneers plenty of opportunities to steal from merchant ships.
More than a century later, another major influx of newcomers arrived in Eleuthera when American colonists still loyal to the British flag left the newly independent nation, many bringing with them the slaves they held in America. These Loyalists also brought their Colonial building skills, as well as their agricultural and shipbuilding expertise, all of which became major influences in Eleutheran life. To solidify their independence, in 1783, the former Loyalists, assisted by the South Carolina militia, took up arms and forced the retreat of Spanish forces from the entire region-even as far away as Nassau and Bermuda-without a shot being fired.
From 1861 until 1865, the boom and bust economy of the islands of the Bahamas benefited greatly from the United States Civil War. Great Britain's textile industry depended on Southern cotton, so it favored the Confederacy. However, British ships could not reach Southern ports because the Union blockaded them. Thus, blockade runners in sleek, fast boats would travel the 560 miles from Charleston to Nassau with loads of cotton. Here, they would meet up with British vessels and would trade their cotton for goods the British carried. Returning to Charleston, the blockade runners would sell their shipments for huge profits.
The end of the Civil War meant the end of prosperity for Bahamas until 1919. When the United States passed the 14 Amendment prohibiting alcohol, smuggling returned to the islands and the Scotch whisky was an important British export for Bahamas... However, the prohibition ended in 1934 and with it the enormous revenues that came into country. The end of prohibition, combined with the collapse of the profitable sponge harvesting industry a few years later, was economically devastating to Bahamas islands.

Caribbean Tourism Era

Caribbean tourism industry began in the middle of 19 century with government support for the construction of hotels and subsidized steamship service. Tourism once again blossomed in the 1920s when Prohibition brought well-to-do American tourists to the islands. The influx of visitors increased the demand for food, lodging and other items. Consequently, the banking industry boomed!
Then in 1961, when Cuba with its glitzy casinos and beach resorts was closed to American tourists, the Bahamas good fortune began. Capitalizing on its close proximity to the United States, the government of the Bahamas set out to increase the number of people who visited it each year. It dredged Nassau's harbor so it could accommodate up to six cruise ships at a time and it built a bridge connecting Nassau to Paradise Island.
In 1964, Great Britain granted Bahamas limited self-government, and in 1969 the colony of The Bahamas became a Commonwealth member. On 10 July 1973 Bahamas legally became a nation and every year 10 July is celebrated as the Independence Day of Bahamas.