Historically, the Bahamas Islands were originally called "Baja Mar", a name bestowed on them by the Spaniards. Comprised primarily of limestone, the islands are really mountain plateaus that once emerged from the Atlantic Ocean.
The first settlers (known as Lukki-cairi) originated from South America. They meandered around the Caribbean and finally arrived in The Bahamas around the 9th Century. These settlers were also known as Arawaks and Lucayan. In 1492, Christopher Columbus first landed in The Bahamas and labeled the settlers as Indians.
In 1647, the next set of settlers arrived in the Bahamas from Bermuda. These English settlers left Bermuda searching for religious freedom and formed the first British Colony on the Island of Eleuthera.
Around 1600, the islands began attracting Pirates like "Blackbeard", "Arthur Catt", and "Henry Morgan". For the next 70 or so years, the pirates dominated the islands in what was known as "The Golden Age of Piracy". They spent their time luring unsuspecting ships into the treacherous shallow waters for the purpose of plundering them.
Britain claimed the islands in 1670, but remained powerless against the piracy for almost 50 years. The first appointed governor, "Woodes Rogers", drove out the pirates in 1718 and it was at this time that Britain recognized The Bahamas as a colony.
During Britain's war with Spain and the American Revolution, Spain briefly retook The Bahamas in May 1782. A year later, under the "Treaty of Versailles", The Bahamas once again became a British Colony.
Following
Britain's
defeat in the American Revolutionary War, southern loyalists brought their
slaves to the Bahamas and grew cotton under the protection of the Crown.
In 1861, during the American Civil War years, the Union Navy blockaded the
islands in an attempt to cripple the Confederacy. This allowed the
Bahamians to prosper by running Confederate cotton to English mills and sending
military equipment to Confederate rebels.
Prohibition and the "Roaring Twenties" transformed the Bahamas into a base for rum running. After Prohibition was repealed, the islands lapsed into economic hard times.
During World War II, The Bahamas served as an air and sea way station in the Atlantic.
Shortly after World War II, the new industry of Tourism changed. For the first time, The Bahama islands were being recognized for their beauty. When Cuba was closed to U.S. tourists in the 1950's, The Bahamas soon became one of the world's most popular vacation destinations.
Great Britain granted the islands self-government in 1964 and changed their status from Colony to commonwealth in 1969.
In 1973, "The Commonwealth of the Bahamas" became independent within the "Commonwealth of nations", but retained Queen Elizabeth II as the constitutional head of state.
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reservations call:
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800-605-9599
or 814-453-7723
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