| In 1492, Christopher Columbus made his
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| | forested. The forests were cleared during
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| first landfall in the Western Hemisphere
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| | plantation days and have not regrown.
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| in The Bahamas. He encountered Arawak
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| | In the mid-17th century, English settlers
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| Indians and exchanged gifts with them.
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| | named the Eleutheran Adventurers, founded
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| They were of the Lucayan tribe, and some
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| | the first permanent European settlement
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| traveled with Columbus in his return to
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| | in The Bahamas, and gave the island of
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| Europe.
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| | Eleuthera its name. As time went by, more
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| Spanish slave traders later captured
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| | and more of these settlements formed
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| native Lucayan Indians to work in gold
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| | until the Bahamas Islands became a
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| mines in Hispaniola, and within 25 years,
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| | British Crown Colony in 1717.
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| all Lucayans perished. Without a source
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| | Woodes Rogers, a former pirate, was
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| of slaves, the Spanish did not colonize
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| | appointed as the first royal governor.
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| the islands, though they had claimed The
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| | Under his governorship, pirates and
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| Bahamas. In 1647 - during the time of the
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| | buccaneers such as Blackbeard and Henry
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| English Civil War - a group of Puritan
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| | Morgan, who frequently infested the
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| religious refugees from the royalist
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| | waters around the islands, were driven
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| colony of Bermuda, the Eleutheran
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| | off.
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| Adventurers, founded the first permanent
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| | Palm TreesThe following decades were
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| European settlement in The Bahamas and
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| | tumultuous ones for the islands: the
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| gave Eleuthera Island its name.
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| | Spanish attacked the islands several
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| Similar groups of settlers formed
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| | times; an American force held Nassau for
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| governments in The Bahamas, but the
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| | a short time in 1776, and in 1781, the
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| isolated cays sheltered pirates and
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| | Spanish captured Nassau and took
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| wreckers through the 17th century.
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| | possession of the whole colony. In 1973,
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| Charles II granted land in the Bahamas to
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| | the islands were ceded to Great Britain
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| the Lords proprietors of Carolina, but
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| | under the terms of the Treaty of Paris.
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| the islands were left entirely to
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| | After the American Revolution, many
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| themselves. After Charles Town was
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| | Loyalists migrated to islands such as the
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| destroyed by a joint French and Spanish
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| | Exumas, bringing their African slaves
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| fleet in 1703, the local pirates
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| | along with them to work the cotton
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| proclaimed an anarchic 'Privateers'
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| | fields. After the emancipation of slaves
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| Republic' with Edward Teach— better
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| | in 1834 however, plantation life slowly
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| known as Blackbeard— for chief
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| | died out. Lord John Rolle, a powerful
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| magistrate. Nassau was the main port
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| | Loyalist and a major landowner in the
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| preferred by the pirates during this
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| | Exumas, actually bequeathed land to his
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| time.
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| | slaves for life when he freed them in
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| But, when the islands became a British
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| | 1835. Several towns in the Exumas are
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| Crown Colony in 1717, the first Royal
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| | named after him and many of the people
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| Governor, a reformed pirate named Woodes
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| | who live there carry the last name of
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| Rogers, brought law and order to The
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| | "Rolle."
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| Bahamas in 1718, when he expelled the
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| | In 1861, during the American Civil War,
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| buccaneers who had used the islands as
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| | the Union Navy blockaded the islands in
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| hideouts. Instead, the pirates still
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| | order to stop supplies from reaching the
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| working in these waters became
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| | Confederacy. As a result,
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| privateers. Rogers is best known for his
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| | blockade-running became something of a
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| capture of pirates Calico Jack, Anne
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| | pastime among the islanders. Indeed, many
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| Bonny, and Mary Read.
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| | Bahamians grew rich running Confederate
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| During the American War of Independence
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| | cotton to English mills and sending
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| the Bahamas fell to Spanish forces under
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| | military equipment to the Confederate
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| General Galvez in 1782. After the
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| | army.
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| American Revolution the British
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| | Hard times followed the end of the Civil
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| government issued land grants to a group
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| | War until Prohibition transformed the
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| of British Loyalists, and the sparse
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| | islands into a base for rum-running.
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| population of The Bahamas tripled in a
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| | After Prohibition was repealed however,
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| few years. The planters thought to grow
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| | the Bahamas saw an economic downturn.
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| cotton, but the limy soil was unsuited,
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| | Prosperity did not return until World War
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| and the plantations soon failed. Many of
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| | II, when the islands served as a military
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| the current inhabitants are descended
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| | base for the U.S., and later, a missile
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| from the slave population brought to work
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| | testing ground for Great Britain. In
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| on the Loyalist plantations. When the UK
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| | 1955, a free trade area was established
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| outlawed the slave trade in 1807, the
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| | at the town of Freeport. It proved widely
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| Royal Navy began intercepting ships and
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| | successful in stimulating offshore
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| depositing freed slaves in The Bahamas.
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| | banking and tourism. It was the first
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| Plantation life was finished after the
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| | time that the beauty and charm of the
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| emancipation of remaining slaves in 1834.
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| | islands were recognized as important
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| During the American Civil War, The
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| | commodities. When Cuba was closed to U.S.
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| Bahamas prospered as a center of
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| | tourists in the 1950s, The Bahamas forged
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| Confederate blockade-running, bringing
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| | ahead to become one of the world's most
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| out cotton for the mills of England and
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| | popular tourist destinations.
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| running in arms and munitions. After
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| | Fumbling Towards Democracy
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| World War I, the islands served as a base
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| | Through the efforts of the Progressive
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| for American rumrunners. During World War
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| | Liberal Party (PLP), black Bahamians
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| II, the Allies centered their flight
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| | began to successfully oppose the ruling,
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| training and antisubmarine operations for
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| | white-controlled government led by the
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| the Caribbean in The Bahamas. Since
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| | United Bahamian Party. It was only in the
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| Havana closed to American tourists in
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| | 1967 elections however, that the PLP was
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| 1961, The Bahamas has developed into a
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| | able to take over the reigns of
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| major tourist resort and at the same time
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| | government. The Bahamas were granted
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| the establishment of Freeport as a free
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| | limited powers of self-government as a
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| trade zone (1955) developed an off-shore
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| | British crown colony in 1964, powers
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| financial services center with a
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| | which were broadened in 1969 through the
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| reputation for a tolerant atmosphere.
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| | efforts of then Prime Minister, Lynden O.
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| Bahamians achieved self-government
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| | Pindling. The PLP, campaigning on a
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| through a series of constitutional and
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| | platform of immediate independence, won
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| political steps, attaining internal
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| | an overwhelming victory in the 1972
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| self-government in 1964 and full
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| | elections and negotiations with Britain
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| independence within the Commonwealth of
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| | began. On July 10, 1973, the Bahamas
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| Nations on July 10, 1973.
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| | became a sovereign state within the
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| When Europeans first arrived, they
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| | Commonwealth of Nations.
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| reported the Bahamas were lushly
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