Nassau History

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Nassau History

Found artefacts have confirmed that the Bahamas have been inhabited as early as 300 to 400 AD but their origin remains unconfirmed. The peaceful Lucayan Indians, part of the Arawak tribe, settled in the Bahamas sometime in the 900s in an attempt to flee the fierce Carib Indians of the Lesser Antilles. Christopher Columbus discovered the islands in 1492 and the settlers soon forced the Lucayans into slavery. Within 25 years the entire tribe was wiped out.

In search of religious freedom, the English Eleutheran Adventurers group arrived here in 1648 but they were soon faced with food shortages and proper supplies. Internal conflicts ensued and separate communities were formed. Life was not easy as and constant threats from pirates and Spanish privateers made thing worse. Finally in 1783 the former Loyalists, assisted by the South Carolina militia, took up arms and forced the retreat of Spanish forces.

The U.S. Civil War was very profitable for the island's economy. The British textile industry, depended on southern cotton, favoured the South. The ports of the Bahamas were utilized since the American ports were blockaded by the Union. When the Civil War ended hard economic times fell on the Bahamas until the American alcohol Prohibition when smuggling once again became a popular activity. Once again, with the end of the Prohibition in 1934, financial hardship devastated the islands.

Of course these moments in history slowly saw the birth of the tourism industry with the construction of hotels, steamship service and a higher demand for food and supplies, all of which built a strong banking industry. The Bahamas legally became a nation on July 10, 1973.