Sociohistorical background

The Bahamas have experienced several different waves of migration that affected their demographic and social ecology. The first known inhabitants of The Bahamas were the Lucayan Indians who migrated to The Bahamas from South America as early as 600 CE and inhabited the islands until the Spanish invasion at the end of the fifteenth century. The Spanish conquest brought about the destruction of the indigenous population through disease and enslavement, although the Spaniards left after a brief occupation. Their lasting imprint was the name Bahamas, derived from the Spanish words baja and mar, meaning ‘shallow sea’.

In 1648 the first English settlers to The Bahamas came from Bermuda and established a colony on the island of Eleuthera. The so-called Eleutheran Adventurers were looking for religious freedom and hoping to establish a republican government in The Bahamas. However, the settlers realized that limited natural resources of the island placed them in danger of starvation. Many of the settlers left the island and returned to Bermuda though the settlement remained intact. During this time, the first colony, New Providence Island, was established on the site that is now the home of the Bahamian capital city of Nassau. This settlement, established also by Bermudians, grew much more quickly than the earlier settlement of Eleuthera and by 1671 boasted a population of 913 people (Dodge 1995).

Though a proprietary government was adopted in 1670, it was unsuccessful and The Bahamas became a haven for pirates in the early 1700s. The geography of the islands was well situated for pirating hapless ships navigating the treacherous waters surrounding the islands. In 1718, the British sent Captain Woods Rogers to The Bahamas to drive the pirates from the islands and regain control for the British, and it was then turned into an official colony.

After the American Revolutionary War in the 1780s, many British loyalists fled the newly formed United States for both the major islands and the out islands of The Bahamas. Two-thirds of the loyalists came to The Bahamas via boats leaving from New York, the other third from boats leaving from St. Augustine, Florida, although they represented loyalists from throughout the US. One contingent, for example, came from the Carolinas, moving first to Florida and then departing after a brief stay there (Wolfram and Sellers 1998). Most wealthy loyalists returned to England within ten years, but those too poor to return stayed and relied on the resources of the land and the sea to maintain a subsistence living. Many loyalists also brought slaves with them from the US in hopes of setting up a plantation colony similar to that found in the American South, but the hope for cotton plantations died quickly as settlers realized that the thin Bahamian soil would not support the crop. Approximately 5,000 to 8,000 loyalists in all came to The Bahamas in the years following the American Revolutionary War, making them a significant early group in the establishment of The Bahamas (Dodge 1995).

With the passing of the Abolition of Slavery Act in Great Britain in 1833, the composition of the islands changed quickly. The population was growing rapidly and many Bahamians were again turning to the resources of the land and sea for their living. Various industries, for example, shipbuilding, sponging, fruit orchards, and sisal, have risen but none endured. Notwithstanding short-term economic surges, it was not until the 1950s that The Bahamas established long-term economic stability through the tourist industry. At the same time, politics was becoming an important part of Bahamian life, and by 1973 the Commonwealth of the Bahamas became independent and joined the Commonwealth of Nations even though it still retained Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state. Over the last three decades, Afro-Bahamians have gained control of civic life throughout the islands while Anglo-Bahamians have functioned on the periphery of mainstream modern Bahamian culture, living mostly on the outlying cays. Today The Bahamas are one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. Residents of the major islands now earn a living performing more contemporary jobs common to most large cities along with the service industry related to tourism, while residents of the out-islands have maintained more traditional jobs like fishing and boat building. The unique history, the demographics, and the past and present social dynamics of the islands have helped create and maintain distinct varieties of English.