History of Bahamas Timeline

(c. 800 AD – Present)

The Bahamas is an island nation whose history spans thousands of years. Originally inhabited by the Lucayan Taíno people, it became the first landfall of Christopher Columbus in 1492. After Spanish depopulation of the islands, British settlers arrived in 1648, and the islands became a haven for pirates in the late 17th century. The Bahamas developed a plantation economy based on enslaved African labor, abolished slavery in 1834. It achieved internal self-government in 1964 and full independence from Britain on July 10, 1973, becoming a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth. More Less

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Indigenous and Early Contact

Columbus sails on his first voyage

Aug 3, 1492

In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain with three ships — the Niña, the Pinta, and the flagship Santa María — seeking a direct route to Asia.

Image source: Christopher Columbus

Columbus lands at Guanahani

Oct 12, 1492

Recorded history of the Bahamas began on 12 October 1492, when Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Guanahani, which he renamed San Salvador Island, on his first voyage to the New World.

Image source: San Salvador Island

Lucayan population grows

1500

By around the year 1500, the indigenous Lucayan people of the Bahamas had grown to a population of about 40,000, living across the islands long before sustained European contact.

Image source: Lucayan people

Spanish find only eleven Lucayans remain

1520

When the Spanish decided in 1520 to remove the remaining Lucayans to Hispaniola, they could find only eleven, marking the effective end of the indigenous population of the Bahamas.

Colonization and Piracy

French Huguenots settle Abaco

1565

In 1565, a group of French Huguenots settled on the island of Abaco. They were never heard of again, and their fate remains unknown.

Image source: Abaco Islands

British settle Eleuthera

1648

In 1648, a group from Bermuda called "The Company of Adventurers for the Plantation of the Islands of Eleutheria", led by William Sayle, sailed to the Bahamas to found a colony. It was the earliest permanent European settlement, on Eleuthera.

Image source: Eleuthera

Bermudian colonists settle New Providence

1666

In 1666, other colonists from Bermuda settled on New Providence, which soon became the centre of population and commerce in the Bahamas, with almost 500 people living on the island by 1670.

Image source: New Providence

Bermudian colonists settle New Providence

Carolina Proprietors issued patent for Bahamas

1670

In 1670, the Proprietors of Carolina were issued a patent for the Bahamas, but the governors they sent had difficulty imposing their authority on the independent-minded residents of New Providence.

Image source: History of the Bahamas

Nassau founded as Charles Town

1670

The Bahamian capital was founded in 1670 as Charles Town, with about 20 families living in the Eleuthera communities by that time. The town was rebuilt under its present name, Nassau, in 1695.

Image source: Nassau, The Bahamas

Spanish burn New Providence and Eleuthera settlements

1684

In 1684, the Spanish burned the settlements on New Providence and Eleuthera, after which they were largely abandoned.

New Providence resettled from Jamaica

1686

New Providence was settled a second time in 1686 by colonists from Jamaica, reviving the main centre of population in the Bahamas.

Henry Every brings pirate loot into Nassau

1696

In 1696, Henry Every (or Avery), using the assumed name Henry Bridgeman, brought his ship Fancy, loaded with pirates' loot, into Nassau harbor, cementing the port's reputation as a haven for piracy.

Image source: Henry Every

Henry Every brings pirate loot into Nassau

Privateers turn to piracy after peace

1697

Following peace with France in 1697, many privateers became pirates, and they increasingly made their base at Nassau, turning it into a notorious pirate stronghold.

Image source: Golden Age of Piracy

French-Spanish fleets sack Nassau

1703

With England at war with France and Spain from 1701, combined French-Spanish fleets attacked and sacked Nassau in 1703, and again in 1706. Some settlers left, and the Proprietors gave up trying to govern the islands.

Image source: Jack Sparrow

Pirates outnumber settlers in the Bahamas

1713

Although the War of the Spanish Succession ended in 1714, some privateers slipped into piracy. One estimate puts at least 1,000 pirates in the Bahamas in 1713, outnumbering the 200 families of permanent settlers.

Image source: Republic of Pirates

King George appoints Woodes Rogers governor

1717

In 1717, King George appointed Woodes Rogers governor of the Bahamas and issued a proclamation granting a pardon to any pirate who surrendered to a British governor within one year.

Image source: Woodes Rogers

King George appoints Woodes Rogers governor

Woodes Rogers arrives in Nassau

Jul 1718

Woodes Rogers arrived in Nassau in late July 1718 with his own 460-ton warship, three ships belonging to his company, and an escort of three Royal Navy ships, beginning his campaign to suppress piracy.

Ex-pirates commissioned as British privateers

1719

When Britain and Spain went to war again in 1719, many of the ex-pirates were commissioned by the British government as privateers, helping defend the Bahamas.

Spaniards attack Nassau

1720

In 1720, the Spaniards finally attacked Nassau, testing the defenses that Governor Woodes Rogers had worked to build up.

Image source: Raid on Nassau (1720)

Rackham steals sloop William

Aug 1720

In August 1720, Calico Jack Rackham stole the sloop William out of Nassau harbor. His crew included Anne Bonny and Mary Read; Read later died in prison, while Bonny was likely quietly released and died in obscurity in late 1733.

Image source: John Rackham

Rogers replaced as governor

1722

Rogers returned to Britain in 1722 to plead for repayment of money he had borrowed to build up Nassau, only to find he had been replaced as governor. After the 1724 publication of A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates praised his efforts, his fortunes improved, and the king awarded him a pension retroactive to 1721.

Rogers appointed governor for second term

1728 - 1732

In 1728, Woodes Rogers was appointed Governor of the Bahamas for a second term. He died in Nassau in 1732, having largely ended the era of piracy in the islands.

Fort Montague constructed

1741

In 1741, Governor John Tinker and Peter Henry Bruce constructed Fort Montague to strengthen the defenses of Nassau.

Image source: The House in the Rock

Governor Shirley expands Nassau

1768

In 1768, Governor William Shirley filled in mosquito-breeding swamps and extended Nassau. He also reported that over 2,300 sumptuous houses were built during this period of growth.

American forces occupy Nassau

1776

In 1776, American forces launched an amphibious assault against Nassau during the American Revolutionary War, resulting in its two-week occupation.

Image source: Raid of Nassau

Spain captures the Bahamas

1782

In 1782, Spanish forces under General Bernardo de Gálvez captured the Bahamas during the American Revolutionary War.

Image source: Capture of the Bahamas (1782)

Loyalists recapture islands; Britain ceded claims confirmed

1783

A British-American Loyalist expedition led by Colonel Andrew Deveaux recaptured the islands in 1783. Under the Peace of Paris in 1783, Spain ceded them to Britain in exchange for East Florida, ending titular Spanish claims.

Image source: Peace of Paris (1783)

Slavery and Emancipation

African slaves brought to work unpaid

1700 - 1807

During the 18th century slave trade, many purchased African slaves were brought to the Bahamas to work unpaid on plantations and other enterprises.

Image source: Slavery in the Bahamas

Liberated Africans resettled in Bahamas

1807

After the abolition of the British slave trade in 1807, thousands of captive Africans liberated from foreign slave ships by the British navy were resettled as free persons in the Bahamas.

Mass flight of enslaved people to freedom

1823

Enslaved people sought freedom in the Bahamas from nearby territories; three hundred escaped in a mass flight in 1823, and although the flow was reduced by federal construction of a lighthouse at Cape Florida in 1825, slaves continued to find freedom in the Bahamas.

British emancipation of slaves

Aug 1834

In August 1834, traditional plantation life ended with the British emancipation of slaves throughout most of its colonies, including the Bahamas.

Image source: Slavery Abolition Act 1833

Slave ships Hermosa and Creole arrive

1840 - 1841

American slave ships were brought into Bahamian ports where slaves gained freedom, including the Hermosa (1840) and the Creole (1841), the latter brought in after a slave revolt on board.

Image source: La Amistad

Britain and US settle claims treaty

1853 - 1855

In 1853, Britain and the United States signed a claims treaty and submitted to arbitration for claims dating to 1814; they paid each other in 1855.

Modern Politics

Movement to join Canada fails

1911

In 1911, there was a short-lived movement to make the Bahamas part of Canada, but it did not gain lasting support.

Bahamians serve in World War I

1915 - 1918

"The Gallant Thirty" Bahamians set out to join the British West Indies Regiment as early as 1915, and as many as 1,800 served in the armed forces of Canada, Britain, and the United States during World War I.

Image source: The Bahamas

Oakes Field opens as first airport

Jan 1940

Oakes Field, the Bahamas' first airport, was opened in Nassau in January 1940, laying the groundwork for future air travel and tourism.

Image source: Lynden Pindling International Airport

Duke of Windsor installed as governor

Aug 1940 - Mar 16, 1945

The Duke of Windsor was installed as governor of the Bahamas, arriving in August 1940 with his new wife. He opened parliament on October 29, 1940, visited the Out Islands, and resigned the post on 16 March 1945.

Image source: Edward VIII

Canada provides military support in Nassau

Apr 1942 - 1946

In April 1942, the United Kingdom asked Canada to provide military support in Nassau, partly to protect the Duke of Windsor. No. 33 Company was relieved in 1943 by the Pictou Highlanders, and the Canadian garrison left Nassau in 1946.

Nassau riot over low wages

Jun 1942

In June 1942, civil unrest over low wages erupted into a full-scale riot in Nassau. The Duke of Windsor was praised for resolving the unrest, though he controversially blamed "communists" and others for the trouble.

Political parties formed

1953 - 1956

The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) was formed in 1953, and the United Bahamian Party (UBP) was formed in 1956, establishing the two-party political landscape of the modern Bahamas.

Image source: Progressive Liberal Party

Airport spurs mass tourism boom

1957

The wartime airfield became Nassau's international airport in 1957, helping spur the growth of mass tourism, which accelerated after Havana was closed to American tourists in 1961.

Image source: Tourism in the Bahamas

Bahamians achieve self-government

1964

Bahamians achieved self-government in 1964, with Sir Roland Symonette of the United Bahamian Party serving as the first Premier.

Image source: Roland Theodore Symonette

Lynden Pindling becomes Premier

1967

Lynden Pindling, leader of the Progressive Liberal Party, became the first black Premier of the colony in 1967, and in 1968 the title was changed to Prime Minister.

Image source: Lynden Pindling

Bahamas gains independence

Jul 10, 1973

The Bahamas achieved full independence as a Commonwealth realm within the Commonwealth of Nations on 10 July 1973, ending British colonial rule.

Image source: Flag of the Bahamas

College of the Bahamas founded

1974

The College of the Bahamas was founded in 1974 and provided the nation's higher or tertiary education. In 2016, it was chartered as the University of the Bahamas, offering baccalaureate, masters, and associate degrees across three campuses and teaching and research centres throughout the country.

Image source: University of the Bahamas

Pindling's long premiership ends

1992

Lynden Pindling was prime minister until 1992. He was succeeded by Hubert Ingraham, leader of the Free National Movement, who was prime minister until 2002.

Image source: Hubert Ingraham

PLP returns to power under Perry Christie

2002

In the 2002 Bahamian general election, the Progressive Liberal Party returned to power under Perry Christie, restoring PLP leadership after a decade of Free National Movement rule.

Image source: 2002 Bahamian general election

Alternating governments through 2017

2007 - 2017

Ingraham returned to power from 2007 to 2012, followed by Christie again from 2012 to 2017, as the two major parties alternated control of the government.

Hubert Minnis becomes prime minister

2017

With economic growth faltering, Bahamians re-elected the Free National Movement in 2017, with Hubert Minnis becoming the fourth prime minister of the independent Bahamas.

Image source: Hubert Minnis

Hurricane Dorian devastates northwestern Bahamas

Sep 2019

In September 2019, Hurricane Dorian struck the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama at Category 5 intensity, devastating the northwestern Bahamas and causing catastrophic damage.

Image source: Hurricane Dorian

Brave Davis sworn in as prime minister

Sep 17, 2021

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis lost a snap election in September 2021 as the economy struggled to recover from its deepest crash since at least 1971. On 17 September 2021, Progressive Liberal Party leader Phillip "Brave" Davis was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of the Bahamas.

Image source: Philip Davis (Bahamian politician)

Key Facts

The Bahamas was originally settled by the Lucayan people, a branch of the Taíno, who arrived around the 8th century AD.
Christopher Columbus made his first landfall in the New World at San Salvador in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492.
British colonists known as the Eleutheran Adventurers established one of the first European settlements in 1648 seeking religious freedom.
During the late 1600s and early 1700s, Nassau served as a major base for pirates such as Blackbeard until British rule was firmly restored in 1718.
The Bahamas gained full independence from Britain on July 10, 1973, becoming a sovereign nation within the Commonwealth.

Source

This History of Bahamas timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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