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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 397 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 397

  Recognizing the 40th anniversary of the independence of the Bahamas.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 30, 2013

Mr. Hastings of Florida (for himself, Ms. Brown of Florida, Ms. Clarke, 
 Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Jeffries, Mr. Conyers, Ms. Norton, and Mr. 
 Lewis) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
  Recognizing the 40th anniversary of the independence of the Bahamas.

Whereas the proud history and rich culture of the Bahamian people date back 
        centuries, having evolved amid significant influence from foreign 
        settlers and traders who were drawn to their islands' ecological beauty, 
        resources, and strategic location;
Whereas the islands of the Bahamas were settled by the Lucayan Indians from 900 
        to 1500 AD and, following Christopher Columbus' landfall in the New 
        World on San Salvador in 1492, about 40,000 natives were sent to work in 
        the mines of Hispaniola;
Whereas British settlement began in 1648 with the arrival of English Puritans 
        led by Captain William Sayle, known as ``Eleutheran Adventurers'', who 
        sought religious freedom;
Whereas the capital of the Bahamas, Nassau, was established around 1670 as a 
        commercial port, and experienced several decades of conflict between 
        Spanish, French, and British military forces, as well as privateers and 
        pirates;
Whereas by 1718, the King of England appointed Captain Woodes Rogers to serve as 
        the first Royal Governor and restore order in the Bahamas, now a crown 
        colony;
Whereas following the American War of Independence, the British issued land 
        grants to American Loyalists who went into exile in the Bahamas, 
        bringing with them slaves and forcing the Spanish to retreat from the 
        region;
Whereas the majority of Bahamians today trace back their roots to the thousands 
        of West Africans who were enslaved and brought to the islands in order 
        to work on cotton plantations by those loyal to the British Crown;
Whereas Britain abolished its slave trade in 1807, and resettled thousands of 
        liberated Africans from foreign slave ships as free persons in the 
        Bahamas;
Whereas in the early 1820s, hundreds of American slaves and Black Seminoles 
        escaped from Florida, with many of them settling on Andros Island in the 
        Bahamas;
Whereas Britain officially abolished slavery throughout most of the British 
        Empire in 1834, thereby ending plantation life in the Bahamas and giving 
        rise to a nation of seafarers;
Whereas the Hotel and Steam Ship Service Act of 1898 marked the beginning of a 
        vibrant tourism industry for the Bahamas, providing the government 
        support needed for the construction of hotels and subsidized steamship 
        service;
Whereas in 1964, Bahamians were granted self-rule, and in 1969 became members of 
        the Commonwealth of Nations;
Whereas in December 1972, the Government of the Bahamas headed by Prime Minister 
        the Rt. Hon. Lynden Pindling and the Opposition headed by Sir Kendal 
        Isaacs led a delegation to London to discuss the Independence 
        Constitution;
Whereas, on April 2, 1973, the Minister of Home Affairs, the Hon. R.F. Anthony 
        Roberts, announced in the House of Assembly that the Bahamas had a new 
        flag, and in the same year Timothy Gibson's ``March On, Bahamaland'' was 
        adopted as the country's national anthem;
Whereas, on July 10, 1973, the Bahamas became a free and sovereign country, 
        ending 325 years of peaceful British rule; and
Whereas Bahamians typically commemorate their independence with a week-long 
        celebration beginning on July 3, consisting of a number of ``Junkanoo'' 
        street parades, fireworks, political speeches, and other events: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) joins the people of the Bahamas and the Bahamian 
        diaspora worldwide in commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 
        independence of the Bahamas;
            (2) recognizes that the United States and the Bahamas are 
        united by a shared history, common values, and a commitment to 
        democracy and human rights; and
            (3) encourages both nations to continue strengthening their 
        friendship and bilateral partnership, especially in promoting 
        greater security, economic development, and people-to-people 
        exchanges, expanding opportunities for the next generation of 
        leaders, addressing the effects of climate change, and 
        advancing gender equality throughout the Caribbean region.
                                 <all>
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