IV 

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; 


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•HRES 397 IH 

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 


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•HRES 397 IH 

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 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) joins the people of the Bahamas and the 

3 Bahamian diaspora worldwide in commemorating 

4 the 40th anniversary of the independence of the Ba5 hamas; 

6 (2) recognizes that the United States and the 

7 Bahamas are united by a shared history, common 


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1 values, and a commitment to democracy and human 

2 rights; and 

3 (3) encourages both nations to continue 

4 strengthening their friendship and bilateral partner5 ship, especially in promoting greater security, eco6 nomic development, and people-to-people exchanges, 

7 expanding opportunities for the next generation of 

8 leaders, addressing the effects of climate change, 

9 and advancing gender equality throughout the Carib10 bean region. 

Æ 


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