...Question: 1(a) Write a detailed account of the Burma Road Riot in Nassau, Bahamas. So many of the most dramatic and significant social events in the Bahamas history were played out on the stage of Bay Street and, as a result of these events, Bay Street was turn into a place where Bahamians came together in display of unity and a place where they sought to act out dissenting viewpoints. The Nassau Riot in 1942 was a short- lived spontaneous outburst by a group of disgruntled Laborers according to source A. Before the riot of 1942, Bay Street could safely be called, a white controlled space. Although many blacks walked the sidewalks and even, when funds afforded it, shopped in the finer stores on Bay Street. It was with the knowledge that they were just visitors. Even though some blacks were allowed to work in the stores on Bay Street, the choice jobs were not available to them. A man who was admittedly colored could not even talk to a lady of a white family. Color separated the races in housing, education, occupation, and in social intercourse. Two Bases were to be built in Nassau, Oakes Field know as the Main Field and the other in the western end of the island know as Satellite Field. These two bases were to be constructed by the Pleasantville...
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...two hundred and sixty thousand square miles, is an archipelago of seven hundred islands and cays known as the islands of the Bahamas. Ruled under a constitutional monarch government, this former British Colony of approximately three hundred and sixteen thousand, one hundred and eighty two people (Bahamas, The Demographics Profile 2013); thrive in competing with neighboring Caribbean countries competing in the hospitality industry; The Bahamas’ number one source. Bahamas deriving from the Spanish word “Baja Mar" meaning "shallow seas", first inhabitant’s where the Lucayans. The Lucayans also known as Arawak’s a label given to them by Christopher Columbus who later mistakenly discovered them, were originally from South America. They were very skillful sailors and fishermen who migrated to The Bahamas sometime during the Ninth Century. The Lucayans were believed to have inhibited the island of Guanahani later renamed San Salvador, for approximately five hundred years. They were then discovered by Christopher Columbus an Italian explorer in the year 1492. Twenty five years after this discovery, the population of about forty thousand Lucayans dwindled down to almost extinct, due to their deportation to Hispaniola for mining purposes and deadly diseases introduced to Lucayans by the Spaniards. Years after Columbus’s discovery other explorers came to The Bahamas. The Eleutheran Adventurers came in year 1647 and The Loyalist arrived sometime between the years 1784-1785. Cotton plantations...
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...HISTORY OF TOURISM IN THE BAHAMAS BEFORE 1945 In 1740, Peter Henry Bruce, a military engineer from England was sent to The Bahamas to make some repairs to forts in Nassau. He was so impressed by the Islands Of The Bahamas and the climate that he recommended that they would aid in the speedy recovery of persons suffering from illnesses. Mr. Samuel Cunard, a Canadian businessman, who owned a transatlantic fleet of ships, was contacted to provide a monthly service between New York and Nassau. Therefore, in 1859 the “Karnak”, a paddle wheel steamer, made the first trip between New York and Nassau. During the Civil War in The United States between the North and the South, Nassau experienced a boost to the tourism industry due to the blockage runners and affluent southerners who wished to exchange goods. This boost to Tourism caused a need for hotel accommodation. Hence, in 1861, The Royal Victoria Hotel was opened. With the increase in hotel inventory, there was now a great need to attract a tourists to fill the rooms. British Army Surgeon, Major Bacot, writing in 1869 pointed out that the climate and the healthiness of the Islands made them ideal for tourists. The greatest problem was getting or encouraging tourists to the islands. Acts passed in 1851, 1859, and 1879 to encourage the travel of tourists to The Bahamas by ships never really proved successful, as many sea disasters occurred. Encouraged by the arrival of 500 tourists to Nassau in 1875,...
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...300/16 19th February 2013 History of Bahamians Who is a Bahamian, where did they come from and what does it mean to be Bahamian? According to Dr. Nicholette Bethel, anthropologist, writer and Professor at the college of the Bahamas, “one’s race is usually the very first thing that is considered when assessing whether one is a “true true” Bahamian or not (http://nicobethel.net.par.2.)”. Nevertheless, there are a number of tangible and intangible things that people denote as being Bahamian. Persons proclaim that Junkanoo is a Bahamian Festival, Rake n Scrape is true Bahamian music, crab n rice is a Bahamian native dish, dialect is the Bahamian language and the list goes on. However, if one were to research the Bahamian past he/she would find that Bahamians never really existed until 1973. One would also become knowledgeable of who Bahamians truly are and how being Bahamian came about. Therefore, Bahamians were not defined by history until the Bahamas had gained independence. When the Bahamas separated from Britain and became an Independent Nation, Laws and Principles were established which stated who a Bahamian is/isn’t and how one could become a Bahamian. Firstly, as stated in the constitution of the Bahamas, Chapter II Citizenship “ Every person who, having been born in the former Colony of the Bahamas Islands, is on 9th July 1973 a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies shall become a citizen of the Bahamas on 10th July 1973.” The Bahamas was once a British colony that...
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...The Haitian Diaspora in the Bahamas By Ria N.M. Treco Florida International University Department of International Relations April 17, 2002 Introduction Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with about 80% of the Haitian population living in abject poverty [1]. Many factors contribute to the economic status of this country including: lack of proper education, overpopulation, environmental problems, and subsequent lack of jobs. All of these factors must be pointed out in order for one to fully understand the reasons for the mass migration that is taking place from Haiti into other countries of the world and more specifically into the Bahamas. Haiti has one of the lowest adult literacy rates in the world with only 48.8% of the total population above age 15 being able to read and write simple sentences. According to the Human Development Report, Haiti ranks 134 out of 162 countries for the adult literacy rate. Furthermore, Oxfam International ranks only four countries in the world lower than Haiti for the availability of basic education for its people. There is inadequate healthcare in Haiti as well. In 1999, the US Agency for International Development in Haiti implemented new programs to make Haitians aware of family planning, however, only half the population of Haiti has access to these facilities. This is closely related to the problem of overpopulation in Haiti. Haiti is one of the most densely populated countries of the Western Hemisphere with upwards of...
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...direction . Decolonization - to grant independence to a colony . With my understanding the statement “Movement Towards Decolonization ” is literally meaning that The Bahamas was making a change in government and the rights for Bahamians in their own society . They know what they needed to accomplish and where they were headed to become not only independent people but an independent nation to better our Bahamian Society from a colony . In this history coursework I’m going to write a detailed account of the Burma Road Riot in Nassau, Bahamas in 1942 . What effects the Burma Road Riot had on the development of political parties and trade unions of The Bahamas . Also act as a member of the Taxi Cab Union during the General Strike of 1958, where I’m speaking about what I’ve experienced . Lastly is to give an explanation of the sources given which I consider to be true and prove that the 1942 riot was responsible for the political changes that took place during the 1950’s and 1960’s . Question 1 a) Write a detailed account of the Burma Road Riot in Nassau, Bahamas. The Burma Road Riot occurred in the year of 1942 due to unfair wages . During 1942, with the Americans being at war, the US decided to expand Oakes Field...
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...CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF AN ARTICLE # 1 This article entitled “I’se Man Political awakening and the 1942 riot in the Bahamas by Dr. Virgil Henry Storr. Dr. Storr is a Bahamian and a senior researcher at George Mason University who is known to research all forms of history but especially the history of the Bahamas. Also he a research associate professor of economics at the George Mason University. This research article by Dr. Storr a research that retells the story of the Burma Road Riot. During the beginning of the Second World War the Bahamas more specifically New Providence became one of the many training bases for the British and American governments. The British and American governments decided to build their bases in New Providence because New Providence was and still is the economic capital of the Bahamas during this time. At this time the Bahamas government made a deal with these various governments that would bring an increase in jobs for the Bahamian people and more revenue for the Bahamas. However even though the contracts were agreed upon by both parties the Bahamian government didn’t not get as high wages that came with the economic opportunities as expected. The name that this new venture of this supposed to be economic prosperity was called the project. The project caused many men to venture to New Providence in hopes of new jobs with high wages. When many persons started to work on the projects their salaries were lower than expected. Whiles many of the persons...
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...Through research, this paper will offer an in depth analysis of The Bahamas and the International Government and will elaborate on the struggles that the Bahamian populace had to endure to create an identity, and find its place among the many countries of the world. In addition, it is expected to identify the historical, economic, and social impacts that shaped The Bahamas as we are today, The afore mentioned elements will be further illustrated to clearly define the Bahamas Government yester-year to the present time. The Bahamas is an archipelagic nation that spans some 1000’s of miles across the Atlantic Ocean. It is comprised of over 700 islands, including rocks and cays. Its closest neighbor to the North west a mere 40 miles away is the United States of America, and to the South, The Caribbean and to the West and to the East, the Atlantic Ocean, which is a divider between the Bahamas and Europe and Africa. The geographical layout of the Bahamas aids in further understanding of the evolution of Bahamian Government. Even though the struggle that marked the way to a majority-ruled, independent nation we still struggle as Bahamians, we still seek to fulfill the final phase of emancipation and become economically empowered, realizing at long last the dreams of those enslaved ancestors to truly become free and independent men and women, responsible and accountable for our own destinies, and limited only by our own imagination, we must demand from those who desire to sit in...
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...Social and Economic development of The Bahamas The economy in The bahamas suffered drasticaly until certain recent events which impacted The bahamas economy greatly. Jobs were hard to find, poverty was on the increase and many were left hungry. Some of the events in bahamian history that impacted the bahamian social and economic development were the civil war,the blockade running, the prohibiton, wrecking, exporting of goods{fruit,vegetables,sponges,sisal,tobacco,shells},and the plaiting of palmetto and silver top trees for exports. Very often bahamians used situations in America to increase their income as in the blockade-running during the civil war and also the prohibition. The first week of the civil war president lincoln declarded a blockade of Civil war which Great Britain's textile industry depended on, southern cotton (clothing,and yarn), so it favoured the Confederacy. Lincoln knew that it was vital for the south to receive war matierals such as guns and ammunition, medicine and clothing via its ports. He figured that if southern ports were blockaded, the entire economy and war effort there would collapse, and northern states would win the war. British ships could not reach southern ports because the Union was blockading them. To gain access to this import, blockade runners in sleek, fast boats would travel the 560 miles from Charleston to Nassau with loads of cotton. Here, they would meet up with British vessels and trade their cotton for the goods that the...
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...Garneshia K. Lewis ENGL208 – Bahamian Literature Professor M. Sairsingh March 14, 2015 The Context for When Doves Cry: The Bahamas in the 1980s When Doves Cry, written by Keith A. Russell, was set in the 1980s in Eight Mile Rock, a settlement on Grand Bahama Island. J.J., the main character, is recounting his life and the elements of it that landed him on death row like his crack-addicted mother, his troubled sister and abnormal brother and, of course, his crime. This essay discusses the history of the Bahamas during this time, the political context of the novel being set during this time in Bahamian history and the social ramifications presented in the book and from other sources. How and why did cocaine manage to find its way to Bahamian soil? Cocaine was transported from Colombia, where it was produced, to the Bahamas to its destined location, the United States, which has a very large demand market for the drug and to which the Bahamas has a close proximity. The increase in the availability of cocaine in the Bahamas was due to the arrival of Carlos Lehder, a drug lord from Colombia who was the leader of the Medellin Cartel, in 1978. According to PBS, when Lehder arrived, he bought large properties on Norman’s Cay, Exuma including an airstrip and as a result, there was a notable increase in the amount of airplanes coming onto the island. Ultimately, Lehder used the island as a station for his drug cartel and ended up forcing locals and visitors away from the island...
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...in the Bahamas received tremendous support from its allies in the United States, Canada and England. The growing enfranchisement of women around the world provided an enabling environment for the Suffrage Movement in the Bahamas. The specific social climate in the Bahamas in regard to women which engendered the struggle for the enfranchisement of women was described by Sir Randol Fawkes in his book, The Faith That Moved the Mountain. He states: "More than half of the adult population of the Bahamas - the women - still remained voteless. In 1958, they lagged far behind their male counterparts in the field of human rights. The chief roadblocks to full citizenship for Bahamian women were: - i) the traditional attitudes of men and women towards their respective roles in society; ii) the lack of equal education and training, vocational guidance and counselling in the school; iii) the division of the labour market into traditionally male and female sectors; and iv) lack of child-care facilities for working mothers". Sir Randol detailed other disadvantages women faced including the inheritance law of primogeniture and the inadequate maintenance laws for child support. In its particular pursuit of the right to vote for women and its general intention to advance the status of women in the Bahamas, the Suffrage Movement established strategic alliances with the other social movements of this time. It found a strident proponent of its cause in Randol Fawkes, leader of the Bahamas Federation...
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...‘The Economics on the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival’ Seminar Report Paper Wednesday, 11th March 2014 in The Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre Auditorium at The College of the Bahamas, Mr. Paul Major CEO of the Bahamas National Festive Commission (B.N.F.C) spoke on ‘The Economics of the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival.’ Mr. Major began his presentation by expressing his past cultural history with Junkanoo, such as his participation in the parade from the age of thirteen up until his early thirties; however, he had a higher love for business. Mr. Major states that the main purpose of the commission is to help cultural persons (participants of Junkanoo every year) make a business of their passion, therefore stimulating employment from the upcoming festival. Mr. Major went on to give information of the persons on the board as well as the structure of the organization. Continued key information shared included the amount of visitors to the islands, Mr. Major explained. Domestic travelers summed up to be an average of twenty-eight thousand two-hundred and fifty persons (28,250); stop-over travelers average some five thousand seven-hundred persons (5,700); lastly, cruiseship passengers averaged at ten thousand three-hundred persons (10,300) during the initial launch of the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival Festival. Mr. Major made it clear that the aim was to target all groups of travelers to the islands, engage them in participating in the festival, and to also influence them to partake...
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...Title: The Burma Road Riot Name: Alieth Jeanienne Adderley Student ID#: 000-06-8795 Instructor’s Name: Tracey Thompson Date of Submission: 29th March 2012 The Burma Road Riot, despite being often misunderstood and misinterpreted is still regarded as one of the most significant events in the racial and political history of The Bahamas. Although there were immediate causes of the riot, the social system existing from emancipation fostered dissatisfaction in the hearts of many non-white Bahamians. Prior to 1838, slaveholders who were mostly white were prescribed by law to own black slaves but after emancipation in 1838, Bahamian society was reorganized in a three tier system, the white elite, the coloured middle class and the black masses. Although this system was similar to the model of The British West Indian colonies, The Bahamas, due to its proximity to the United States, was influenced by The Jim Crowe laws existing in The Southern United States which discriminated against African Americans in an effort to control their movements. The white elite, being the former slave holders used any means necessary to maintain their status as the ‘master class.’ This included economic control through the use of the truck, share and labour tenancy systems, which ensured that black Bahamians were in debt, legal means which prevented them from not acquiring land, and social means by using the coloured middle class to create social divisions among the black Bahamians. Bahamian society...
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...Location in Patricia Glinton Meicholas's An Evening in Guanima and Zora Neale Hurston's Mules and Men. Oral tradition dates back to the beginning of time, this tradition includes folktales, myths, legends, songs, riddles and any other form of verbal communication. Different aspects of the tradition has been used in various ways, including for entertainment, education, providing histories, or to bring awareness to societal ills. While each country/society have their own oral traditions and folktales, there are those folktales that are shared by several different communities. However, even though different communities may share the same stories, inevitably, those stories will be changed based on the specific community’s culture, language , history and geographical location. The effects of location and history on the folktales within the community can be seen very clearly in the texts An Evening in Guanima by Patricia Glinton Meicholas, and Mules and Men by Zora Neal Hurston, respectively. ***You need a very strong thesis here*** In “Talkin Ol' Story: A Brief Survey of the Oral tradition in the Bahamas”, Patricia Glinton Meicholas describes the Bahamian ol' story as existing “in a dream time landscape where human beings exhibit a fluid morphology…”(Meicholas 10). Much of Bahamian oral tradition , like that of the African Americans, has been influenced by what has come before, during and after the trans Atlantic slave trade. The enslaved African brought with them a culture rich in...
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...development of The Bahamas in the twentieth century. (15 marks) Migration has always been in existence from the beginning of time. The Loyalist were the first who arrived to the Bahamas with their slaves in the late 1700's to our current date. There were many that migrated to The Bahamas such as; Chinese, Lebanese, Greeks, Haitians and the Jews. A single migrant may engage in three types of migration in his or her lifetime. These include, long stay residence short stay residence and return migration. The migration dynamic reflects the interplay of international, national and highly personal circumstances, Migration is a universal phenomenon. Millions of immigrants made The Bahamas their permanent residence, But how did these migrants impacted The Bahamas, socially and economically in the twentieth century. First I will be discussing the Chinese. The Chinese first began arriving in the late 19th century, but most immigrants arrived in the 1920's and quickly proved to be enterprising businessmen. According to (Gayle Saunders from-islanders in the steam), there were numerous that were skilled framers and they also contributed a lot to The Bahamas. There is where the Chinese who partnership and opened up their own restaurant. I can infer that Charles Chea and Henry Wong opened a Chinese restaurant on Bay Street which is still in operation today. So Economically, it provides Jobs for our native Bahamians, Chinese-Bahamians have a long history, dating back to...
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