By Ms. Sally M. JOHNSON
© 2013
Putting it Together!!
The next slides show
provides a more indebt view
of some of the areas the
Loyalist made a great impact
in
Introduction
The Loyalists and their descendants made
notable contributions to the Bahamas in every
walk of life. They were noted for their belief in
parliamentary government, the rule of law,
gradual social change (evolution rather than
revolution) and attachment to British
institutions. They and their sons played an active
role in the development of The Bahamas that still
exist to present day. They advocated the
establishment of an elected legislature and
brought new life to the political structure. With
their diversity of racial and ethnic backgrounds
and religious traditions, they also foreshadowed
the emergence of the multicultural Bahamas of
today.
The main objective of this presentation is talk
about the Loyalist and the impact they had
on the Bahamas. and also evaluate the many
contribution they made to The Bahamas
After the American War of Independence a
group still loyal to Great Britain (and their slaves)
left the United States to make their home in the
Bahama Islands. The Loyalists and their slaves
would change the social, economic and political
landscape of the Bahamas
Contributions the Loyalist made!!
 The Loyalist coming had a great impact for this
country. Many changes and improvements were
made after they arrived here.
 The population tripled and continued to grow.
Islands which no one lived on before had
permanent residents. For the first time black
outnumbered whites three to one.
 Politically the Loyalists made a huge impact in
the governance of the colony. The number of
seats in the House of Assembly were increased to
house five new members who represented new
out island settlements.
 They dominated the House of Assembly and
made many new laws, particularly those
pertaining to controlling slaves.
Bahamian architecture, governmental
systems, skills in Agriculture, newspapers,
ship building and entire religious and
educational legacy is based on the
movement of this group.
The impact of the Loyalist is transposed
through the longevity of the settlements and
the overall development of the people after
slavery.
 New buildings were built because of the
Loyalists. These include St. Matthews
Church(built in 1802), Christ Church Cathedral, a
jail.
 Fort Fincastle(built 1789), Fort Charlotte(built
1787-89), and the Nassau public library along
with new schools.
 The first newspaper called the Bahama
Gazzette was introduced in 1784 by a man
named John Wells
 A number of schools were established for the first
time and children for the first time had a
opportunity to learn basic skills in reading and
writing and arithmetic.
 The Loyalist introduced denominational
Christianity to The Bahamas, such as Anglicans,
Baptist, Methodists and Presbyterians.
Bahamian Social Studies for Secondary Schools Bk 2 Chris Curry &
Neil Sealy
 In Abaco the Loyalists contributed their expertise
in boat building especially those living on Man- O
War Cay.
 In Nassau they introduced a new style of
architecture using stone and brick as opposed to
earlier wooden structures.
Educational Impact
Besides bringing with them skills such as boatbuilding (Cash et al., 1978), for example, one of the
most crucial improvements made to the country was
that of education.
The Loyalists had started many schools, thereby
giving education a new impetus (Cash et al., 1978)
and were considered to be “cultured and educated
people with a rigorous and lively interest in the
provision of education for their children…
The development of education in the Bahamas
occurred simultaneously, and all at the will of the
Loyalists.
Most of the schools that were developed at this
time were indeed church schools.
These initial schools were under the support of
the Church of England as it was the only active
denomination in the islands, at that time.
When support from the Church of England proved
insufficient, further aid came from the Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel.
Economic Changes
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The standard of living in the country was now
improved. New settlements were laid out. Islands
which were uninhabited before were now settled.
The cotton plantations was established in the
islands
The revenue of the Bahamas was increased by
the cotton sale
New roads were constructed
The first newspaper was printed by the Loyalist
this was started in 1784 and was called the
Bahamas Gazette.
The Loyalist also established the shipbuilding
industry at Man-O-War Cay, Abaco
Population Change
Before the Loyalists came the islands were
very poor and under-populated. There were
between 4,000 - 5,000 people in The Bahamas;
and the only islands that had people were New
Providence, Eleuthera and Harbour Island.
By 1789 the total population was 11, 300. due
to the large influx of loyalist arrival in 1783.
While many remained in New Providence many
left to settle in the Family Islands, mainly
because New Providence was too small and
infertile. Some of the islands settled by these
Loyalists were Exuma, Abaco, Long Island,
Cat Island, Andros, and Crooked Island
It was on these islands that cotton plantations
were established and soon it was a profitable
industry that brought a lot of money into the
islands. The Loyalists brought their slaves
with them to work on the plantations. By
1789, the population of The Bahamas had
increased to 11,300, of whom 8,000 were
slaves. By bringing so many slaves to The
Bahamas, the Loyalists changed the social
structure of The Bahamas. Blacks now
outnumbered whites. For the first time in
Bahamian history 3 :1
“The Loyalists and their slaves at least doubled
the population of the Bahama Islands ...
Social Contributions
Socially they introduced the concept of plantation
life and a different kind of relationship between
master and slave. By bringing so many slaves to
the Bahamas, the Loyalists changed the social
structure of society and set down racial lines to
be followed for centuries to come." Bahamian
Loyalists and their slaves by Gail Saunders.
Religious Impact:
The coming of the Loyalists had a great effect on
the religious life of the country also.
They were strong supporters of the Anglican
Church in general. Once they became members of
the House of Assembly they did all they could to
build up the Anglican Church. New Churches were
established by Acts of the House of Assembly but
after 1785 when the cotton industry began to fail
and very little money was in circulation hardly any
priests were attracted to come to stay in the
islands. The Anglican Church was segregated. The
Anglican priests who were there did nothing to
bring Negroes into the Church and as a result the
Baptists and the Methodists took over the task.
A black man named Joseph Paul founded the
Methodist Church in 1796 in the Western
District of New Providence. He had come
from Florida and set up a church on the site
of Bethel Baptist Church.
https://www.facebook.com/HistorybgcseStudents
Cultural Change
Perhaps the most important single contribution
to the cultural life of the Bahamas was the
Bahama Gazette, the first newspaper to be
published in the Bahamas. The editor, John
Wells, moved the family printing press from
Charleston to St. Augustine to Nassau.
(Thelma Peters).
Other cultural changes was the establishment
of a lending Library and improvement made in
record keeping
Contributions made by Loyalists
Slaves
Perhaps the greatest impact the Loyalists had on
The Bahamas was the introduction of their slaves
to The Bahama Islands. Their slaves not only
increased the number of blacks but also changed
the culture of The Bahamas. The Loyalists
introduced the idea of plantation life to The
Bahamas. Also, by bringing so many slaves the
Loyalists changed the social structure of The
Bahamas. They made new racial laws that
separated the races: whites lived in the town of
Nassau, while the Blacks lived in the present day
over the hill areas of Grants' Town, Delancey
Town, named after Stephen Delancey, and Bain
Town.
Slaves of the Loyalists brought their beliefs
and practices with them from America. Much
of their stories and oral history, although
shaped by the local environment, was passed
on from generation to generation and still
affects Bahamian culture today. Especially
significant are the use of bush medicine, the
practice of Junkanoo, the Baptist religion,
story-telling, music and dance, obeah, food
and games.
There were doctors around during slave
times, but slaves mostly took care of
themselves using home methods.
Junkanoo is probably the most recognized
part of Bahamian history. It is almost certain
that the modern Junkanoo festival was
brought over by African slaves Similar
customs survived in Georgia, Jamaica and
Bermuda. There is a lot of evidence that
some type of dance was held at Christmas by
the slaves or on the day after Christmas.
Charles Farquharson, a plantation owner on
San Salvador, wrote on the 2o December
1832:
" Some of our people gone abroad to see some of
their friends and some at home amusing
themselves in their own way through the day, but
all of them at home in the evening and had a grand
dance and keep it up until near day light“
Dowson, a Methodist missionary who served in the
West Indies between 1810 and 1817, on arriving at
Turks Island (then part of The Bahamas) on
Christmas Day said:
“ / never before witnessed such a Christmas Day;
the Negroes have been beating their tambourines
and dancing the whole day. Now between eight
and nine o 'clock they are pursuing their sport as
hotly as ever..
Loyalist Names
 Some Loyalist names included:
Dean, Forbes, Rolle, Johnson,
Adderley, Fox, Bowe , Culmer, Kelly,
Ferguson, Russell , Curry
Architectural Change
Many new buildings were built. New
churches (St Matthew s, Christ Church
Cathedral and St Andrew's
Presbyterian), schools and handsome
private houses were built. Most of the
buildings built in The Bahamas during
this time were made in the Georgian
Style, architectural style of the southern
United States.
The houses were rectangular in shape, 2
to 3 stories in height and built with a
balcony. Many public buildings and forts
were constructed. These included: Fort
Charlotte and Fort Fincastle; Dunmore
House, the prison, now the Nassau Public
Library.
Conclusion
The influx of loyalists had a pivotal effect on
every aspect in Bahamian society. The
loyalists’ population transformed the formerly
backward colony into a model colony able to
cope with the ever increasing population and the
associated demands that came along with it.
The colony was previously governed without a
legislative council but with the influx of the
loyalists, demand for an elected representative
body grew especially to those newly developed
islands that was never represented in
parliament.
Conclusion
In conclusion, at the close of the Loyalists
period in Bahamian History ,the town of Nassau
was looking very impressive. Along with its
beautiful colonial style houses (e.g. the Deanery
on Cumberland Street). There was also the
Vendue House (Slave Market), St. Matthew's
Church, the House of Assembly and other
buildings in the square. The Nassau Public
Library was also constructed then. It served as
the town's jail. The Loyalists had indeed
improved the standard of life in The Bahamas,
and for the first time in Bahamian history the
black population outnumbered the white.
References
• Bahamian Loyalist & their Slaves Gail
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Saunders
Bahamian Highlights Allen. G. Murray
Bahamian History Book 1 & 2 Gillian
Bain
Bahamian Social Studies for
Secondary Schools Chris Curry &
Neil Sealy
The Internet Google search/ Bahamian
History
The Making of The Bahamas Don
Maples