A tumultuous upheaval and transformation: The impact of the American Revolution on the Bahama Islands

The position of the Bahama Islands on the periphery Britain\u27s Blue-Water Empire, far removed from the American Revolution\u27s pitched battles, did not allow the colony to escape unaffected. Rather, the American Revolution had a significant impact on the colony both during and after the conflict. The effects of the Continental Congress\u27 military and commercial policies towards the islands resulted in a political breakdown not seen amongst the remaining loyal British colonies. Furthermore, the effects of the Revolution did not end with the conflict, rather they continued for decades afterwards as many displaced American Loyalists settled on the islands. The Loyalists immigration was a revolution in its own, transforming the colony from impoverished economic stasis to a booming frontier with the cotton and salt trades. Yet, the economic prosperity did not last, and the colony had sunk into economic stasis by the mid-1830s