Country Experienced European-American Imperialism. I A Paper

¶ … country experienced European-American Imperialism. I a paper effects European Imperialism Bahamas. Please give a historical background Bahamas discuss impact colonization's political, social, economic, cultural institutions.

The Bahamas in a colonial context

Imperialism has had an effect on most countries from around the world, with colonies that belonged to some of the world's greatest powers being particularly affected as a consequence of being actively involved in a rapidly changing society. The Bahamas saw a lot of turmoil as a result of being colonized by the Spanish and the English throughout the recent centuries. In spite of this, conditions generally improved in a series of domains on the islands as a result of their strategic position and because of the fact that people there could exploit the fact that tourists expressed significant interest in the location.

The Bahamas were considered to be an important strategic location ever since the first interactions between Europeans and the New World. Even with that, the Spanish did not initially consider that these islands were important. They only acknowledged their significance consequent to observing other European nations expressing interest in the American continent. In spite of the fact that they established several outposts throughout the islands, the Spanish did not express particular interest in establishing a colony there, as they were largely concerned in exploiting the population of the Bahamas through harvesting slaves from the region. Attempts to colonize the islands ended in failure, as the Spanish Crown did not want to support a colony there and as the islands were believed to be unproductive because of the fact that most of the people there were reluctant to cooperate with Europeans and because colonists considered that it was essential for them to focus on going as deep inland as possible, as America's treasures were presumably located on the continent.

Conditions in England were even worse than in Spain when considering interest regarding a colony in the Bahamas, as English explorers did not have access to resources that could assist them in successfully colonize the islands. However, as the relationship between the English and the Spanish became tensed, England started to express interest in various areas previously owned by the Spanish and claimed the Bahamas in 1629. The first permanent colony on the island, Eleuthera, was established by English Puritans in 1648 (Craton 1962, 57).

2. The Bahamas experienced significant change as a result of being colonized, as it went through being a British colony, an enemy of the U.S. during the War of Independence, and a safe haven for British refugees wanting to escape American persecution consequent to the conflict. The fact that the British abolished slave trade in 1834 influenced many African-Americans to come to the island in hope that they would find better living conditions there than on the American continent. The African-American population on the islands had already been large by the time, as "in 1831, there were 12,259 negroes in the Bahamas, outnumbering the white inhabitants by three to one"(Craton 1962, 187).

The fact that authorities in the Bahamas rarely hesitated to cooperate with British or American forces made it possible for people in Europe and in the U.S. To exploit's the island's resources in a series of ways. Confederates poured large amounts of money into the territory because it provided the perfect location for them to escape Union powers. The Prohibition era also tightened the connection between entrepreneurs in the U.S. And the Bahamas as the islands became a control center for bootleggers smuggling alcohol into the U.S. (Stuart Olson & Shadle 1991, 40).

3. People in the Bahamas started to express more and more interest in autonomy in the second half of the twentieth century, as the African-American majority expanded its influence in the islands and as people were no longer willing to accept being discriminated by the authorities. These people formed the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and managed to gain independence through the Commonwealth of Bahamas on July 10, 1973 (Stuart Olson & Shadle 1991, 40).

4. Colonization had both positive and negative on the Bahamas. When considering that the native population on the island virtually came to be extinct consequent to its contact with European nations, one can consider that colonization was detrimental for the Bahamas. However, the fact that Europeans invested large amounts of money and efforts in making the islands a hospitable place improved living conditions in the Bahamas and generally set the basis for a thriving country. The islands came to be one of the most developed countries in the Western World as they became more populous, "provided opportunities for greater comfort and affluence, grew more settled (if not in all cases much more orderly), and became internally more complex"(Greene 1988, 168).

In spite of the fact that people in the Bahamas expressed interest in having their country become independent, the community in the islands is largely similar to the one in the British Empire. Most people in the Bahamas, regardless of their social status or background, appear to be supportive in regard to having their country's system replicate the one in England (Greene 1988, 168).

5. The Bahamas are presently considered to be a luxurious and exotic destination for tourists or an offshore finance center for businessmen from around the world. Postcolonial Bahamas is a location where wealth feels right at home, especially considering that the majority of people on the islands thrive as a result of exploiting their country's resources to the fullest. The fact that the colonial period attracted African-Americans in large numbers in the area made it possible for the hip-hop culture to be presently one of the most important elements in the Bahamas. "Not only does hip-hop provide the literal soundtrack for many of the entrances -- with hip-hop music being boomed from car sound systems -- but its visual cultural expressions are especially pronounced, as prom-goers emulate the displays of materialism and conspicuous consumption found in some late twentieth-century expressions of the genre" (Thompson 2011).