The Bahama Islands became a British colony in the 18th century, when they were a haven for pirates such as Blackbeard. After the American Revolution, many Loyalists settled there, bringing slaves to labor on cotton plantations. Later, during the prohibition era in the US, the Bahamas became a base for rum-running. It was not until 1973 that the islands became a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations. What happened to the native tribe that Columbus first encountered there in 1492? Discuss