The Loyalist or Tories were from America. They were the second group of people who came to the Bahamas in search of refuge. The first group of persons to migrate here were from Bermuda and England were the Eleutheran Adventurers. They arrived in The Bahamas in 1648. They were looking for religious freedom. They did not want to worship as Anglicans. So, they came to the Bahamas to worship freely. Their settlement failed. They returned home. Only a few criminals, runaway slaves of people lived here after they abandoned the settlement. Yet another group of settlers came to The Bahamas in search of a new place to live. England also gave these settlers land so that they cane resettle in The Bahamas. These settlers arrived in 1783. The first group came to Abaco and Cat Island. The Loyalist decided to come to The Bahamas after the American War of independence. There were many problems in America. First of all, this was a bloody war because there were Americans fighting Americans. Families disliked each other. Brothers were killing each other. When they killed and confiscated the land of the settlers from Britain, they also did the same for Americans who supported the Loyalist as well. The idea was either you were for the Revolution or not. The Patriots or Rebels or Whigs desired to be independent of Britain. They fought for independence which they obtained in July 4th 1776. They looked at a Loyalist as a traitor. Therefore, all Loyalist moved out of America after the war ended because they feared further retaliation and mistreatment by the Rebels or Whigs. This was all based on the issue of no taxation without representation.