The Abaco Independence Movement (AIM) was a Bahamian political party formed shortly after the Bahamas became independent in August 1973. Its stated aim was

self-determination Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage. Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...

for the

Abaco islands The Abaco Islands lie in the north of Bahamas, The Bahamas, about 193 miles (167.7 nautical miles or 310.6 km) east of Miami, Florida, US. The main islands are Great Abaco and Little Abaco, which is just west of Great Abaco's northern tip. T ...

within a federal Bahamas. In October 1973, AIM published a newsletter to launch its campaign for 'self-determination through legal and peaceful political action'.

History

AIM proposed that all Crown land on Abaco should be placed in a land trust. Each citizen would receive a one-acre home lot from the trust and a share of revenue from land sales and leases. The land trust would enter into a joint venture to develop a 60 sq mile free trade zone. When AIM was formed by Chuck Hall and Bert Williams, they contacted an American financier named Michael Oliver, who through his

libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

Phoenix Foundation agreed to support AIM financially. The Phoenix Foundation had previously sought to establish a libertarian enclave in the South Pacific, the

Republic of Minerva The Republic of Minerva was a micronation consisting of the Minerva Reefs. It was one of the few modern attempts at creating a sovereign micronation on the reclaimed land of an artificial island in 1972. The architect was Las Vegas, Nevada, Las V ...

. AIM's first convention, held on February 23, 1974, was addressed by

John Hospers John Hospers (June 9, 1918 – June 12, 2011) was an American philosopher and political activist. Hospers was interested in Objectivism, and was once a friend of the philosopher Ayn Rand, though she later broke with him. In 1972, Hospers becam ...

, the Libertarian Party's 1972 US presidential candidate. Hospers was later refused entry to the Bahamas.

British MP In the United Kingdom, a Member of Parliament (MP) is an individual elected to serve in the House of Commons, the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Electoral system All 650 members of the UK House of Commons are elected usin ...

Colin Campbell Mitchell Colin Campbell Mitchell (17 November 1925 – 20 July 1996) was a British Army soldier and politician. He became a public figure in 1967 as the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Forces under his ...

also visited Abaco to offer support. Around May 1974, reports emerged of a group called 20th Century Revolutionaries whose appeared intent on overthrowing Abaco's central government. AIM denounced the group. In February 1975, an article appeared in ''Esquire'' magazine claiming that plans for an insurrection in Abaco were underway.St. George, Andrew (Feb. 1975)
"The Amazing New Country Caper."
''Esquire'', vol. 82, no. 2
pp. 60–64, 151–154.
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Mitchell WerBell Mitchell Livingston WerBell III (March 18, 1918 – December 16, 1983) was a U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS) operative, mercenary, paramilitary trainer, firearms engineer, and arms dealer. Early life and OSS service WerBell was born in P ...

, an American arms-dealer and mercenary, claimed that Abaco would declare unilateral independence. It was claimed that WerBell was managing and financing AIM and had been recruiting mercenaries to go to Abaco. Although no arrests or charges relating to an insurrection were made, AIM's involvement with WerBell (which included visits to his

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

estate) greatly discredited AIM. In March 1975, AIM changed its name. The new Abaco Home Rule Movement denied any military objectives and published a draft constitution for a proposed Abaco Commonwealth, based on libertarian principles. The results of the 1977 general election, in which the

Progressive Liberal Party The Progressive Liberal Party (abbreviated PLP) is a populist and social liberal party in the Bahamas. Philip Davis is the leader of the party. History The PLP was founded in 1953 by William Cartwright, Cyril Stevenson, and Henry Milton ...

won 30 seats of 38 seats in Parliament including Abaco-Coopers Town, was a major disappointment for AHRM and effectively marked the end of the movement. The AIM newspaper, The ''Abaco Independent'' ceased publication in 1977.

Flag

The AIM flag showed a lighthouse (presumably the lighthouse at Hopetown) amidst a sunburst.

History

Flag

References

Further reading