Beginning in the mid-16th century and down through the 18th century, thousands of immigrants of Scots-Irish origin migrated to the Bahamas, which included the Turks and Caicos Islands. The first, and smaller wave of immigrants came via Bermuda in the mid to late 1600s in the wake of the mass migration of pro-Presbyterians from northern Ireland to the Americas seeking refuge from religious persecution. Later, in the 18th century, as a consequence of the American Revolution, thousands of so-called Loyalists were exiled from the union of the original 13 rebellious colonies. Many of those exiled were of Scots-Irish origin. Thousands migrated to the islands of the Bahamas, where they eventually emerged as some of the leaders of society in all facets of administration and culture.