US Virgin Islands ( English: US Virgin Islands) is an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The archipelago is a territory under the United States, and consists of the three islands of St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas.
The US Virgin Islands are part of a larger archipelago called the Virgin Islands. The second part is called the British Virgin Islands. West of the US Virgin Islands is Puerto Rico.
According to Topb2bwebsites, the US Virgin Islands was called the Danish West Indies from 1691 to 1917. In 1917, the United States bought the strategically located archipelago from Denmark for $ 25 million. The United States wanted to make sure that it did not fall into German hands. Many place names are still preserved in Danish and many of the residents have Danish names. Tourism, along with agriculture and industry, is the main source of income. There is left-hand traffic on the islands.
In a year (2017), it will be exactly 100 years since Denmark ceded the West Indies to the United States. On that occasion, Denmark can buy the islands back due to a clause. Researcher calls it a landmark event, and the Radicals are positive about a buyback. Read here.
TIMELINE:
1500 FVT – Skt. Thomas has been inhabited by various West Indian Indians. The first were the Ciboney people.
1493 – Christopher Columbus finds the islands (first St. Croix, then St. Thomas and St. John ) on his second voyage to America, and he named them the ” Virgin Islands ” (Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Virgenes) after St. Ursula, which according to legends should have been followed by 11,000 virgins. The Spaniards quickly occupied the islands in order to extract copper.
1672 – The Danish company West Indies-Guinea Company annexes the first of the three uninhabited islands, Skt. Thomas.
1718 – The Danish company West Indies-Guinea Company annexed it of the three uninhabited islands, Skt. Jan.
1733 – The third island, Skt. Croix was bought from the French West India Company.
In 1733, the slaves of St. John revolted and took control of the island. It took eight months and required the help of a French force to quell the uprising.
1755 – Skt. Thomas, Skt. Jan and Skt. Croix was taken over by the king of Denmark-Norway from the actually bankrupt company. The economy of the Danish West Indies was completely based on slavery.
In 1755, there were 14,977 slaves and 1,841 free residents (white and freed slaves) on the islands.
1797 – there were 32,213 slaves and 4,480 free residents (white and freed slaves) on the islands.
1802-1815 – The Danish West Indies were occupied by Great Britain in the period 1802–1803 and 1807–1815 in connection with the English Wars.
1814 – Peter von Scholten came to the islands after his officer training in the army, and as a member of the adjutant staff he gained personal affiliation with Frederik VI. He resigned from the army and was given the lucrative position of royal warden at Skt. Thomas. Here he rose in rank and in 1823 was appointed governor of St. Thomas. Four years later he became governor of all three islands.
1848 – During this period and onwards, the islands gradually became a drain for the Danish treasury, and from the 1860s it was considered to sell them. The United States, the island’s all-dominating trading partner, emerged as the most obvious buyer.
On July 3, 1848, Governor-General Peter von Scholten failed to fight an incipient slave revolt at Frederikssted on St. Croix. Instead, without prior consultation with Copenhagen, he declared the slaves free. He ended his days on January 26, 1854 in Altona, Schleswig-Holstein as a broken man after abolishing slavery. Read here.
1917 – The islands are sold to the United States for 25 million. dollars, which took over the administration on March 31, naming them the US Virgin Islands.
1987 – The film Peter von Scholten, directed by Palle Kjærulff-Schmidt, with Ole Ernst in the lead role, premiered on 27 February (DK). It was recorded in the Virgin Islands.