It was documented by historians that the first inhabitants of the Islands were the Ciboneys, who arrived on the islands during Pre-Ceramic Culture. Next to arrive were the Arawaks who went on to establish sites on St. John and St. Croix in around 100 AD. Those who arrived next were probably the best-known inhabitants- the Caribs and the more peaceful Tainos. In recent years proof of their existence has been unearthed with the discovery of artifacts including stone griddles and small carvings depicting the faces of their gods, known as Zemis and petroglyphs which are rock carvings- all of which can be seen on St. John’s Reef Bay Trail.
Christopher Columbus sailed into Salt River on his second voyage in 1493 claiming the island for Spain. By this time Caribs had taken control of St. Croix, then called Ay Ay, Columbus wanted the island for Spain, the battle between the Indians and Columbus is considered the first insurgence in the New World. Before leaving, he named the island Santa Cruz. Heading north, he spotted a chain of islands and proclaimed they would be called Las Once Mil Virgenes (11,000 virgins) in honour of Ursula, martyred by the Huns for refusing to marry a pagan prince.
The period after Columbus’ visit was quiet as far as exploration and colonisation is concerned. Explorers as late as 1587, reported evidence of Indian habitation. However many countries expressed an interest in the islands in the 1600s, including Holland, France, England, Spain, Denmark and the Knights of Malta. The Danish West India Company first established a settlement in 1665, and later, a settlement on St Thomas’ in 1672 which consisted of 113 inhabitants, later expanding to St. John in 1694. St. Croix was added to the Danish West India Company in 1733, and plantations agriculture developed rapidly.
After the treaty with the Dutch of Brandenburg in 1685, St. Thomas became a slave-trading post. Primarily from Africa’s west coast, over 200,000 slaves were forcibly shipped to the islands for the harvesting of cane, cotton and indigo. The work was backbreaking and took many lives. St. John and St. Croix maintained a plantation economy, while St. Thomas developed as a trade centre.
Stripped of any basic human rights and with such harsh working conditions, in 1733 slaves attacked St. John’s Fort Frederiksvaern in Coral Bay- crippling operations for six months. In 1792 Denmark announced the cessation of the trade in humans, but freedom was not granted to slaves until 1848, when Moses “Buddhoe” Gottlieb led a revolution on St. Croix, 17 years before emancipation in the United States.
Agriculture in the islands declined after the freedom for slaves and a new discovery of sugar beet. The industrial revolution ended the need for the islands as a shipping port, thus changing the economic environment. The islands remained under Danish rule until 1917, when the United States purchased them for $25 million in gold in an effort to improve military positioning during critical times of World War I. St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John became the US Virgin Islands. Although the islands were purchased in 1917, it wasn’t until 1927 that citizenship was granted to Virgin Islanders. The Organic Act of 1936 allowed for the creation of a senate, and from there the political process evolved. In 1970, the U.S. Virgin Islands elected its first governor, Melvin H. Evans.
Tourism grew in the destination once the United States imposed an embargo on Cuba in 1959. Today, the USVI is a thriving destination for visitors in search of the perfect holiday.
ST CROIX
In its history, has flown seven different flags. This Island has been colonised by, Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, the Knights of Malta, Denmark, and the United States. Arawaks and Caribs were the original people prior to any European colonisation. Christopher Columbus visited here on November 14, 1493 at the Salt River and called the island Santa Cruz- translating to "Holy Cross".
Christopher Columbus' visit led to a battle where one Spaniard and one Carib were killed. The war was fought for over a century between the Spaniards and Caribs, until the Spanish finally abandoned the island.
Dutch and English colonisers settled on the island in the seventeenth century. The Dutch eventually abandoned their settlement. The English were the next to settle, but the settlement was destroyed after the Spanish retook the island in 1650. However, they in turn were immediately removed by the French.
The U.S. Virgin Islands remains today under the U.S. flag. However, the islands are an unincorporated territory with a non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives. Although all residents are U.S. citizens, they have no vote in national elections and generally do not pay taxes to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, though taxes are paid, using U.S. law, to the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue.
ST THOMAS
Archaeological evidence recorded through journals suggests that St. Thomas was once home to natives of the Ciboney tribes, the Taino or Arawak tribes, and the Caribs. Indian habitation in what are today the Virgin Islands. In the late 1500s journals had been kept by settlers, and explorers. By the 1600s the Indian populations had plummeted due to disease and hard labour brought by Europeans. It is also believed that, raids by Spanish settlers, from neighbouring islands, immigration to other islands of the Caribbean, also so was the demise of the first settlers. These indigenous groups no longer exist in the Virgin Islands.
Christopher Columbus is credited with "discovering" St. Thomas during his second voyage to the New World in 1493; he briefly stopped here before sailing on to Puerto Rico. Leaving the island unguarded the sheltered bays were soon called on by ships from other nations whose captains were men that would come to be considered pirates by the Spanish. St. Thomas' existence would continue as home to pirates and small settlements for many years before a European power started to pursue a permanent settlement.
In 1671 King Christian V chartered the Danish West India Company to occupy and take possession of St. Thomas and islands hoping that it might be uninhabited and suitable for plantations. Part of the charter indicated that the Danish government would supply the company with as many male convicts as necessary for working the plantations and as many women, who were under arrest, as needed. It would be soon learnt by the authorities that convicts would not make good workers. In St. Thomas, the officials quickly welcomed colonists from neighbouring islands and would start to rely on African slaves for labour.
On August 30, the first two ships set sail to settle St. Thomas 1671. Arriving three months later on February 26, 1672. 61 convicts included the original crew of 116 men who were engaged by the company. 89 people died on that ship at sea with another 75 dying once landed. In terms of lives, it proved to be costly A third ship with 67 passengers on board sailed to St. Thomas in 1673; 7 died on board and 53 after landing. With such grim numbers surviving the little Danish settlement on St. Thomas grew slowly. Many Dutch settlers came from neighbouring islands; consequently from the very beginning Dutch was the dominant language. In 1673 a ship of 103 slaves was sent to St. Thomas, another 24 added in 1675 and 16 in 1678. These were the first of many slaves to help with the plantations brought to the island.
Neighbouring islands around St. Thomas, like Buck Island and Water Island, were used as pastures for goats and sheep; intended to feed the settlers on St. Thomas. In 1680 the populations were as follows, 156 whites and 175 blacks. The settlement included a fort, with a single road running through the island. At this time about 50 plantations existed (of which 46 were occupied).
After the passing of time it was realised by the government that much of St. Thomas' could be developed in and around the natural harbour. Taphus meaning beer houses or halls were created. This is what today is called Charlotte Amalie, which was named in honour of King Christian V's wife. Licenses were given to the residents by the governor for the development of the area around the harbour. Soon taverns sprung up encouraging seafarers to enjoy the popular Taphus.
The Esmit Brothers, who served as the 2nd and 3rd governors of St. Thomas are said to have illegally and openly traded with the pirates and freebooters. Thus the island gained the reputation of being a pirates den, using St. Thomas as a refuge. Stories of pirates Blackbeard and Bluebeard are the most well known, but there are plenty of other romanticized stories of piracy on St. Thomas.
Due to poor management for years, in 1685, the Danish West India Company signed a treaty with the Brandenburger Company allowing the beginning of a slave trading business on St. Thomas. The big business of the slave trade wasn’t quite as it should have been. Bradenburger reports indicate that their prosperity was impeded by difficulties with the Danish hosts and conflicts with the Dutch West India Company.
Sugar then became the most popular crop and, in the early 1700's, we see a boom period for St. Thomas, thus the slave trade boomed to. African slaves were used for labour on the plantations that were situated across the island. This boom also encouraged many other traders from other islands came to St. Thomas to buy slaves. Between 1691 and 1715 the population of St. Thomas grew from 389 whites to 547 and 555 blacks to 3042.
A small group of planters, slaves and soldiers were sent from St. Thomas to claim St. John in 1717. Thus on June 13, 1733 the Danish West India Company bought St. Croix from France.
1754 saw a proposal recommending that the Danish Government take over the administration of the islands and was approved by King Frederik V. The islands became crown colonies. St. Croix was growing rapidly around this period, almost doubling its population, St. Thomas' and St. John's combined. Moving the capital from St. Thomas to Christiansted, St. Croix. While St. Croix developed a typical plantation economy, St. Thomas' economy shifted to trade.
In 1801 the English seized the Danish islands for about a year and again from 1807 to 1815. The first takeover left little lasting effect, but the second left some planters impoverished and caused trade on St. Thomas to stagnate.
In 1815 St. Thomas was made a free port, the years that followed seeing it become a shipping centre and distributing point for the West Indies. Charlotte Amalie began to flourish commercially. A large part of all West Indian trade was channelled through the harbour. We also now see a change in occupation; of the 14,000 inhabitants, many of them free with approximately 2,500 slaves making their living on the plantations, with many other free Blacks working as clerks, shop keepers and artisans. This population and atmosphere was very cosmopolitan, especially when you compare it to the sister island of St. Croix where plantation life was still the norm. It is on St. Croix that a slave revolt in 1848 prompted the abolition of slavery in the Danish West Indies.
Steamships were increasing in use and in the 1840's we see St. Thomas became a coaling station for ships going between South and North America- Charlotte Amalie became the shipping lines headquarters. Advancements in steam and with the political climate it was possible for Spanish and English islands to import directly from producers, so there was no need for St. Thomas, with 1860's saw the end of prosperity. Coaling however, would continue until about 1935.
Unfortunately from the 1800s through early 1900s, saw several major natural disasters including hurricanes, fires and a tsunami, which left Charlotte Amalie needing major re-building. The years passed before the rebuild of the old warehouses that once stored goods for trade would be rebuilt. The fancy boutiques and stores that line the streets today was a resurrection of these old buildings. The St. Croix plantations also saw an end to their prosperity, with increasing labour problems and low market prices on sugar. The Danish West Indies became so very much dependent on Denmark, and its treasury, during these difficult times.
The United States after many negotiations between Denmark were initiated on several occasions between 1865 and 1917. Finally a deal was struck and the United States bought the Danish West Indies for $25 million, and the United States flag was hoisted on the three ''Virgin Islands of America' on the 31st of March 1917, remaining under US Navy Rule until 1931 during which time major public works with social reform projects took place. Between 1931 until 1969 Governors were appointed. The capital of the island group is Charlotte Amalie, on St. Thomas.
Air and sea travel increased from the 1950s helping prosperity return to Charlotte Amalie and St. Thomas. Tourism continued to grow in the years thereafter. An increased population as immigrants from other Caribbean islands came in hopes of finding work in the developing tourism industry.
As one of the Caribbean's top holiday destinations St. Thomas moved into the 21st century maintaining its prominence and Charlotte Amalie as a favourite cruise ship port of call.
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