History of the United States Virgin Islands

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History of the United States Virgin Islands
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The United States Virgin Islands, often abbreviated USVI, are a group of islands and cays located in the Lesser Antilles of the Eastern Caribbean, consisting of three main islands (Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas) and fifty smaller islets and cays.^[1] Like many of their Caribbean neighbors, the history of the islands is characterized by native Amerindian settlement, European colonization, and the Atlantic slave trade.^[2][3]

Before the colonial period, the islands were inhabited at different times by the Arawak, Ciboney, and Kalinago peoples. Europeans first encountered the islands during Columbus' second voyage.^[4][5] Over the next century, settlers from across western Europe laid claim to the land and the majority of Indigenous peoples either perished or were displaced. The islands initially profited from the triangular trade, and many enslaved peoples were brought to the islands, beginning in 1673.^[6][7]

The islands were acquired by the Danish West India Company between 1672 and 1733, eventually becoming known as the Danish West Indies in 1754 when they came under direct control of the King of Denmark. Following a slave rebellion in 1848, slavery was abolished in the Danish territories, and the plantation economy of the islands collapsed. Faced with mounting deficits, the Danish government repeatedly attempted to sell the islands. After decades of negotiations, the United States purchased the islands in 1917.^[8]

The United States Virgin Islands officially became an unincorporated U.S. territory in 1927, the same year Virgin Islanders were granted citizenship.^[4] Having been acquired primarily for strategic military purposes, the islands were initially under the control of the U.S. Navy and remained under its administration until 1931.^[9] Following the transition to a civilian government, it was not until 1968 that Virgin Islanders were granted the right to elect their own government.^[10] Although the islands were primarily agricultural throughout their colonial history, the tourism industry has dominated life since the 1970 and is now its largest sector.^[11][1]