CaribbeanUS Virgin Islands

Tomorrow the US Virgin Islands are 100 years old!!!!!

By March 30, 2017 No Comments

Many people do not know that the US Virgin Islands were once owned by Denmark. The Danish West Indian Company settled St Thomas in 1672, St John in 1694, and bought St Croix from the French in 1733. Denmark must not have like the idea that a company had so much land, because it formed the Danish West Indian colony in 1754.

There were several attempts at transferring the island to the United States in the late 1800’s. One time around 1880 a price of $8 million was agreed upon, but when it went to the US Congress the press made such a stick about bribes that if anyone voted in favor it was tantamount to admitting you took a bribe.

Well 30 or so years later the USA did buy the islands for $25 million (over $550 in today’s money), because the government was concerned Germany would build a submarine base here (of course that is what the US did once it owned them, haha).

The official transfer date from Denmark to the United States was March 31, 1917. Full citizenship was awarded 10 years later and the US dollar was officially adopted in 1934.

What does all this mean? Well it means tomorrow marks the 100th anniversary of the US Virgin Islands joining our fine country. Hip, hip, hooray!

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: