U.S. Virgin Islands
The islands were originally inhabited by the Arawak, Ciboney, and Kalinago peoples before European contact during Columbus' second voyage. The Danish West India Company acquired the islands between 1672 and 1733, and they became the Danish West Indies in 1754 under direct royal Danish control, with the plantation economy relying heavily on enslaved peoples brought beginning in 1673. Following a slave rebellion in 1848, slavery was abolished and the plantation economy collapsed, leading Denmark to sell the islands to the United States in 1917. The islands became an unincorporated U.S. territory in 1927, were administered by the U.S. Navy until 1931, and Virgin Islanders did not gain the right to elect their own government until 1968.
Pre-contact era
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. 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.
Colonial history
Many enslaved peoples were brought to the islands beginning in 1673. Following a slave rebellion in 1848, slavery was abolished in the Danish territories and the plantation economy collapsed. Faced with mounting deficits, the Danish government repeatedly attempted to sell the islands before finally selling to the United States in 1917.
The islands were initially under the control of the U.S. Navy and remained under its administration until 1931. The islands officially became an unincorporated U.S. territory in 1927, the same year Virgin Islanders were granted citizenship. It was not until 1968 that Virgin Islanders were granted the right to elect their own government. The islands were acquired primarily for strategic military purposes.
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State history content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Historic sites data: National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
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