USVI
The United States
Virgin Islands,
St. Thomas,
St. Croix, and
St. John, is the
most popular
tourist destination
in the Caribbean.
Our long standing, enviable international
reputation is not solely based on our
pristine beaches, warm weather, and
crystal-clear waters -- we're also the most
culturally diverse, ethnically rich, and
artistically vibrant society in the tropics. Our
biggest asset is our sun-kissed people. Our
residents are island-spiced, friendly and
quick to smile. Contemporary Virgin
Islanders are literally from everywhere. We
are as diverse as the peaceful Arawak and
fierce Carib Indians---and as culturally rich
as the peoples of Africa, England, Holland,
Denmark, Spain, France, India and the
United States.
Nowhere else in the Caribbean offers such a
good vacation value as the US Virgins.
Secluded beaches. National Parks.
Duty-free shopping. Campgrounds.
Kayaking. Hiking. Ecological tours.
World-class diving. Superb sailing. Tropical
forests. Local craftsmen. Island art.
Sunbathing. Fine Dining. Nightlife.
And it's all wrapped up in the safety,
security, and efficiency of the American flag.
The United States Virgin Islands. St.
Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John. Three lively
islands -- one gentle people.
Pre-Columbus
Prior to, and less than a century after Columbus' discovery, St. Croix
was inhabited by two tribes of Indians: the Caribs and the Arawaks.
The Arawaks were generally considered to be a peaceful tribe while
the Caribs were warring cannibals. The word "cannibal" is in tribute to
their fierce nature for it is derived from the Spanish word for Carib or
"carribales." Washington Irving described the Caribs:
"The hair of these savages was long and coarse, their eyes
were encircled with paint, so as to give them hideous
expression. Bands of cotton were bound firmly above and
below the muscular parts of the arms and legs, so as to cause
them to swell to a disproportionate size."
With such fearsome neighbors, the Arawaks were often forced to live
on larger islands where they could retreat into the hills when attacked.
Spanish
On November 14, 1493, Columbus made his first visit to "Ayay" (as
the Indians called St. Croix) and renamed it Santa Cruz. His
reception by the Caribs gives testament to their violent character.
Upon anchoring at Salt River, a small boatload of Spaniards
approached the shore and encountered a small canoe carrying four
men and two women. A battle ensued, which resulted from the
Spaniards attempting to capture the natives. One Carib and one
Spaniard were killed. The remaining Caribs were taken prisoner.
This was the early beginning of what would soon be widely employed;
slavery. In response to such conflict, Charles V of Spain declared that
all Indians in the islands were enemies and should be eliminated.
A constant state of war existed between the Caribs and the
Spaniards for nearly a century. By 1596, the islands were described
as being wholly uninhabited. St. Croix was not a major port for the
Spanish -- San Juan, Puerto Rico was far more important. Due to
Indian attacks, bad weather, and general poor luck, the Virgin Islands
were unfortunately described as "the useless islands."
Dutch & English
The Dutch and English are grouped together for they settled the Virgin
Islands almost simultaneously -- sometime in the early 1600's. Each
country settled a separate side of the island: the Dutch settled the
east end and the English the west. Inevitably, conflict erupted, but the
manner in which it did is interesting. According to the English: the
English Governor Brainsby was murdered by the Dutch Governor
Capoen, while visiting Capoen in his house. A newly appointed Dutch
Governor tried to arbitrate with the English and was granted
protection to travel to their side of the island. Immediately upon
arrival, he was seized and shot. After numerous battles, the Dutch
ended up abandoning the islands. The English controlled St. Croix
until 1650. In that year the Spanish sent a fleet of 5 ships and 1,200
men to St. Croix from Puerto Rico and slaughtered everyone! After
only 15 years of domination, the English were ousted. The Dutch
made one foolhardy attempt to recapture St. Croix. Assuming it to be
abandoned, they sent two ships from St. Eustatius island. The two
vessels dropped anchor right in front of Fort Frederik and proceeded
to land. Unknown to the Dutch, the Spanish had left 60 men to guard
the fort. The moment the landing boats reached shore, Spanish
muskets killed all but ten men.
French
Later the same year, the French sent two vessels to capture St. Croix
and succeeded. The Spanish rule of St. Croix was over almost as
soon as it had begun. The French fared poorly during their first
colonization attempt in 1651. Of 300 colonists, two thirds and two
governors died of illness during the first year. Burning the local forest
during the dry season was a common practice, supposedly to destroy
what they suspected was the home of disease.
Knights Of Malta
Ten years later the Governor of St. Kitts, De Poincy, bought St. Croix
as his private estate and later deeded it to the Knights of Malta. The
Knight of Malta were not true knights in the medieval sense but were a
religious group also known as the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.
The Order fared poorly and in general were considered to be rich
young aristocrats who knew little about colonization. In 1665, the
French West Indian company bought the island from the Knights. At
last, St. Croix had proper management under its new Governor
DuBois and flourished. In short time the island had 90 plantations.
Crops included tobacco, cotton, sugar cane and indigo. After
DuBois´ death, bad administration, drought and sickness ended what
advances had been made. From 1695 to 1733, St. Croix was
considered abandoned.
Denmark
In 1733, the French Government sold St. Croix to the Danish West
India & Guinea Co. for approximately $150,000. Shortly after this
transaction, the Danes made a clever move by allowing immigrants of
other nationalities to move in. The result was rapid development as
everyone from the Spanish Sephardic Jews to the Huguenots
purchased the available plantations. The English soon dominated the
populations and English became the language spoken on the streets.
It was under Danish rule that the sugar plantations flourished. On St.
Croix, for over two centuries, sugar was king! To this day, the sugar
plantations scattered around the island are visible. Sugar was
destined to success -- the markets in Europe were huge, and sugar
cane could only be grown in tropical zones.
One invention, however, made the sale of cane sugar in Europe an
impossibility. Between 1820 and 1840, the sugar beet became a
feasible source of manufacturing sugar throughout Europe. Since the
sugar beet could be grown in Europe, it made no sense to send ships
across the Atlantic for a product that could cheaply be produced in
Europe's native soil. The impact of this new source of sugar was
catastrophic to the local economy. It's result can be seen in the history
of the slaves on the island. Though the slaves were freed in 1848, the
economic condition on the island was so bad that the former slaves
rioted, resulting in the Fireburn of 1878 (In which the slaves rioted and
burned much of Frederiksted and many plantations around the
island.)
The last sugar harvest took place in 1966. St. Croix's economy then
turned to the newly built oil refinery (Amerada Hess) and the alumina
plant (VIALCO). Since then, the economy has become more and
more dependent upon tourism as a revenue source.
United States Of America
Denmark sold the Virgin Islands to the United States of America in
1917 for $25 million. St. Croix is now a U.S. Territory, along with the
other U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Thomas and St. John. The island´s
residents are U.S. citizens.
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