United States Virgin Islands

Origins

Fearing that Germany might acquire a base in the Caribbean during the First World War, the United States bought Saint Thomas, Saint John and Saint Croix from Denmark for 25 million dollars in gold. The Danish West Indies were handed over on 31 March 1917, now celebrated as Transfer Day.

Rule and society

Until 1931 the islands were run by the US Navy, with naval officers as governors, and the inhabitants became US citizens only in 1927. Organic Acts of 1936 and 1954 created a local legislature, and Melvin Evans became the first elected governor in 1970. The decline of sugar and the end of Prohibition hurt the economy, which later turned to tourism, cruise shipping and, on Saint Croix, a large oil refinery that closed in 2012.

To the present

The islands remain an unincorporated, organised territory with a non-voting delegate in Congress. Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck in 2017, and the territory continues to debate its status and its Danish and African heritage.