Emancipation Day in U.S. Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands are located in the Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean and east of Puerto Rico, consist of four islands (737 square miles, or 1910 square kilometers): Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas and Water Island. Saint Croix is the largest of the islands by square miles and is the largest by population. As of 2014, the population of the Virgin Islands is 104,170 (July 2014 est.). with a population growth rate of -0.56% (2014 est.) 74.7 percent of the population speak English, 16.8 percent speak Spanish or Spanish Creole, and 6.5 percent speak French or French Creole. 59 percent of the population are Protestant and 34 percent are Roman Catholic.

Emancipation Day is now celebrated on July 3 every year on the US Virgin Islands.

The small island of St. Croix was once one of the largest sugar cane producers in the world and was the centre of activity in the once Danish West Indies. In 1848, when still under Danish rule, St. Croix slaves revolted and won emancipation (decades before Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in the Unites States).

Rebellion on St. Croix in 1848

The following year, 1848, revolutions broke out several places in the world. France experienced the February Revolution, and revolutions also broke out in Haiti and Venezuela. The disorders there spread to Martinique and Guadeloupe. The desire for freedom also spread to the slaves in the Danish colony in the West Indies. On July 2, they rose up in an initial rebellion on St. Croix. Plantations were burned down, and the city of Frederiksted was besieged by rebels, so only the city’s fort remained in Danish hands.

The Scenic White Beaches and Sparkling Bays The white sandy beaches in the US virgin islands is one reason to vacation there. When The sun Goes down The gorgeous beaches of the United States Virgin Islands are not the only feature that dazzles. If you’re going to be visiting these gorgeous islands and plan to spend your days swimming and basking under the rays of the sun, you’ll also have plenty of things to do when the sun goes down.

Source: virgin-islands-history.org | cnn.com | wikipedia.org