Table of Contents
When did the US buy the Virgin Islands from Denmark?
March 31, 1917
Formal transfer of the islands occurred on March 31, 1917, along with a U.S. payment to Denmark of $25,000,000 in gold coin. United States colonial policy distinguished between citizens and “nationals,” or inhabitants of colonies to whom the rights of U.S. citizenship were not conferred.
What did Denmark sell to the US?
The Treaty of the Danish West Indies, officially the Convention between the United States and Denmark for cession of the Danish West Indies, was a 1916 treaty transferring sovereignty of the Virgin Islands in the Danish West Indies from Denmark to the United States in exchange for a sum of US$25,000,000 in gold ($595 …
Why did America want US Virgin Islands?
Yet as early as the American Civil War, the U.S. was eyeing them as a possible economic and national security asset. This was because U.S. officials thought the islands could help secure American economic interests in the Caribbean.
Why did the US acquire the Virgin Islands?
The islands remained under Danish rule until 1917, when the United States purchased them for $25 million in gold in an effort to improve military positioning during critical times of World War I. St. Croix, St. Thomas and St.
How much did Denmark sell the Virgin Islands for?
The Deal Took 50 Years. During World War I, Denmark finally sold Saint Thomas, Saint John and Saint Croix to the U.S. for $25 million in gold coin.
How many islands make up the US Virgin Islands?
About 50 islands and cays constitute the U.S. group. Only three are of importance; several are uninhabited. The largest, St. Croix, is 28 miles long, 84 square miles in area, and lies about 40 miles south of the other islands.
Do the Virgin Islands belong to the United States?
United States Virgin Islands, also called U.S. Virgin Islands, organized unincorporated island territory of the United States, situated at the eastern end of the Greater Antilles, about 40 miles (64 km) east of Puerto Rico, in the northeastern Caribbean Sea. The territory is composed of three large islands—St.
Why did the U.S. want the Virgin Islands?
Did Denmark sell St Thomas to the US?
During World War I, Denmark finally sold Saint Thomas, Saint John and Saint Croix to the U.S. for $25 million in gold coin. Every March 31, the U.S. Virgin Islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John and Saint Croix observe “Transfer Day” to commemorate the sale of the islands from Denmark to the United States.
When did the US get the US Virgin Islands from Denmark?
On March 31, 1917, Denmark formally transferred governance over the islands to the U.S., and the U.S. reciprocated by paying Denmark $25 million in gold coin. What this meant for people living on St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix—now the U.S. Virgin Islands—was unclear.
How would the US pressure Denmark to sell the three islands?
Ultimately, the U.S. would successfully pressure Denmark to sell the islands by threatening a military attack on the neutral nation during World War I. Denmark had colonized the three islands—known as the Danish West Indies—back in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Why was the US purchase of the Danish West Indies delayed?
The U.S. purchase of the Danish West Indies was thus delayed again. In 1915, especially after the sinking of the Lusitania, the issue of the U.S. purchase of the Danish West Indies again became an important issue in U.S. foreign policy.
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