Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ENTER THE USA
Meanwhile, the US was negotiating with Denmark to buy the Danish-controlled Virgins.
President Abraham Lincoln's astute secretary of state, William Henry Seward, saw the is-
lands' role as a waypoint and coaling station for steam ships and realized the strategic value
of the Virgins relative to the Caribbean Basin. The deal was almost done in 1867, but the US
Congress rejected the idea of paying $7.5 million (more than they paid for 'Seward's Folly,'
Alaska) for the islands. The US made another bid in 1902, but this time the Danish parlia-
ment rejected the offer, hoping that the Germans might offer them a sweeter deal.
Several black women gained their freedom and were part of mainstream St Thomas society in the early 19th
century, according to the 1803 'Proceedings and Register of the Free Colored.'
As WWI began in Europe, the US grew concerned that German armies might invade Den-
mark and claim the Danish West Indies. Finally, the US paid the Danes $25 million in gold
for the islands in 1917.
The US Navy then took control, which resulted in tensions with the local population. The
US tried to enforce Prohibition here, an unusual concept for an economy tied to the produc-
tion, sale and distribution of rum. In 1931 President Herbert Hoover traveled to the Virgins,
stayed for less than six hours and made a speech in which he declared, 'It was unfortunate
that we ever acquired these islands.'