ISLAND OF ST THOMAS

 

St. Thomas Island is part of the group that makes up the Virgin Islands.

It was first sighted by Columbus on his second westward voyage in 1493 and although he did not land it was Columbus who named them Las Virgenes.

It wasn’t until 150 years later that the Danish flag was planted on St. Thomas and it eventually became part of Danish West Indies.

The island was populated with Slaves imported from Africa to work on the large number of sugar plantations and the islands wealth grew.

But the prosperity of the island dwindled After Denmark abolished slavery in 1848.

The Danish West Indies came under threat of German expansion during World War I so America purchased the islands which became the American Virgins in March 1917 and in 1927 the islands residents were granted United States citizenship.

Even though the islands have their own Governor and a locally elected legislature residents cannot vote in the Presidential election despite being United States taxpayers.