English
Español
中文
हिन्दी
FrançaisExpanded History
History of Virgin Islands
From antiquity to the modern era — the historical eras, key events, and narrative that shaped Virgin Islands.
Overview
Historical Eras
The major periods of {country}’s history at a glance.
Indigenous & Pre-Contact
2000 BCE – 1493
The Virgin Islands were inhabited by successive Amerindian peoples, including the Ciboney, Arawak, and Carib. The Caribs, known as fierce seafarers, dominated the islands by the time Christopher Columbus arrived in 1493 and named the archipelago Las Once Mil Vírgenes. European contact initiated the rapid displacement and decimation of the indigenous population.
Early European Contest
1493 – 1672
Spain claimed the islands after Columbus's arrival but made no sustained settlement. Dutch, English, and Danish interests competed for control during the early 17th century, with Dutch settlers arriving around 1621 and English colonists establishing a presence on Tortola by 1666. Piracy and inter-European rivalry defined this turbulent period of shifting sovereignty.
Plantation & Slave Era
1672 – 1848
Britain consolidated control of the British Virgin Islands while Denmark firmly established its colony on St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John. Sugarcane plantations worked by enslaved Africans became the economic foundation of both territories, generating significant wealth through the 18th century. Denmark abolished slavery in its colonies in 1848 following a slave uprising led by General Buddhoe on St. Croix.
Decline & Danish Rule
1848 – 1917
The abolition of slavery triggered a prolonged economic decline in the Danish West Indies, as the plantation system collapsed without coerced labor and sugar prices fell globally. Denmark attempted to sell the islands to the United States as early as 1867, and negotiations continued intermittently for decades. The strategic importance of the islands during World War I finally prompted the United States to purchase them from Denmark for $25 million in 1917.
U.S. Territory Era
1917 – 1954
Following the transfer, the islands were administered by the U.S. Navy until 1931, when civilian governance was established under the Department of the Interior. Residents were granted U.S. citizenship in 1927 under the Jones-Shafroth Act. The Organic Act of 1954 established a more formal governmental structure for the U.S. Virgin Islands, creating a legislature and strengthening civil rights protections.
Modern Territory
1954 – present
The U.S. Virgin Islands developed a tourism-driven economy through the latter half of the 20th century, replacing the defunct agricultural sector. Residents gained the right to elect their own governor in 1970, though the islands remain an unincorporated territory without full voting representation in the U.S. Congress. Ongoing debates about the territory's political status — including potential statehood or greater autonomy — continue alongside recovery efforts from devastating hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.
Timeline Preview
The first 7 key events. View the full chronology on the timeline page.
1493
http://www.bvi.gov.vg/products.asp?iProd=20&iCat=4&hierarchy=0
Christopher Columbus, exploring for new lands and mineral wealth, discovered the islands and claimed them for Spain. It was evident that there was copper on Virgin Gorda. The Carib indians were so antagonistic and defended their territory so fiercely that, in 1550, Charles V of Spain decreed that they should be treated as enemies and they were exterminated.
1550
http://www.bvi.gov.vg/products.asp?iProd=20&iCat=4&hierarchy=0
Charles V of Spain decreed that they should be treated as enemies and they were exterminated. The Spanish, continuing their explorations, discovered the bounty of South America and abandoned the islands, which were left uninhabited for the last half of the 16th. century.
1585
http://www.bvi.gov.vg/products.asp?iProd=20&iCat=4&hierarchy=0
The sovereigns of Holland, England, and France became very interested in the wealth being acquired by Spain, and their representatives sailed through the waters of the islands on their way to harrass Spanish possessions and capture the Spanish treasure ships. One of those representatives was Sir Francis Drake, who passed through in 1585. The archipelago of the West Indies was becoming increasingly important as the New World was being opened up, and formal claims of possession were made on all the islands.
1621
http://www.bvi.gov.vg/products.asp?iProd=20&iCat=4&hierarchy=0
the Dutch made Tortola their base and despite spasmodic attacks from Spain, who still considered the islands to be theirs, persisted in their occupation and built a fort there. During their tenure, the islands became a haven for buccaneers.
1625
http://www.bvi.gov.vg/products.asp?iProd=20&iCat=4&hierarchy=0
Charles 1 of England issued letters of patent and a grant of ownership of the islands to the Earl of Carlisle in 1625; however, no attempt was made to occupy the islands because England was colonizing the larger islands of Barbados, St.Christopher, Nevis, Montserrat and Antigua, and, these were proving very profitable. Those islands eventually united to become the Colony of the Leeward Islands.
1665
http://www.bvi.gov.vg/products.asp?iProd=20&iCat=4&hierarchy=0
on the outbreak of war between England and Holland, Captain John Wentworth attacked the islands and the Dutch lost their foothold.
1666
http://www.bvi.gov.vg/products.asp?iProd=20&iCat=4&hierarchy=0
the islands were formally annexed by England to the government of the Leeward Islands, and came under some measure of civic control.