With 'legalized' extermination and military action inevitable, the Caribs permanently abandoned St. Sugarcane quickly became the economic force on the island many years. The development of the sugar beet in Europe and abolishment of slavery undermined the economy of the colony. Slavery was abolished after a successful insurrection in , but in , St. Croix received a shipload of East Indians that were indentured on the island for five years.
There was a labor revolt by former slaves in when much of Frederiksted, one of the island's two towns, was burnt down in a labor revolt now known as the Fireburn. It was reportedly led by four women known as the "Queens" of the revolt, and a modern island thoroughfare is named after "Queen Mary" Thomas. Christopher Columbus is credited as the first European to have discovered the island in He landed at what is know known as Salt River, which is on the central north coast.
He was searching for fresh water but didn't find any because a river, was just an inlet from the sea that resembled the mouth of a river. The far eastern part of the island is a bit more arid than the west end. You will see a lot of cactus plants, with some growing up to 15' high on the rolling hills. Even though the island is only 27 miles long, east to west, the western end of the island has lush green hills that rise up much higher than on the east end and even includes a small rainforest.
There are pristine, white sandy beaches all around the island. Be sure to watch these videos about St. Croix - St. Croix Videos. There are two towns on the island, Christiansted and Frederiksted. Christiansted is on the north shore of the island, just a little east of center, and has many historic buildings. Christiansted has some of the best examples of Danish architecture to be found outside of Denmark! If you are lucky, you may be on the island for "Jump Up", which is held in the streets of Christiansted.
This is a "carnival-like" evening, which takes place about four times a year. It's an evening filled with steel bands, dancing, local arts and crafts, local food, and lots of fun! Frederiksted, which is much smaller than Christiansted, has lovely "gingerbread" Victorian architecture and is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, as cruise ships began calling on the port again in Just on the edge of town, you will find Fort Frederik, which was established in the 's, and is noteworthy because this is where then Governor General Peter Van Scholten read the proclamation abolishing slavery on the island in Today the fort is the home of a museum.
Frederiksted has a beautiful waterfront that draws cruise ships and visitors from around the globe. On the third Friday of each month, there is an evening event called "Sunset Jazz". Admission is free and families are welcome.
Both Christiansted and Frederiksted have fun shopping and delicious places to dine! Croix is about 40 miles south of St. Thomas and St.
They are separated by a deep oceanic trench Croix has wonderful white sand beaches with warm, crystal clear waters and is ringed by a reef system making navigating the waters around the island reserved for only experienced sailors. All beaches on the island are open to the public, however, you still need to respect waterfront property owners as the "public" part of the beach only extends 15 feet up the beach from the high tide waterline, after that it's private property.
Historic plantations, remnants of a time when slavery and agriculture were the mainstays of the island's economy, are located all over the island. The ruins of dozens of sugar mills are scattered all over the island, a vivid reminder of the island's past. For their uprising they were condemned to be destroyed by the Spanish Crown.
Although Columbus landed on Croix in the name of Spain, the first to establish themselves on St. Croix were the Dutch and English with a small number of French Protestants.
In both countries, Britain and the Netherlands, co-existed on the island. This mutually beneficial relationship of sharing St. Croix ended without question when the islands Dutch governor killed the English counterpart.
The English retaliated, leaving the Dutch governor dead. Many years of battles over possession of the island followed between the two powers. Dutch and French settlers slowly retreated leaving the English in power of St. The colony grew under British rule. The Spanish, on nearby Puerto Rico, were concerned by the growth. In a surprise attack the Spanish landed on St. Croix and killed many settlers and forced the others to leave.
The French heard of the overthrow of the English and took the opportunity to move in themselves and take over St. Croix from the Spanish. This was around Philippe de Poincy, an official of the Knights of Malta, sent of his best troops to capture St.
He succeeded and then quickly sent some three hundred planters from St. Kitts to establish settlements on the newly captured colony. Seeking to establish a stronger hold on St. The Company rule did not do very well and lasted only seven years. The King dissolved the Company and replaced it with Crown rule. The French Crown continued to claim ownership of St. Croix although they had basically abandoned the island.
Most of the French settlers had left the island by Croix to form their new colony. Under the leadership of Frederik Moth, a new town at Christiansted was planned within the first year. In , St. Croix was given its own government, separate from St. Thomas and St. Under strict regulations, the planters soon became frustrated with company rule.
In the planters of the three islands petitioned the King to buy out the company. It forced enslaved Africans to work on plantations producing products like sugar, which it profited from until the s, when sugar prices fell. Plantation with a mill and a sugar refinery on Saint-Croix Island, which belonged to Denmark until Big changes also came in July , when several hundred enslaved people on St.
After abolition, these newly freed people struggled to make a profit on exhausted lands and plantations that were small and old-fashioned compared with newer industrial operations, according to the Danish State Archives. By the late 19th century, Denmark was finding it increasingly expensive to run the islands. Yet as early as the American Civil War, the U. This was because U. But they also worried a hostile foreign power might take control of them before the U. Thomas as its regular refueling station tended to exacerbate those suspicions.
The first negotiations between the U. This was probably partly due to an anti-expansionist sentiment that set in after the Civil War, and partly due to the fact that the Senate was angry at Seward over his support of President Andrew Johnson during his impeachment trial, notes the U. State Department. Negotiations started up again in the s but fizzled with the onset of the Spanish-American War in In the aftermath of that war, the U.
The U.
0コメント