Every Day Is Special: U.S. Virgin Islands

Showing posts with label U.S. Virgin Islands. Show all posts

November 1 – Liberty Day in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Posted on November 1, 2017

Today is a celebration of David Hamilton Jackson, who was really important in the history of the Danish West Indies.

And, since the Danish West Indies are history, themselves, he is also important in the history of the U.S. Virgin Islands!

Back in the early 1900s, some Caribbean islands were ruled by Denmark - specifically, by the King of Denmark. A teacher / bookkeeper / clerk named David Hamilton Jackson was unhappy about a law that barred any independent newspapers in the Danish West Indies. He was even more unhappy about the strict censorship enforced on all publications in the islands. Jackson was bold enough to travel all the way to Denmark to petition the King for freedom of press.

And he was successful!

When Jackson returned, he started an independent newspaper, which he called The Herald. Today is the anniversary of the 1915 printing of the first edition of this newspaper.

Other very important things that Jackson did included working for workers' rights and other civil rights and organizing the islands' first trade union. He lobbied for the islands to be transferred to American control, rather than continuing as Danish territories, and when that actually happened, Jackson worked to make sure the islanders became U.S. citizens.

Today is also called D. Hamilton Jackson Day and Bull and Bread Day.

Check out some of the loveliness that is the U.S. Virgin Islands:

St. Thomas

St. John

St. Croix

Unfortunately, this September Hurricane Irma was devastating to the U.S. Virgin Islands. A lot of people are suffering, and a lot of the former loveliness is damaged or destroyed.

Also on this date:

Puno Jubilee Week in Peru

Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos)

Antigua and Barbuda's National Day

Give Up Your Shoulds Day

Prime Meridian Day

Continental-drift guy / geophysicist Alfred Wegener's birthday

Revolution Day in Algeria

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

November holidays
November birthdays
Historical anniversaries in November

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

December holidays
December birthdays
Historical anniversaries in December

July 3 – Danish West Indies Emancipation Day

Posted on July 3, 2017

Slavery is an ugly practice, and the African slave trade and slavery-buttressed agriculture and mining in the Americas was particularly ugly.

Notice that I said "the Americas," plural, not "America." I'm talking about the slave trade and slave labor in North and South America, including Central America and the Caribbean. Here are just a few of the countries whose economies once depended partly on African slave labor:

Cuba,

Brazil,

Bahamas,

Venezuela,

Belize,

Haiti,

Dominican Republic,

Suriname,

Mexico,

Colombia,

Guyana,

and of course the United States, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The U.S. Virgin Islands used to be the Danish West Indies - three Caribbean islands ruled by Denmark from the mid-1700s to the early 1900s. Danes brought enslaved Africans to the islands to work the sugar plantations.

The blowing of the conch signaled the
beginning of the rebellion led by Gottlieb.

A freed slave and skilled craftsman named Moses Gottlieb, who lived on St. Croix, went by the name General Buddhoe. Apparently he organized a lot of the slaves on the western end of the island, and together they marched on the town of Fredericksted. This rebellion caused the Governor-General of the Danish colony to emancipate (free) all of the slaves.

Because emancipation was announced in Fredericksted, this town is nicknamed Freedom City.

Check out Freedom City:

Even though a large part of the economy of the modern
U.S. Virgin Islands is tourism, Fredericksted only
gets around 15 cruise ships in the busiest month of the
year (January), compared to 3 to 8 cruise ships PER
DAY, in January, in nearby St. Thomas!

Stilt walking!

Also on this date:

Festival of Ceridwen

Anniversary of the first actor to play Superman

Compliment Your Mirror Day

Anniversary of the first modern strawberries

“Dog Days" begin

Independence Day in Belarus

Earth at aphelion

Idaho's Statehood Anniversary

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

July 4 – Fourth of July in U.S. Territories

Posted on July 4, 2016

Of course, it's the fourth of July everywhere that uses the Gregorian calendar (and every nation in the world has to use the Gregorian calendar to some extent, even the five who haven't officially adopted it) – but the Fourth of July is a holiday in the United States.

I got to wondering – is it also a holiday in the United States Territories?

Yes...and no. And to some extent there is unhappiness for at least some residents about the irony of celebrating independence when their own territories are themselves denied independence.

In Guam, there are beach parties, picnics, fireworks, and American flags. But the people of Guam are denied meaningful representation in the U.S. federal government, since they have only one non-voting delegate in the House and don't participate in the Presidential election. Some people of Guam urge commonwealth status, statehood, or the merging with other territories or with Hawaii....or of course independence! So far, the U.S. government has rejected proposals.

In Puerto Rico, those who want statehood tend to celebrate the Fourth with music, food, and fireworks. But some people want Puerto Rico to become fully independent, and they tend to celebrate other holidays instead. Since most workers have the day off, though, beaches and other tourist destinations are crowded with families having fun together.

In the U.S. Virgin Islands, one of the islands (Saint John) has a month-long carnival that ends on the Fourth of July. There are Calypso musicians, parades, the crowning of Ms. St. John and the Carnival King, and big fireworks displays.

Some aspects of St. John's Fourth is typical U.S. stuff (like above),
but other aspects is more typical of Caribbean and Carnival (like below).

In American Samoa, people have the day and do typical day-off kinds of things, like resting or recreating or getting together. But there isn't much in the way of parties, celebrations, or fireworks.

Finally, in the Northern Marianas, the week-long Liberation Day Festival ends on the Fourth of July. There is a parade with floats (like the one seen here), a beauty pageant, entertainment, and carnival-like booths for food and games.

Check out some gorgeous photos of these five territories: