Includes bibliographical references and index.

This second edition of this title is the only history of the United States' territory covering the period from 1492 to 2010. Especially emphasized is the period since 1917 when the U.S. acquired the Islands from Denmark. Constituting three small Caribbean islands, St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John, each is unique, but together they are widely known as a favorite tourist destination featuring sun, sand and surf. In many respects, the territory is a microcosm of the human family. The diversity of its physical environment is matched by the diversity of its people. The focal point of the book is a record of the struggle of the Islanders' greater number as slaves, then serfs, and lastly as citizens to gain control of their own destiny. This is a history of human rights and human wrongs. The author does not merely portray the history of the Islands and their people; he also shows how the Islanders share the same aspirations as other colonial subjects. In so doing he taps previously unused sources. The relationship between the United States and the Virgin Islands has been marked by indifference and vacillation on the part of American officials. Moreover, the thousands of tourists who flock to the territory annually are unaware of the Islands' checkered and rich history. For many, the Islands are simply a tropical paradise. This work is an extensively documented, and detailed source of information, valuable to those interested in a political and cultural perspective, to those interested in African American or Caribbean history, and likewise to those who live in or visit the Islands. Roots: 1492-1917. -- Columbus, colonialism and captivity -- Repression and rebellion -- Slavery to serfdom -- Purchase of a people -- American antecedents -- Freedom Struggle, 1917-1954. -- Prejudice and poverty -- Reform and relief -- Progress and politics -- Tourism Syndrome, 1954-1980. -- Penury to prosperity -- Development decade -- Aliens and the alienated -- Political culture -- Persisting Problems, 1980-2010. -- Constitutional conundrums -- Cacophony of conflicts -- Letter form Governor Hastie to the author.